18 month old monster

[ethanryan]

hi, i have heard of the terrible two's but my son who is 2 in april has gone a step to far i think. there is no other word than a monster. he dont listen to anyone unless he is gettin something out of it. he is two clever for his own good. at his nans on saturday he brought me in my moms sweet tin. she keeps it in the top cupboard. he had pulled his little table up to the side. then put the chair on top of it to reach thwe sweets. this is what he is like 24/7. but he is also so funny and the most loving child. he dont destroy or brake things. he pulls his toy box next to his stair gate in bedroom climbs over gate and comes and tries to get into bed with me. there is no stopping him. we go to a playgroup monday and wednesday mornings, he goes swimming on a friday and sunday. so its not like he is board and stuck at home all the time.
does anyone have any advice? i dont smack him and only shout if he is doing something that is putting him self at halm, i only shout in hope that he knows its naughty.+

[B00]

Unless there's things you aren't telling us, I hardly think him using his ingenuity to get to things merits calling him a monster???

He jut sounds a very active little boy who's also bright enough to figure out things.

[ethanryan]

i have a 2 and a half year old and a niece and nephew all the same age, and they were all so different to him. i know u have to watch toddlers at all times but i cant even go from one room to another without him being up to know good. he has no fear of anything.i know he is only copyin adults but how do i teach him he cant do it. if i tell him off he just turns his head and ignores me.

[redcrx]

aww hes being a typical little boy lol, doesnt make it any easier though does it?

if its any consolation, little CRX has just flooded the bathroom.
He doesnt like to listen either so we have to stop him and get him to look at us before he will take things in and understand.

At this age they are trying to push the boundaries, dont give in. Hes also learning how things work and climbing is a fun game at that age.

From what you say he is a loving and good little boy, so this is just a passing stage. Ensure he knows when youre not happy with what he has done, try not to shout if you can (easier said than done sometimes i know) and if he starts to play up then try and distract him with something.

[aka pixi]

sounds like a normal 18 month old to me lol By the time my daughter was this age she could get out of her cot then would push anything in her room (rocking horse, toybox, little chair etc ) up to the safety gate and launch herself over it. She ended up with nothing in her room apart from her cot and wardrobe lol

[ethanryan]

thanks red. it is just so hard to try and keep him safe i have to watch the knife drawer and everything with him my older one was always quite happy to sit and play. i dread to think what he is going to be like as a teenager. we have to keep the toilet role away from him 2. he likes to do the andrex puppy thing and unroll it all over the house.
i know he is just being a kid, its just he is such a handfull. god help the teachers when he starts nursery.

[ethanryan]

thanks aka glad im not the only one with a child that has no fear

[B00]

I'd like to say ehenryan that they improve with age, but I'd be lieing.

My 3 year stuffed a bar of soap down the toilet the other day, when asked why as I was donning rubber gloves to fish it out, she said she was "cleaning it".

And my 19 yr old causes me more grief than a whole roomful of 2 and 3 year olds!

So take my advice, buckle ya seatbelt, you're in for a bumpy ride!


(that's made you feel a whole lot better han't it?)

[redcrx]

little CRX does the toilet roll thing too, he apparently is making roads for his cars! Look at things from his persepective, is he really doing things to be naughty or is he exploring his surroundings, seeing what he can make and do? i bet you know the answer and are just having a stressed day x

[redcrx]

lol @ B00, dont tell us stuff like that!

[aka pixi]

I can understand you being worried about the knife drawer ethan but you can buy child proof locks (supposedly lol) for cupboards and drawers. I have no idea where you could buy them from though

[ethanryan]

thanks boo. a bumby ride it will be. its hard work enough with two toddlers with only a 10 month age gap. without on of them giving me a heart attack. when we go to the park and he sees the older kids standing up on the swings or going head first he has to copy them. i dont know where he has got it from. they normally copy there older siblings, but the older one just lies playin- i swear i could go shopping leavin the older one behind and he would still be in the same place i left him in- not that i'd leave them behind, as much as it is tempting sometimes.

