Sympathy crying - ?????

[Two mummies]

Hiya,

I have no idea if this is the right place to post this so feel free to move it. Last Friday at the daycare Christmas party Riley's carer mentioned to us that she had started 'sympathy crying'. Basically anytime any of the other babies started crying Riley would join in. We hadn't seen this before and she has been around crying babies before. Then on the weekend at a Christmas party a baby she knows well (cara) started crying and Riley was inconsolable for about 10 mintes! She's never cried before when Cara has cried.

Is this normal? Is it a stage toddlers go through and is there anything we can do?

Cheers
Soph

[kim&savannah]

I think that for some kids, that is very normal.  And it is probably something that develops as they become more aware of others and emotions. 

I know that Savannah started doing that (can't remember the exact age, but she's still very sensitive to others moods, although thank goodness Abe's crying doesn't seem to bother her at all or we'd be in trouble).  I first noticed it when reading with Savannah--for example, she loved the book "Are you my Mother" but then one day, she just started wailing when the bird couldn't find his mother--she was so sad for him.  She's done it with other characters too--she can't watch hardly any Disney movies because the whole mother issue makes her so sad and all those mom's die or something.

I don't think I'd worry too much about it unless you've noticed other changes too.

~Kim

[Two mummies]

Thanks Kim, we'll keep an eye out for any other changes...I guess its just more evidence that our little baby is growing up *sniff*

[Lana]

Ewan cries all the time when other kids cry or get upset.  He is getting a bit better able to handle it now but I think some kids are just more compassionate than others.

{{{{HUGS}}}} to Riley