My twins are a similar age, and their favourite game a few months ago was to wait until my back was turned and destroy their brothers' carefully built lego ships. It was very frustrating, I had to watch them every second. In the end I bought a lock and put it on the outside of the older boys' bedroom door, so I can lock them out. Is there a room you could put anything you don't want him touching it and lock him out until he gets over this? I promise this phase will end but I know how tiring it is
oh wow - something to look forward to when my DS is a bit older!
no real advice - just that maybe a different approach may help. for example, kids with certain issues often need to be challenged/stimulated in different ways in order to circumvent the symptoms of the real problem.
for him, he doesn't know what $$$ are (unfortunately!), so he doesn't understand what he is doing is wasteful, messy and a pain - to him it's just fun. Imagine if you stimulated this and used it for something productive - like messy artwork once a day. Kids love getting mucky, maybe it's something to be encouraged in a "controlled" environment?
maybe you could try to see the world with his eyes and ask yourself what he is attracted to? maybe he's missing something? or like the others say, maybe it's a phase. my brother used to do really naughty things- i remember he tied a tight string around the cat once (!) and once he took a ball of yarn and tied it all over the backyard like a big spider web (kinda cool)
i totally sympathise with you, feeling overwhelmed and being pregnant. how old are the older kids? could you get them to help out with the situation?
I know its a phase and he will hopefully grow out of it but its frustrating, the chemicals are kept in a high cupboard above the stove, he moves the kitchen chair to the stove and climbs up, he climbs the pantry, we have tried the safetly lock on the pantry, the one where its sticky stuff taped on, but after a while of him pulling it, the lock doesnt work, we are in a rental so cant drill locks in, when things are locked up there isnt an issue with that stuff, but he gets into everything the second the lock isnt on .
I cant put a safety gate on the bathroom, because he is toliet training, and goes to loo when ever he feels the need etc
we have tried explaining to him, giving him time out putting him in his room, etc etc, and nothing
I do agree he needs extra stimulation, but atm its hard for me to give that to him, my hubby works nights and sleeps days, and i clean when im not to tired, which atm is always!
Keeping him by my side isnt as easy as it sounds, both my mum and sister suggested it, and its hard i cant force him to come with me when i go to the loo iykwim, even mum says he is a handful when she has it at her place.
On friday he goes back to kindy, after having 6 weeks off over xmas, just like the big kids! So he will get some stimulation once a week then.
The first thing that came to mind reading this was making mud pies or helping you cook something. Giving him the opportunity to combine and mix a whole heap of different things together maybe?? though it sounds so tiring dahl. Hope it works itself out soon.
just offering a no help here, i have the same problems with my 3 & 5 year olds, only they know how all the child locks work, and litraly smashed the kiddie gate down i had. i hope he settles down and starts behaving for you.
BellyBelly Life Member - Love all your MCN friends
Jun 2004
The Festival State
3,008
oh wow, i can't imagine trying to cope with this AND being pregnant, you must be exhausted.
the only thing i can think of is to have a number of baby gates (we had four of these, on four different doorways, in a rental property).
he sounds a very clever cookie, to be dragging stools, steps and kitchen chairs to help him climb up.
Placement of the things he likes to dip down the drain, in view of "could he reach this, if standing on a chair".
Put the items in the rooms, that babygates stop him entering.
You might not be able to leave hair products in the shower, if the current position is so easy for him to get to. you can get product racks that hang OVER shower doors (to hold the hair products). would that be high enough to stop him?
Otherwise the only thing i can think of is, keep the hair products in a travel toiletries bag (in a room with a child gate on the doorway) and take that bag in and out of the bathroom WITH you, when you have your shower. Inconvenient, but may be cheaper.
i'm prolly biased about the child safety gates cos i have/had such a short child, who never climbed them, got past them. I don't know what i would have done, without those gates, they were my sanity saver - and kept bilby safe.
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