My toddler, the hoarder

I can't pinpoint the exact moment it started, but at some point over the last few months, my 31/2 year old toddler became a hoarder.

There are two areas where she hoards things, both in the room she shares with her sister. 

One is a little nook behind a doll stroller. She hides a variety of items behind the stroller including a play phone, a doll carrier, and books. Her other "special area" is a cubby in a large storage module. She wisely chose one out of her sister's reach. There, she stores a colouring pad, her new slippers, a plastic pumpkin-shaped bucket, among a number of other items.

Mostly I found this behavior endearing. I assumed she was hiding things from her sister. A few of her objects are new acquisitions, while others are well-used objects. 

She doesn't seem to mind when Papa and Mama remove things from her stash, but doesn't allow her sister anywhere near her hidden treasures.

I decided to read up a little on hoarding in toddlers. Is it indicative of future obsessive-compulsive behavior? I found a list of 10 questions. If the answers to the first 4 are yes, then your kid is in trouble:

1. Is your child in physical danger from the hoarding?

2. Does your child hoard food?

3. Does your child steal things and hoard them?

4. Does the hoarding interfere with your child's participation in normal activities?

Thankfully the answer to all four was No. Perhaps she is simply keeping her possessions away from her formidable foe, her middle sister?

Her formidable foe 

Spot # 1

Spot # 2