She is not even two... she is 22 months. And she is DISTRUCTIVE with a capital D! In the last 48 hours she has gotten out of the house, and gone into the neighboors front yard, ACROSS THE STREET, twice... she has flooded the upstairs bathroom by "watering" my plants and I came in from looking for my sling and there was water pouring through my light fixtures... she has poured the cats water dish INTO MY SHOES... and she just broke out the backdoor window. OMG!! And I am not joking, in the last TWO DAYS. I don't know what to do. This is the same baby that wrote all over my $300 quilt... and colored all over the walls... and used a sharpee to color on my kitchen island. Help... please give me some ideas... I am about to rip my hair out... and you are welcome to laugh... if I read this I would most likely be LMAO... so feel free to laugh... but PLEASE give me some ideas... and the "paying more attention" one doesn't help. She has been with me for the last two days, and I have been being really attentive, because of the quilt thing. She broke the window right in front of me.

lol... TIA

Love Val

{{{{Valerie}}}}}

Cyan sounds just like my Alex, who is 3½.

He is destructive AND an escape artist.

First, get some kind of Cyan-proof locks for your doors that are high (preferrably higher than she is standing in a chair).

We had to take the knob off the tub faucet since Alex was using the tub as a pool at his leisure. Now I have to use pliers to turn the water on & off.

I had to lock up all my kitchen appliances because Alex like to blend up his toys, warm up the George Foreman, make his toy figures jump out of the toaster, etc ... all while I am using the potty!!!

And I had to hide my car keys from Ryan, 4½, because he like to escape before I woke up in the morning to play in my car!!! :eek:

Wish I had more ideas for you.

I do belive that if I had a child that started doing those things, I'd plop their hiney in the sling and carry them with me 24 and 7. Sure would be hard on you and I think probably hard on her too because she would loose her freedom and independance. And I'm sure she would be crying to get down and you could calmly state the reasons why she can't get down. The "kill it with kindness" trick. "I would love to let you down honey but you do things your not supposed to do when you are down" then I would state things she has recently done and ask her if she is supposed to do those things. NO? why not? because it's not safe, tears up mommy's things so on and so forth. I wouldn't let her leave your site for a second. When you go the bathroom she has to sit with her toes so you can see her or sit on the floor. Where ever you go, she has to go with you. surely this would get old very quickly.

I'm sorry you have to go through this Mama. I don't think I'd laugh but maybe cry with you because I can imagine how very frustraiting that could be!

Big hugs to you!

Stacy

((Chuckling Out of empathy))---Autumn has drawn on numerous things since she's been able to, she was for a time a poop artist---I feel for ya mama!! Got a sling???? That doesn't sound like a bad alternative, but you can't carry her 24/7. We totally baby proofed everything and yet somehow---they still find things to get into.

oh boy, mama, this is Walt to a T. My little master of disaster //sigh//. The only solution I have found is to keep him within two feet of me at all times. He still sleeps in a crib right next to my bed, sits on the closed toilet and plays while I shower, I bring him with me when I pee, etc etc. He's never out of my sight, or something would be poured, broken, drawn on. This is the boy who has twice smeared every surface in my bedroom and his entire body with vaseline, drawn on every wall in the house with crayons, removes his soiled dipes and hides them or drops them in the toilet. Oh, his best trick was prying every single key off of the keyboard to his sister's computer.

constructive things? How about a trampoline (mini ones sell at WalMart for $20-) to jump her little heart out and hopefully get rid of that excess energy? Or let her *work*....push a mini shopping cart around with heavy stuff in it....pull a wagon with toys in it, play bowling with 2 liter bottles filled with water and a heavy ball?? Think HEAVY work....tucker the little one out! LOL

She may have some sensory issues...as in UNDER-reactive to things and seeks extra sensory stimulation. NOT a bad thing, really....just have to find ways to help her expend that energy so she'll be able to sit and color or be read to or just calm down a bit. LOL

Or as it was suggested to me by an OT for my ds....let her *fix* an old broken something.....old radio with screw driver, etc...(mind you< OLD as in broken! LOL)

((HUGS))

Double baby gates work....or the old hook and eye latches at the tops of doors work for us...you can always phase them out down the road when certain things (playing with water in bathroom) are no longer an issue.

