How I stop my 7yo DD from hanging off things?

[PavlovtheCat]

She has always done it, just jumps on things and hangs off things, swings around things. She has pulled the radiator off the hallway wall which is costing a fortune to repair as it's ripped the plaster/wall away with it, through constantly hanging off it and the banisters and swinging between the two. Now she is not able to do that she swings around the end of the banisters hanging with all her weight and it's starting to wobble. She jumps onto the edge of the metal frame on the bed and casually bounds backward and forward rocking it and it's now coming loose. She has climbed on, over and tipped up and climbed on the poang chair and that's now breaking. She doesn't sit down in her chair at the meal table, stands on it, sort of sits on the edge rocking on it, broken the (already broken luckily) lino. She hangs off her bunked (but that's probably the one thing I consider to be a given). And plenty more. She climbs everything and if she can swing off it, around it, she will. She cannot sit still. At all.

We are forever asking her to not do it, to get down, sit down at meal times, reminding her of the radiator breaking, but she just won't stop.

Help! Any ideas to stop her from breaking more of our things?
Probably not, just needed to vent.

[stargirl1701]

Is she seeking sensory stimulation? Best thing is to safely provide it. Can you install anything in the garden? Gymnastics club after school? Lots of time at the park? Rocker board? Spinning chair?

[PollyWhittaker]

Get a doorway pull-up bar. She can hang from it. You will need to check it is secure every time she users it, though, and will learn to climb up the doorframe and leave footprints.

[PavlovtheCat]

polly oh that's a good idea, will she be able to reach it though? I am not too worried about footprints, they can be cleaned/painted, it's the damage to things that will cost a fortune to sort out that bothers me. Sort of like a door bouncer for older children

stargirl she did gymnastics when she was a bit younger, not sure that helped as she wanted to practice when she got home but actually she didn't enjoy it, as it was a competitive type club, the only decent one around here and it was not for her, at the time. Maybe now she is a bit older, I could try it. We go to the park often, for her to climb and swing and jump as much as she likes. she spins in my office chair, she does diving and swimming lessons and we take her swimming each week as well to get her jumping around and diving down, and on the slide etc (her favourite thing). She also has climbing frames etc at school which she uses regularly. Not sure what else I can do, apart from Polly's suggestion, which is good if she can reach it!

She was just watching TV from the hallway, hanging onto and out from the central wooden strut that holds up our stairs, and fell off down as she lost her grip 'i wasn't hanging! i was just 'holding it'!' so, why did you fall down hard then? she does it with everything, everything and so absent mindedly. !

What would the links with sensory input and this be? I have never looked into sensory needs etc really.

[ouryve]

That perching on the edge of chairs is a common thing with kids with sensory integration problems. One good thing to try is a wobble cushion - something like the discosit, but there are cheaper versions. DS1's actually been complaining about his knees hurting when he sits in the car, as he has to sit properly. Not quite sure what we can do about that one. We've tried him with and without his booster cushion (he's 10 and growing rapidly).

This is a pretty comprehensive link
www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html

[stargirl1701]

It may also be worth chatting to the School Nurse or SENCO at her school to see if there are any resources available locally.

[NinjaLeprechaun]

My sister used to literally climb the walls - or at least doorways - at that age and younger. Trees. Anything she could climb, really. Constantly.
As a teen/adult she progressed to bouldering (rock-climbing), moved to a place that's world famous for it, and has even wound up featured in a climbing magazine.

I doubt there's a way to actually stop her, but giving her things she can climb would probably make everybody happier. The doorway bar is a good idea. Or a rock wall if you can manage it, or find a gym or play place that has one. A climbing frame bolted to a wall, maybe, or climbing ropes? Something that, when she starts swinging off the metaphorical chandeliers, you can direct her to instead.

[PavlovtheCat]

our she doesn't just perch on the chairs, she also stands on them! Sits on the edge of them, like she is ready to peg it at any moment, like she is in a rush (she usually is!) sometimes I almost don't notice anymore until I am suddenly like 'get down!' Are there other signs of issues with sensory integration? I had never considered it to be a 'problem' other than it driving me and DH to despair sometimes and costing us money, interested to know if this is something or nothing.

stargirl that's exactly what DD is like. She broke the two bones near her wrist, greenstick fracture, when she was 5, trying to swing across monkey bars designed for children older than her, they were really high and we had said not until one of us had come over to help her, and she went ahead before we got there, it put her off monkey bars, but nothing else, she loves trees, walls, the outer edges of steps (on the other side of the railings) climbing railings, maybe there is hope for her. She swings on door handles and has broken our backdoor handle in the past (new door now, not broken yet)

There is a climbing wall in our area, but it's hugely expensive, we and thought about her doing it, but so expensive, might be worth investing, but not convinced it will stop her doing it at home as well!

[PavlovtheCat]

This should have been to ninja ! - "l that's exactly what DD is like. She broke the two bones near her wrist, greenstick fracture, when she was 5, trying to swing across monkey bars designed for children older than her, they were really high and we had said not until one of us had come over to help her, and she went ahead before we got there, it put her off monkey bars, but nothing else, she loves trees, walls, the outer edges of steps (on the other side of the railings) climbing railings, maybe there is hope for her. She swings on door handles and has broken our backdoor handle in the past (new door now, not broken yet)"

[PavlovtheCat]

Interestingly, reading up on sensory integration disorder - DD has high pain threshold. As a baby/toddler etc my friend mention once that she wondered if she had issues with not feeling pain, as she hardly ever cried when she hurt herself. She did cry if it actually hurt badly, if it was a proper cut or bump etc, but she would not wing at all if she bumped her head quite hard, she would just get up and carry on, it was not like it didn't hurt, but that it was not important. She is actually less like it now, I think partly as she has a younger sibling so gets that if it hurts she gets a fuss! But, actually, when she whines I know she is not that hurt, when it's a bump for real she actually tends to be less bothered. She was not hugely distressed when she broke her wrist, it hurt, but she was very 'brave' and didn't cry particularly hard i did and had the bones pushed back in place with gas and air only. Everyone always things she is a tough cookie as complains so little but, perhaps it is something, although not the condition my friend was thinking of.

