My daughter is 17 months old and has been climbing since she was 9 months old. It is only getting worse and I am going crazy. I have tried time out and taking things away. however she will climb ANYTHING. It makes it impossible to get anything done. On top of her climbing her lead is high and there is lead in the house (we are addressing the issue) however, it increases my load of sweeping and mopping everyday and dusting at least once a week. I am so stressed out to find out to make things balance and that she will really get hurt. She has no fear and also most bumps do not seem to hurt her. HELP any ideas on how to get her to stop climbing would be great.
it'll be really hard to stop her from climbing. I would remove stools, put up gates on the stairs and just try to pad the floor wherever she may fall. My 15 month old is a climber. The climb they fall, eventually they learn. Just try to minimize the possibly damage and remove the really dangerous stuff!
Good luck!
My youngest daughter is the same way. She started climbing at nine months - she climbed onto the kitchen table, the china cabinet, the counters, over the baby gate and up and down the stairs, on the back of the couch and on and on. We brought their kiddie slide in from outside and put it in their room, and she would climb it over and over. She is three now. We just let her climb. My dad says she should have fur and a tail. I still can't watch her go up and down the stairs - it makes me too nervous. Get an indoor jungle gym that your child can climb and put it on carpet or on some of those interlocking foam pads. Giving her a save place to climb will help keep her off of the things she isn't supposed to be on.
Oh my! I don't miss those days! 24-7 watch duty, right? Have you tried giving her obstacles to test her stengths and satisfy her curiosity? How about mounding a bunch of pillows or bean bags in the middle of the floor? Toss a blanket over to make her a little mountain? Praise, reward when she exercises her urges to 'explore' in this safe environment. If she strays to an unsafe environment, don't over react. Just redirect. It's possible she's feeding off that negative feedback. Best of luck to you on the lead situation. Just keep remininding yourself that millions of people grew up in these high-lead environments and turned out just fine. Your vilegance in keeping up with the dust will make a huge difference for your little climber! :)
My brother was the same way at that age... we finally gave in and got him a toy that was ok for him to climb on, and put it in the middle of the room. If he tried to climb anything else, we would redirect him to where it was allowed.
Good luck!!!! My daughter is 5 1/2 and still climbing. She was climbing long before she could walk. I swear she was born part monkey!!!! Gates stopped working for us a LONG LONG time ago - she climbs over those too!!! LOL I have an entertainment center that is about 7 feet tall and even the stuff on top is not safe from her. We just keep a watchful eye all the time and have resigned ourselves to the fact that she will soon be climbing the trees in the neighborhood!!!
I have a climber/jumper wo is now 3 1/2, and my niece is the same way. Luckily, my SIL is a gymnast, and she has decided that rather than stop her natural instincts, teach her (through something like gymnastics) how to be aware of her body and how to properly use her body. "If she's not taught, she will most likely hurt herself" is what she believes. I'm going to start my son in a program like that, I think it will be beneficial on many levels: bodily awareness, social, structure, exercise, etc. And who knows, at an early enough age, you may discover you have a talented gymnast on your hands : )
I agree! Our two year old loves to do the same thing. I too sign her up for Gymboree, but you can take her to any place where she can explore and be physical. I think you should let her climb, but I also talk or coach my daughter in ways to climb safely. It takes a long time, but she's learning. If she gets a bump, I try to use that as a way to show her which way was wrong. She's beginning to get better, but it does take a long time. Good luck! It can be scary, I know!
Just a thought... can you get her into some kind of movement class? It doesn't have to be intense, maybe a Kindermusik class or swimming lessons? This may help her find a safer way to move her body.
I see you are in Poughkeepsie... we take our little guy to the JCC for swim lessons on Grand Ave. Very reasonable and lots of fun. We have also looked into the Kindermusik classes at Dutchess Community College, but they conflict with swim lessons. Mr. Todd's has a great toddler program too- off of the Arterial near Arlington Middle School. The Mid Hudson Children's Museum (Water Street by the train station) has great activities for toddlers and our membership was under $100 for the year and we can bring two guests with us each time we go, which is wonderful.