[ethanryan]

we had them cuboard clips where you have to slightly open it them push the clip down from the inside, but as usual they didnt work, he just pulls that hard on the door that the clip opens anyway. with most toddlers you dont have to put locks on the top cupboards but with ryan you do.
i suppose it dont help that we have just moved house so yes i suppose he is just exploring.

wasnt life so much easier when they hadn't learnt to crawl or walk! lol

[redcrx]

lol yes, i recall fondly the days when little CRX stayed exactky where i put him lol

It sounds as if your eldest is a lot quieter so youre noticing a real difference.

[radiogaga]

hello all, my friend came over yesterday with her 2 year old.
he started by pressing all the buttons on the cd player so much it jammed, ran out the living room door in an attempt to climb up the stairs numerous times, brought me a hp sauce bottle from the kitchen cupboards, picked up the phone and dialed numbers...all while my little girl who's younger by a week stood by in bemusement as he was retrieved from the
hall/kitchen numerous times. he sat to eat some fruit for around a minute, then off !!
my girl is allowed to explore as kids have a natural curiosity, and some being more agile than others manage to get over, up and around the barriers designed to keep them safe.
you have an active week for your little one, why not try quiet times for you both, read play at building bricks or with placticine together.
i would remove the toy box in his bedroom every evening when he is in bed leave it i the hall way. for 2 weeks, then he canot climb over the gate.
he may not be happy with this but in the long run it may work. radio

[ethanryan]

hi radio thanks for your answer. i ahve to give him an active week because he wont sit still, he wont read books play bricks, colour. he loves his cars and trains but he dont sit for more than 5 minutes at a time. he does love his swimming which is why i make it a weekly thing, i take him in the week and daddy takes him weekends to give me a couple of hours off.
he is such a lovely child and if someone is crying he is in first one there he just has so much energy all of the time. it dont help that he no longer wants a sleep in the day and is awake from around 6am till 7pm. at least when he had a nap i could sit down for half hour. my boys are so different. the older one loves me reading to him and always wants cuddles where as if i want a good night kiss off the little one i have to bribe him.

[ethanryan]

do your kids also find it amusing to put jam sandwiches in the video player and through the letter box!

[sleepyj]

my son is 13 , from the age of 1 he has been a night mare..in to everything climbing up really high he has no fear ....it school when he was 7 or 8 he use to get hump and sit high up in tree i use to have to go and talk him down ...i asked the health visitor when he was 4 about adhd she said no coz he sleeps well .....he got to 11 he was diagnosed with adhd ...wish he had been years ago least i would not have felt like i was to blame for the way he was .. my other son that is 3 years older never had a problem with .....good luck hope its just his age and will calm down ....

[annie0000]

My two are 13 months apart and as you say, at that age they were chalk and cheese. My older son was always very content and able to amuse himself without too much bother - he did have his moments - but the younger one was fine as long as you spent every minute with him providing constant entertainment - an impossible task! It does get better, as they have grown - now 7 and 6, they play together more and therefore they are both occupied with less need for mishief. I think the problem is that they are so close - if there was a bigger gap the elder one would be able to be an extra pair of eyes. However, you will reap the benefits as they grow - it's tough now, but it will get better.

[ethanryan]

i knew it was going to be hard which such a amall age difference but when i had my first and he was a very quiet baby i thought it ent going to be that hard. that was untill the younger one started crawling at 5 and a half months. thats when things changed!

[natalie_1982]

ER, I don't have any children yet but my brother used to be like this all the time. Dad used to always pull the video player apart becuase inside it would be forks, biscuits, CDs or wotsits. My bro would climb the half height wall and jump off, resulting in him needing stitches in his bottom lip twice.

Sounds to me like you were just lucky with your older one and so no.2 seems more of a handful!

I met with two friends last week, both of which have daughters aged 2yrs 1month and 2yrs 3months and they are so different. One of the girls will sit exactly where she is, will not move and is quite content to play in front of us all. The other will not sit still for one minute, and one minute is no exaggeration. The only time she was still was when she was on her potty. She wants to climb stairs, play in the cat litter tray, climb on the kitchen sides, sit on the back of the sofa - everything. She is absolutely gorgeous, so clever it amazes me but just non-stop ball of energy. Doesn't sound like you are alone, just that you have an active bubba :-)