Apologizing Toddler

Hi E.,
My now 3 1/2 year old went through that last year. It actually got to the point that she would trip and fall down or another child would fall and she would say "I'm Sorry"! ALL THE TIME!! THose were just 2 scenarios! Every time she said sorry for not doing anything wrong, I told her that she didn't need to and explained what to say sorry for. She eventually grew out of it fast, and now she has NO problem understanding and is just as sweet and caring as can be.
It was just a phase for us and no, I don't believe that you should say anything more then what you are doing now. She'll understand.....I promise.......she's just a sweet girl! :~)
Good, Luck,
K. :~)

It actually sounds to me like a new word or phrase that she picked up and just wants you to be proud that she knows, or maybe it's just stuck in her head and she wants to repeat it over and over. My daughter would get fixated on all kinds of phrases at this age... we went through them one at a time.
Maybe, "Wow! You can say sorry! That is a sign of good manners!" is what she is looking for. You can then explain "we say sorry when we do something that hurts someone or when we make a mistake like accidentally spilling our juice..." You could combine it with another manners lesson if you want, like "What do you say when I give you your toy? If I give you something or do something nice for you, then you say, 'Thank you'" etc etc...

I wouldn't worry about her feeling guilt... for the same reason why 2 yr olds *can't* share. They just don't have that concept yet. It's most likely a phase- just a really sweet one!

Hope this helps!!!
M.

All great advice from others.. I teach in the 2/3 year old program.. you are handling it just fine girlfriend! keep up the great work!

My son is 2.5 and often apologizes needlessly. I think it's a combo of trying to figure out when to use the phrase and repeating what he hears me say. If I bump into him or something I'll often say "Oops, sorry sweetie." and that's exactly the phrase he uses anytime someone trips or drops something or anything else whether or not he had anything to do with it. If he hurts someone and I tell him he need to apologize, he just says "I sorry." He also sometimes says "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." just out of nowhere when he's playing. I think he's just pretending.

Hey there! My son (now 3.5) did it too for a while, and it was just another phase that passed. He now only says it when he needs to. I wonder if it is just something they do when they are learning new phrases, and this particular phrase is one of those that, when they DO learn it, they get a big smile and some love and approval, so when they feel a little lonely or want a hug, maybe that's why my son would say it. I would give him a hug and tell him, if you want a hug or a cuddle, just come on up and get one, they're free! :) He soon stopped w/ the sorries, but took a few weeks. Now when he says it, it usually means he did something like spill or have a potty accident! O the good old days, when the sorries applied to nothing... :)