She's a little young to tell her not to move, but finding fun ways for her to move safely might help at home too! You could also consider bringing some outdoor play equipment indoors... those Little Tyke play sets work well in the basement. We put a thick area rug underneath and he can play all winter on it.
I too have a climber. We literally got rid of some things around the house - we had a tiered wall shelving that span 9 feet wide and and 7 feet high - gone. Another option would be gates. We also installed an indoor trapeze/swing that seemed to hold my dd attention and cut some of the climbing down. Hmmm she does hang upside down on it so maybe not that... guess we,re back to gates.
I think our kids are related mine is the exact same way and no I have not found anything to stop it. :) good luck
My son is like that too and was into everything at that age. We got a mini trampoline so he could burn off some energy and he still loves it at 4. If we had a bit more space I would have gotten a small climbing toy for in the house.
She is not going to stop climbing, sorry....It is a natural thing she will do for at least another year. In child care we hae our shelves bolted to the walls for this very reason.
Go to Lowes or another builders supply place and buy a bunch of L brackets. I use the bigger ones for the top of the shelves (Bolt the bracket to the stud) and the smaller ones for each shelf, instead of the little pegs that fit in holes. The shelves are sturdy and the shelf will not come away from the wall. Other things that are fun to climb on can also be attached to things just be creative and find ways to keep her safe.
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We bought, actually Santa brought a Kangaroo Climber from Sears 2 years ago at Christmas. It stayed in J's room which is 11X11. he has a full chest of drawers, several shelves, a twin size bed, and a TV on a rolling TV stand. The climber stayed against the wall in front of the window. He loved to climb on it and jump off and would stay in his room for hours being entertained.
http://www.step2.com/
Climbers
http://www.step2.com/category.cfm?subcategory=1000&gr...
I can sooooo empathize with you! My dd (23 months) is also an insane climber. When we were given a dresser, I came in my dd's room to find her sitting in the middle drawer watching Sesame St. After a pic, I redirected her while doing my best to hide my laughter. She also cannot get into a chair the normal way...she has to climb over the arm of it. Thankfully, my lil one seems to have reasonably good balance.
Here is what we have done with my crazy little dd:
We bought her a trampoline...small one from Walmart $30. She loves it.
I try to take her to a park where she can climb on the equipment as often as possible. Of course, I am always within arms reach.
I have rearranged my house several times to make it safer for her to explore. She has already learned how to climb over the couch into the office area, though. Sigh.
I have deliberately made her room safe...or as safe as I possibly can considering the ingenuity of my dd. She will take toys into her room to use to climb on to get to higher reaching objects.
Baby gates work well, but I would invest in several. If it looks like they will be able to climb over those, I would put two in one doorway. We haven't gotten to this yet, thank goodness.
Check out some thrift stores in your area. I have found several larger toys/activity centers there for a fraction of the price of retail. You may find something there that will help divert her.
I have found one thing that my dd will stop ANYTHING for...she loves the Sesame Street first words flash cards from the Dollar Tree. She will stop whatever she is doing and come directly to me, climb on my lap and we will go through them for a while.
One realization that I have come to, though, is that my dd will deliberately do things she KNOWS she isn't supposed to do...climb into the office area, tamper with the thermostat, try to get to the tv, etc...when she is tired for her nap or it is time for bed at night. I try not to yell or punish her at those times, but directly take her and start her bedtime routine. I also tell her that since it is late and she is doing things she knows are wrong is why she is going directly to bed. I am hoping when the connection hits her of misbehaving leading to bed that she will stop, wanting to stay up slightly later. :-)
Just try to think outside the box...if you come up with ANY other ideas, I would love to hear them. I am always open to new alternatives for dealing with my Houdini.
Good luck.
