3 Year Old Doesn't like Her Step-dad

well you have a 7 month old new child and a new marriage.
were you and you husband together/living together for a long period before getting married? maybe it is taking your daughter time to adjust. with a new child in the house and (i'm assuming here that you two haven't been together since she was born/or a year) a new dad/man in her life it's a big adjustment.
she's also getting more verbal at this age and have you asked her if she knows what 'not like' someone means?
my son who will be 4 in january says things sometimes and i'll ask him if he knows what it means and he doesn't. he's just heard someone else say it.
maybe she is taking his disciplin as him not liking her.which could be age appropriate in it's logic.
have you talked to her pediatrician about this yet? sometimes they can give you material on behavior at this age or suggest where you might find some answers with a different type of dr or other material.
i wish you luck. i have two three year olds (now till jan 24th when my son will turn4) and 3 can be fun but tricky.

It's so hard to know what a 3 year old is really trying to say. 1 - It could just be the changes going on ...new dad, new baby. 2 -It could be nothing...just a 3 year old saying stuff. Mine sometimes says things he doesn't mean or things that don't make any sense. 3 - He could be mean/abusive to her when they're alone - I'm sure that's unlikely, but you never know. 4 - She just doesn't like him...I'm sure there are people in your life that you don't like...it would be the same thing.

I wish I had better advice. I wouldn't try to push her on the issue, but I would keep my eyes and ears open and investigate. I do like the idea of talking about it while she's doing something else, like coloring, playing with dolls, etc. Good luck.

That would concern me. You might want to investigate that further, as your gut feeling is usually pretty accurate. Try bringing up the subject while you are playing casually with her. Kids are more apt to talk when they are busy doing other things, like coloring, playing blocks, etc. You've got to get to the bottom of that one...could be a red flag!
~L.

I would probably be concerned, and might consider limiting their alone-time together.
I'm not exactly sure of your situation, but I would not lead her to believe he is her dad.....it will be one of the hardest days of your life explaining to her that he is not, that she has another 'dad' out there. I recently went through this with my son. He is hurt, betrayed (feels that the entire family has been lying to him his whole life...like it was some big secret, and everyone knew but him.) It is heartbreaking.

H., make an appointment for as soon as you can - hopefully for Monday. Have the doctor check and make sure he isn't molesting her. Once you have done that, if he isn't molesting her, then you can work on the problem together. DO NOT SAY ANYTHING TO HIM ABOUT IT BECAUSE HE MIGHT DO SOMETHING DANGEROUS.

DON'T LEAVE HIM ALONE WITH HER AT ALL THIS WEEKEND.

PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.

M. B.

I am very concerned. You have no idea how he treats her when you are not there.

Personally I would limit alone time with him, and talk to a child therapist who might be able to get out why she doesn't like him.

Whatever the answer is you have to be prepared to defend your daughter.