My 14 month old recently started exhibiting this behavior. She holds objects up to her ear as if it were a phone. When I unbuckle her from her high chair, she always grabs one of the buckles and tries to put it to her ear and says something (her version of hello, I suppose). She does this with nearly everything. Is this normal?
Also, she now likes to sit down and pull her toys / objects around her into her lap or under legs or try to wrap it around her...like hoarding. It can be anything around her (a dust pan along with her toys, etc.). Again, is this normal for this age?
Dear G., Does she see you on the phone? Children like to copy parent(s) I do not think she is hoarding... maybe just hiding. Grandma Mary
Totally normal. She has just entered the creative/imaginative play stage is all. It is a good sign that she is doing that with the "phone". I'm not sure what they would call the "hoarding" but my son did that too. I always thought of it as his gathering his stuff around him.
I signed up for email newsletters on babycenter.com when I was pregnant that show what stages your child is going through, and I still get them now at two. They give a brief little description of different stages kids go through, so you know what is normal and what isn't. Check the website out, it has been really interesting to me.
Yes, very normal. Smart baby you got there...after all I am sure you use the phone right? She is just mimicking you...and this will last for a long time. My daughter is 2 and still pretends to talk on the phone all the time, usually the "phone" is a toy...but she has been known to use anything and everything!
The pulling of toys towards her is also normal...I wouldn't worry about this at all.
Enjoy your baby!
At least it is toys she is hoarding. My son was doing it with food! He still likes to put toys in bags to carry around or in my lap when I am sitting cross-legged. Everything was a phone for awhile, but I let him play with my phone, and he has one of our old ones, so he does usually stick to those now, but it took quite a bit.
The objects as phones thing is totally normal! My daughters did it with everything. Now they just try to grab the real phones, which they call hellos :) But they hold it to their ears and say "hello?"
Yes! Girls mimick their moms - I bet you talk on the phone a lot. My girls started 'talking on the phone' while also looking through a photo album - yes, I multi task on the phone. Kids are a great mirror - use it!
She's getting an idea of 'mine'. It's normal. Just keep her playing with other kids - it takes a lifetime to learn to share, to be generous. Again, let her catch you sharing, taking turns and being generous.
Yses it's normal to pretend that things are a phone. Toddlers are fascinated with phones. It's normal pretend play for kids to make things into other common items (kids with no real exposure to guns will make stuff into guns and swords when they are a little bigger). Imaginitive play shows intelligence!
She's just using her imagination (pretend play), it's actually a good sign from a develomental point of view. My son dumps all his toys from his toy box in a circle around him. I think this is just toddlers being toddlers.
I really wouldn't worry. My 2.5 year old does the same thing and has full on one sided conversations with things like hairbrushes and washcloths (Like-'Hello? Hi Nana! I am in the playroom with Mommy. Ok. Ok. Bye!') She is just imitating you.
The same goes for the toys. Hoarding really is a psychological issue where people cannot let go of objects for some reason, compulsion to be prepared for unexpected situations or an inability to part with items of emotional value. I think it is probably an anxiety related disorder, but I am not a psychologist.
You never know what gets into these kids heads. They have a limited exposure to the world, so they are just playing out what they are thinking or seeing. Don't stress.
Totally normal and really cute! My daughter did that too... Everything and I mean everything could be a phone - sometimes I would even get to talk on one of her phones. She also wanted Mama to make every one of her toys be a dog house she could put her stuffed puppy dog in...
There is nothing quite like a childs imagination - I think sometimes we just need to remember that the only reason a pencil is not a phone is because we decided it couldn't be.
Let her play with her toys how she wants, play with her and most importantly smile and enjoy the ride. It goes by way too fast.
