I thought it was the other way around

Until recently, I'd worried most about protecting the smaller one from the bigger one. Otter would tackle his younger brother, or ride him like a pony, or hug him--around the head, not gently.

Or, if I left them alone in the living room for a minute or two to get the laundry, I'd come back and to the small usually-sunny one yelling his head off. One day, I asked Otter: did your brother fall down?

And Otter said: No, I hit him in the head, Mama.

He's honest, at least.

Lately, Otter seems to be finally learning to be appropriately gentle with his brother. Sadly, brother has not learned to be similarly gentle. Today, as G was caring for them, Otter (who is toliet-learning) had his pajama pants around his ankles). While he was bent over fiddling with them, naked bum up in the air, the "baby" charges him from behind and knocks him to the floor, laughing merrily.

This is not atypical; the "new-baby" (I really need to find a new online nickname for him) wrestles Otter to the ground at least a couple times a day, often in the evening. Then he sits on his older brother's midsection and bounces--or lays full length on top of him and mushes his head.

So I guess we have to protect them from each other--but they seem to be having so much fun that we try to only outlaw the most egregiously unsafe wrestling moves. I'll let you know if we figure out how to get the "new-baby" to follow the rules.