Hi, this is Janet Landsbury and welcome to Unruffold.

Today I'm responding to a parent who posted a question about my article, seven reasons

to stop judging and start trusting sibling play.

This mom says she's been struggling with how and when to reign in her toddler son's

intense play with his seven-month-old sister.

She thinks he means well, but it's just too rough.

Here's the comment I received on my website.

Hey Janet, we appreciate your calm, comfort, and giving parenting guidance and we love the

right approach.

While I am normally very good at staying calm, recently I've been struggling with my

toddler.

He's 2.5 years old and we have a new baby girl who is seven months.

Finally our toddler has shown great interest in playing with his little sister.

This is wonderful, but it is often way too rough for her.

For instance, he wants to rock her car seat, but does it with such effort that her little

head goes back and forth.

While she's crawling, he wants to ride her like a horse.

He also pats her tummy, but it has the intensity of hitting even though he says he is padding.

They're both wildly giggling during these events, but I know they are too much for her.

My reaction to these events is not level headed because I fear he's hurting her and I want

to stop the action.

I want to encourage sibling play, but how do I get him to understand that he can't play

...