Patient's question:
The baby's older cousin is 7 months older than her and has been living with us. Since she was a few months old, the cousin has been bullying her, taking her things, and later, when the cousin got teeth, she started biting her. Whenever the cousin came, she would give her toys and other things. Then, for a month, her cousin went to school, and she was alone at home, which made her very happy. During that month, she learned many words and would call people like "grandma," "grandpa," "older brother," and "older sister." After a month, her cousin came back, and she would often bite her when we weren't looking, causing her to get scrapes and bruises. Otherwise, she would push her. Many times, she pushed her so hard that her mouth got scraped. She also frequently took her toys and food. If she wanted to play with a toy, her cousin would take it away. She then became less talkative and started crying often, no longer calling anyone. Will this affect her? Now she is almost 14 months old.Doctor's answer:
Dear consultant, hello, it's a pleasure to help you clarify. According to your description, it's best to try to keep the two children apart. Because around one year old is a crucial stage for the development of a child's worldview, prolonged bullying can lead to the child becoming introverted and reappearing in a situation of not liking to communicate and being isolated, so it's best to separate the two children, or play together under adult supervision.