With a background in Montessori Early Years, I always operate by the philosophy of encouraging their natural drive for independence and control over this - often uncontrollable - world.

When a new baby enters a family unit, older siblings may feel like their day-to-day is suddenly that bit more unpredictable with a tiny baby in the picture! Perhaps you, and any other grown ups in the house, are feeling the sleep deprivation and finding patience wearing thing! 

So, it's never a bad thing to help find those opportunities to remind your toddlers that there are still controllable elements in their life! 

One example of how I do this, is to always give choices when something needs doing! Instead of the thing that needs doing being a battle, I find ways the toddler or child can have control in the situation.

Perhaps it's time for the toddler to get dressed:

"Do you want to put your socks on first or your trousers?."

Perhaps you need to leave for nursery but they want to play rather than put their jumper and shoes on.

If you can, give them a warning of time left to play before approaching the impending departure time with: "it's time to go to nursery. Would you like to put on your shoes first or your jumper?" 

Or "do you want to put your toy away by yourself or shall I help?" 

With the toddler of my current maternity client, this has been a really successful way of giving him motivation to do something that needs doing during those busy, distracting morning moments of a long stretch of separation overnight and the baby needing feeding and changing! 

It can take a bit of adjustment to use language in a different way like this but give it a go and see how your (slightly bigger) little one responds!