You know, Emmaline is starting to do some of these things. :rolleyes:

We've just accepted that until our youngest child is at least, oh, say 10, our house will not look like the house we lived in pre-kids. THat's not just the level of mess, it's things like Tiffany mentioned:

No knobs on the bathtub fixtures.
Babygates all over the place, so if I'm in the kitchen, she is too.
Nothing on lower shelves that could be used for evil, lol :p This does however, include books, since she likes to stack them and stand on them to reach things.
Keys hidden to the point sometimes we can't find them because if Em sees them, they must be hers....

Oh the list goes on...good thing they're worth it 200%, huh?

Jacob has done all those thing. He knows how to get through all the locks and latches. Nothing is safe. He climbs over the gates...stacks stuff on top of chairs until he is high enough...gets outside. I tried the sling thing. He just screamed and fought at me to be loose. He does things right in front of my eyes too. He has lots of construction things and tools to take an old VCR apart with. He likes to FIX his VCR...but mainly gets a little too explorative with other things in the house. I'm hoping he grows out of it...

When I took him for his 2y appt....they said "You're still nursing him"? I said "Y'know...it's the only fresh breath of air I get from his activity when he is still enough to nurse and I think after a long day of him...I deserve it". They just looked at me.

Originally posted by alliesmom
Jacob has done all those thing. He knows how to get through all the locks and latches. Nothing is safe. He climbs over the gates...stacks stuff on top of chairs until he is high enough...gets outside. I tried the sling thing. He just screamed and fought at me to be loose. He does things right in front of my eyes too. He has lots of construction things and tools to take an old VCR apart with. He likes to FIX his VCR...but mainly gets a little too explorative with other things in the house. I'm hoping he grows out of it...

When I took him for his 2y appt....they said "You're still nursing him"? I said "Y'know...it's the only fresh breath of air I get from his activity when he is still enough to nurse and I think after a long day of him...I deserve it". They just looked at me.

LMAO! I just had the SAME conversation with my younger brother! That is so funny! He laughed and sympathised and told me that he never intends to have children, for which I thank god. And told him that, and we laughed together.

My husband and I had a "meeting" tonight. He suggested that anyday that she and I are together, we get out of the house as soon as we can in the morning. We get up, take a shower, and go out. Go to the Children's Museam, or to the mall (I am pretty good at not getting things at full price so that would be way easier then going to say Goodwill... where I would spend $20, "But get 50 GREAT deals") Even getting to the park early and playing... just getting her out of the house, EVERYDAY. That seems to help a lot. So that is my first resort. I bought a couple of those hook and eyes for our office. And my sewing room has one too... that has helped with the cat and Cyan. Putting up a screen door is the next, so the door can be open, and not dangerous. Preferably with a hook and eye on that as well.

She is too smart for her own good, I am sure that all of these "over active" babies are. She talks so well I thought for sure that this stuff would pass me by with her... but in fact she is 20 time harder than her brother was in this aspect. She could care less about the appliences. (That was Alex's deal... VCR espically, PB&J's fit in VCR's did you know that? So do about 50 pennies. Amazing what we learn from our kids. ;) ) And with Alex I had NOTHING... with Cyan I have built an entire house with stuff that I can not really afford to replace... so it seems way more detramental.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. I posted yesterday about loosing my sling... and that is when I came inside to find water pouring through my hall way light fixture and had to spend 1/2 the day with the power off so it could dry out. lol... crazy girl. I had a Hip Hammock... and I would love to try an Ergo, but no one seems to have them FS used... and there is no way I can afford a new one. So I have to find something else... but for now, my goal is to get out of the house... everyday for at least a little while. This should help.

Thanks! Anyone else who has suggestions would be appriciated too.

Love Val

Winnie was not as bad as this, but I definately second the getting out part. We are never home. Ever, lol. Some things I discovered this summer. Chuck E Cheese is free. You do not have to buy pizza, or tokens, lol. You can just go in and play. The library here has a story hour every week (may not work for you quite yet) and they also have a themed activity program. This week is "Dads". It is totally free, the kids listed to a story or 2 (aka, run around the room, lol) and then a few parent-led craft projects around that theme. Very cool. We have a park here that is fenced completely. It isn't close, but it's worth going to if you have a bolter, lol. Ask around and find one near you if you can. Our favorite thing is our YMCA membership. We take at least one class per session. Winnie and Finn are taking a gymnastics class this time around. They also have an open toddler gym where they can just play on the stuff. VERY cool. It is well worth the membership fee. We do a ton of swimming too. We try to go swimming once a week, and gymnastics at least once a week. If you need financial assistance they offer scholarships based on income. We pay $25/month, and about $10/class, so it is definately a good deal. The Y saves me many days, lol. Finn is turning into this kind of child. I can just tell he needs SOMETHING, lol. GOOD LUCK!

