I usually call my little boy, Tom, 'the tiddler'. However, he's acquiring a new nickname at the moment; it's more of a mouthful but appropriate nonetheless: the blond-haired terrorist.
Why? Well, for starters he's blond, but more to the point, his latest habit is toy snatching. I know it's normal for babies to grab toys from other children, but when your normally well-behaved and placid toddler starts to grab the toys out of the very hands of other babes and sucklings, it's somewhat embarrassing.
It started when Tom's friend Rhodri came over to play. Rhodri is sweet, gentle, older and bigger. Yet, my terrorist wouldn't let poor Rhodri near any of his toys, even the ones he'd lost interest in several months ago. I had even bought two toy cars to avoid this kind of conflict, but, of course, Tom was interested only in the car that Rhodri was playing with.
Rhodri's wise mum has been through this stage already. She told me what she does in this situation: she puts the toy in Rhodri's hand and then makes him give it back. I have tried this but, so far, it's not working. To my shame (and, I must admit, a smattering of amusement), the terrorism continues.
I canvassed the opinion of Katherine Regan, co-director of Baby Central, who has two children, one aged three years and the other five months. 'It's perfectly normal,' says Regan. 'In their heads they can play with anything. The main thing is to get down on their level and speak in language they can understand. I usually say something like: 'If you won't share your toys, Chloe won't want to play with you.''
I'm also trying this, hoping that as Tom's comprehension develops, so will his capacity to share.
Toy stealing aside, the question of what toys to get your child is a good one. I prefer to have a few quality toys that will last rather than a houseful of junk. If he's going to snatch them, they might as well be worth snatching, right?