Ozzy Is Showing Signs Of Regression

Ozzy is a handful!!!

It's like he has regressed and started showing signs of wanting to become a "baby" again. He would cry when he wakes up alone in the room, he would ask for more milk and demand to put it in the bottle instead of his sippy cup, he would demand I carry him, he crawls around a lot, he baby talks etc etc. I know he is just acting up so that he will also get attention just like his baby brother. I don't know what to do anymore. According to an article I read, it is quite common, at least for awhile, for older children to experience regression when a baby is born. Although a new addition to the family is a joyful experience, it may be quite traumatic to a toddler especially if he has been the center of attention for quite some time.

According to the article:

On some level, whether it is conscious or not, an older child may observe the new sibling’s behavior and be learning from it. She sees the new baby yell and kick, and be rewarded with a bottle. She watches the baby wet himself and get his diaper changed for him. She may very well see the immature behaviors asa source of reward. Because of this, it is important that you reward more mature behaviors in your older child.

When regression first starts, there isn’t necessarily anything big that you need to do to address the issue. The most important thing in early stages is that you make sure that you give your toddler a lot of praise for acting “grown up.” Tell him that he is doing a great job when he learns a new skill. Thank him for using the potty like a “big boy.” Give him attention when he is acting his age, and encourage your toddler to be prideful of all of the things that he can do that his new sibling is unable to do.