Oh, I have so BTDT!!! Three times!! :eek:
The good news is that Cyan will eventually grow out of it--or into it, really. MY oldest was exactly that way (minus the drawing on the walls) Today, his mind still goes just as fast, but he has learned more acceptable ways of outletting his energy. We went to a friend's house for dinner last night and within 20 minutes of arriving, he had connected her DVD player to the TV, repaired the vents on her AC and stopped her fence from wobbling. He is now a "Master of Tinkering and Knobulation" instead of a "Master of Destruction" It really will get better!
DS #2 went through a long phase of being the "Master of Disasters and Destruction" before he calmed down and DS #3 is in that stage full force right now (with the wonderful urge to draw on anything and everthing!)! It is not even a matter of willfull disobedience or destruction, it is more of an overpowering, primal urge to explore, experiment and do things!
I find that on the most trying of days, it is very useful to mutter "at least he's not boring" under my breath as often as necessary! It really won't last forever, but when it is gone--this is one toddler stage you won't look back on and wish it was still here! Good luck!

Ours won't let you in w/out buying food. Once you do that you can play. Geesh!

It is not even a matter of willfull disobedience or destruction, it is more of an overpowering, primal urge to explore, experiment and do things!

SO TRUE! I say this to my husband all the time, and there are times he has to remind me. She is only doing it because she is intellegent and curious. Dangerous combo at 2, but amazing a 25.... so there is that, we just have to make sure she lives to use it, lol! When the fits come, (which they do not very often... at least I am limited to one level of pergatory in toddler hell, and not all huh?) I talk to her like she is having the most tramatic experience in her life and walk her through it, just like I would have a student... For example: "Oh honey I understand that you would like to put Erore in the stove, but what you do not understand, dues to your lack of life experience, is that the stove is very hot, and Erore would be gone, and although that is a great experiment and I am sure you would learn a lot, it is not a fun mess for mama to clean up. Not to mention the lack of plastic smell in the house for the moment and mama would love to burn inscense, not essece of PVC, if you know what I mean. So why don't you help me find the inscense in the living room and then we can make a bed for Erore in there." It is SO funny, but she will actually start listening to me, and usually the fit stops. And making myself laugh in the midst of toddler screaming is a GREAT tool for keeping my cool.

Yes We are getting out! In fact I am going to go get dressed right now, and clean the bowl of cereal off the floor. Perhaps I will go check out the local YMCA!

Thanks for the great ideas!! Our Tacoma (30 min drive) Chuck-E-Cheese is free... but it is also very close to Ikea... danger, danger... D-d-do-do...

Love Val

Commiserating...Jacob is the same way. Since he started walking at a year I have had one childproofing dilemma after another. Right now he's figured out how to climb onto the counters and get into the supplements cabinet...argh! (not that he didn't scale the counters before but he never messed too much with what was in there)

He also loves to open and slam cabinet doors and the oven door. Very annoying! Over and over and over and over and over...oh and the drawers too.

Getting out in the morning is KEY here. We have been in all morning, I'm trying to sort through all our clothes and declutter them, and he is way worse than usual. Speaking of which...gotta run! Usually I only post when he is in my lap nursing. :)

Val
I agree Ikea is danger - they are talking of putting one in Minnesota now(luckly its in an area of town I go to only a few times a year - Mall of America :eek: )

are you near Kent? my sil lives there (thats ware I found out about Ikea) I would love to visit her agin soon but air fare is out of our buget for quite awhile. :p

glad to see thing are getting a little better - Syd is quite the tornado at times so I can somewhat be empathetic.
We now have every item that can wright of color up ontop of the fridge cuz she was drawing daily on herself, dolls, trucks, etc.
(and dh wounders why I am so tired at the end of the day and just want to sleep- uggh LOL)

My dh spent a weekend with her back in late Feb for a birthing retreat I went to... he used to ask that. Now he does not even bother. If I want to sleep, I just sleep, and now he gets it. LOL!

