How much do you expect of your 3 year old? (long)

[sportychick]

My DD seems a bit similar to Danae, Bel. She is 3 1/2 and is quite advanced for her age, I think (and so everyone keeps telling us). We were the first among our friends to have children, so she was really used to being around grown ups. Her speech is really good, her memory is better than mine, she takes her plate to the kitchen after we have eaten, tidys up her toys etc. She can write her own name and is always asking about what letters words start with and asking how everything works. But she will decide to be a "little girl" if the mood takes her - like if she is too lazy to walk up the stairs and wants to be carried. I think sometimes we forget that she is onlly 3 and expect her to behave like a "mini-adult"

[BellyBelly]

I second what Lucy said - it is sooooo common that older siblings regress when a new one is on the scene, but it does pass. Marisa was 2.5 when Elijah was born, out the window went toilet training and it went to the extreme, when I would change her on the change table, she would lie there and wee on herself - their behaviours can become infantile and it's just their way of dealing with it.

Make sure you get one on one time with her regularly. A great article to read is A New Baby - Second or Third or More Time Around by Pinky McKay. I think the introduction sums it up beautifully:

‘Imagine: Your partner has just brought home a new lover and announced that you are all going to live together. It will be fun! You will be best friends! After hearing that you and the new lover will be loved equally by your partner, you are asked to share your things (all of them) with the new lover.’