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nannyde 10:09 AM 12-28-2010
I don't see any difference between boys and girls here behavior wise. The boys usually eat more than the girls and grow a bit faster but other than that they play the same. If parents are promoting certain kinds of play (like Thomas the tank engine) then I will see a little fixation with those characters.

My two year olds are wonderful. We have very close supervision at all times they are up but if a child shows that they can't safely play without an adult shadowing them then I would set up a play yard for that child and have them play in that any time we couldn't have an adult within inches. I would fill the play yard with toys that can be thrown that do not cause damage or injury like stuffed animals, cloth books, cloth etc. Nothing hard plastic or anything with any weight to it.

I would just slowly integrate him in with my most balanced stable child (normally the eldest or second eldest) in groupings of just two kids. I want my older kids to model the behavior I want with the younger ones. If he couldn't make it with my most proficient kids then he would have a significant amount of time to himself in the play yards until he could.

I have superyards that can be put together with enough panels for 18 square foot or 36 square foot. I have a lot of soft toys and light toys like duplo. He may need some time to have his own area and just WATCH the safe, nice, healthy play of stable children.

If he must be physically integrated at all times then it's time to discuss with the parents that he needs his own adult to keep him and the kids safe. We will see a growing percentage of young children who really need one to one care as time goes on. It's going to become incresingly difficult to have a population of kids that can manage being one of many. If State regs prevent you from confining him into a safe zone then he may not work in a group.
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