Love Val

Originally posted by BlueRoseMama
Thanks for the great ideas!! Our Tacoma (30 min drive) Chuck-E-Cheese is free... but it is also very close to Ikea... danger, danger... D-d-do-do...

Bwa ha ha ha ha ROFL too funny!

oooooh, are you talking about my 25 month old? she is miss destructo too. i can't stand it, and i usually want to tear my hair out after she has been awake for 10 minutes.

some of her latest mishaps...

her very fav thing lately is to take a poopy diaper off and play in the poo. yuck! one day she had the diaper on her head

i have to keep lotions etc out of her reach because she reguarly goes into the bathroom and dumps them

she plays in the coffee, dumps out the sugar, goes into the upstairs bathroom and dumps her dad's shampoo (we have to keep the door locked when she is awake)

this evening she got into my nephews diaper bag (that i had up on the shelf) dumped out his formula, tore his wipes out, dumped the formula powder in his shoes, and turned on one of my gas burners.

when she gets outside she immediately heads for the draft horse field behind the house

i feel for you mama, my house hasn't been clean in 2 years :rolleyes:

We're there now too! I affectionately refer to my daughter as the tornado. She literally looks like one most of the time... half dressed, hair mussed from tearing out her pig tails, and that look... the I'm gonna do something look... always on her little angel face. we have magnetic tot locks on all our kitchen doors, including the pantry. She'd completely empty out the kitchen in a matter of minutes before, and now... ha ha... she can't!! She uses shampoo, toothpaste, soap, marker, stickers, etc as lotion... and tends to put lotion all over the house. She shreds Kleenex and wipes into tiny pieces... the whole box... like she's making a nest or something. She hides food and drinks in the most interesting places, and it's always so nice to find a month old cup of milk in the bottom of her toy box... ewwww!! She also has the attitude. Tantrums galore over everything in life.

What happened to my angel baby who was so gentle and quiet? Who I thought would never be a tornado? Where'd she go? I think she got blown away by herself!! LOL!! Gotta love her, though! In a few years, I'm repainting the entire house!!! LOL!! Good luck, and you're not alone!

That fits my Prairie to a T as you can tell by my sig pic. Just a couple of seconds, and boy can she climb.

Luckly we live in the mountains and sometime I lock us outside.

Good luck!

I'm sorry I have no suggestions other than to be with her at all times (which it sounds like you already are), but I thought I'd reply with a song that seems to fit some of these children well - none of you are alone! ...


Katy
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Oh, I have a little daughter, and my daughter's name is Kate.
And she's every bit mischievous as a kitten on a skate.
With a bandage on her forehead and the bruises on her knees,
You would swear she'd fought with buccaneers on all the seven seas.
For its up the stairs and down the stairs and in the room and out.
Like a miniature tornado, she can blow the house about.
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye,
And that's my Katy, little lady, and I love her.

Oh you might believe in miracles, you might believe in saints,
But you'd never believe my Katy when she's playing with her paints.
For there's red upon the window and there's green upon her face,
In her hair, and in her eyes but on the paper, not a trace.
When she's in her room and quiet, and there comes a bit of calm,
You develop the sensation that you're sitting on a bomb.
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye,
And that's my Katy, little lady, and I love her.

Now my Katy loves her games, you know, and thirty times a week,
I find myself dragooned into a game of hide-and-seek.
Yes I hide myself in closets, under beds I quietly creep,
And I wait for thirty minutes till my brain has gone to sleep.
Yes I sit there in the closet and it seems like half a day,
Then I find a friend has come to call and Kate's gone out to play!
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye,
And that's my Katy, little lady, and I love her.

Oh, you might have heard of daddies who would dote upon their girls,
Who get wrapped around their fingers by the tossing of the curls,
Who respond to hugs and kisses till there's nothing they wouldn't do,
Don't you ever believe a word if it, it simply isn't true.
For I'd only jump the moon for her, I'd only jump the sea,
For the hugs I get to give her and the kisses she gives to me.
Take an angel with the devil in the twinkling of her eye,
And that's my Katy, little lady, and I love her.