Toddler play

Charlotte loves dolls. She calls them "baby", and loves to take care of them, like a little mommy. Her interaction with her baby dolls is quite a lot of fun to watch. I remember the day I first saw her trying to feed a baby--by shoving a pretzel at it's mouth. I've tried giving her empty cups and clean spoons to feed the baby with, and have to watch her or she'll "feed" her real food to the doll.

Its' very cute when she picks up one of her baby blankets, shakes it out, and swaddles her baby up. She'll then pick it up in a cradle position, and patted it on the back. She must have learned the swaddling at daycare, where there are a couple of little babies. Charlotte's baby goes for many walks in a doll stroller (some more like jogs, with vroom-ing sound effects) , and sleeps in an adorable little wicker cradle (complete with Charlotte telling us "Shhh" with her finger to her lips).

In the last two weeks, she's developed two new games with her baby. First, she has mastered climbing into my rocking chair and rocking in it, and she's learning to sing "Rock-a-bye baby" She actually will say "rock - bye - baby". She's also apparently potty-training her baby doll. Charlotte likes to take her own changing pad out of my bag, unroll it, and put her baby on top. Last night she also pulled out the wipes (which she used to blow her doll's nose), and a diaper, and asked for help in diapering the baby. Her size 3 pampers are way too big for the doll, but that's not a problem for a toddler. After the diaper was on, she carried her baby into the bathroom, lift the lid to the toilet, and sit the baby down on the seat! She also tried to sing the ABC song, which her daddy and I sing to her when she's sitting on her little potty--It came out sort of "b-b-b....b..b". Once I figured out what she was up to, I helped so that the baby didn't accidentally take a bath in the toilet.

If all of the images of a toddler "mothering" a baby doll don't make you smile today, then surely the picture of a grown woman holding a doll on the edge of a toilet seat while her toddler sings will :)