She also isn't always hugely bothered by cold or heat, but not always, it's more that she is pre-occupied so doesn't pay attention. She usually does later, like at the beach yesterday, she went into the sea and I had to ask her to come out as she was shivering, and her fingers had gone numb. She had not noticed until she was sat down and dry and one of her fingers was still numb and she didn't like it (it was fine, just took some time to warm up). She got cold today without a jumper on though, and told me so, so it's not always.

She has no coordination, her gross motor skills are not fab at all, like kicking a ball, but she can ride her bike, swim, etc, and her fine motor skills are fine.

Interesting to read it all! I expect to manage any sensory issues that are leading to her climbing of things, on things, over things, swinging off things etc, we need to manage as said already. I don't think it's necessarily something that needs a 'diagnosis', but it's useful to use the information to help manage it.

[PavlovtheCat]

ninja and yes, to doing it like your sister when younger. DD has always been like this, we had to take the fire guard down as she could climb on top of it before she could walk!

[ouryve]

She might find that it is helpful if you keep providing her with safe opportunities to work out her wriggles. It's also worth experimenting with ways of providing sensory input that enable her to feel calmer when she needs to sit and concentrate, such as a heavy blanket on her lap or wearing something tight fitting. DS1 always feels calmer in crowds (which he hates) if he has his hood up, for example. He was a climber as a baby, too, but is afraid of heights, now.

[PavlovtheCat]

our funnily, DD is scared of heights such as past the 3m diving board! She is fine with heights as long as she gets there herself, like climbing!

She is such a fidget, such a fidget! I am too but she is worse than me, does not ever ever keep still even when concentrating, so that's a good idea. Actually, she does enjoy quiet time reading or with her dolls in her 'quiet area', when she reads she snuggles into bed, so maybe that's why? and when she plays with her dolls she is not still, she does things with them, moves them around etc.

Her teacher calls her a butterfly as she flutters and moves around often, doesn't keep still but is lovely and fluffy with it!

[Nocomet]

We have a 14ft trampoline and some gymnastic mats in the garden and DD2 still jumps about in her bedroom taking out my kitchen light bulbs and does back flips off the sofa. She's 13 not 7 and damn nearly 5'5" the house is not big enough!

[PavlovtheCat]

nocomet oh dear, we will probably still have that when DD is 13 too! We don't have enough space in our courtyard for a trampoline, but do have several friends with one so we spend a fair amount of time there

[PavlovtheCat]

and she is really tall already at 5'5"!

[NinjaLeprechaun]

My sister dislocated her sternum in the playground once. (Who even knew you could do that?) It didn't keep her off the bars though, even after she got hurt it never seemed to occur that it could happen again.
I have sensory integration issues, but I can fall over standing still tend to go to the opposite extreme. I'm a bit slothlike with much less arm strength.

Have you considered something like gymnastics classes? I know they can be expensive too, but they might be worth it if it saves your house.

[Nocomet]

I have told DD2 to stop growing or stay the right way up, her toes are dangerously close to the living room lights.

[TheLadyMarion]

This is so interesting. I've got a climber/swinger too. He is 7. YY to broken radiator, door handles, cupboard doors etc. I swear he must think his name is "get down! " as that's what we say all day long!

We go to the big climbing frames in the park a lot and have a climbing frame in the garden. We also get him to scoot and bike everywhere which wears him out at least!

genetic maybe? my brother is
a serious climber, serious surfer etc seems to need that level of physical movement every day.

[Jacksterbear]

This thread leapt out at me as at this very moment my 7yo DS (who has SPD) is playing "crashmat": all the seat-pads, cushions etc from the sofas are piled onto the floor and he's jumping off the sofa onto them. This is one of many "games" (to him) / sensory activities (to us!) we have created for him, following OT assessment and advice.

As others have said, the key is to channel the sensory-seeking into safe and appropriate activities.

Others of my DS' favourite sensory games include "Rhino" (I hold up a sofa seat-pad in front of me and he does a running charge at it, shoulder-barging into it (NOT to be done head-first due to risk of neck injury!)); "Octopus" (I sit on a chair, he stands in front of me, I wrap my legs and arms around him, imprisoning him and he has to "escape" from the "octopus' tentacles"); "Pushing" (we stand facing each other, palms touching, and each of us tries to push the other to the far side of the room); and "Sandwich" (he lies on the floor with the sofa seat-pads on him and we roll an exercise ball over him pretending to be spreading different fillings onto a sandwich)... you get the picture!

We also have this Bilibo seat which is great for rocking and spinning.

If you haven't already seen them, the books "The Out of Sync Child" and "The Out of Sync Child has Fun" have good explanations of sensory issues plus loads of suggestions for the types of games I've mentioned above.

[PavlovtheCat]

nocomet

thelady i think genetics plays a part, I am a fidget historically, always climbing, moving etc, but not as much as DD! I do remember always watching tv or reading books, talking on the phone etc while upside on the sofa, or chair even up to adulthood. I was a huge watersports fan - bodyboarding, kayaking, sailing, loved running etc until I hurt my back, now I am too sedentary for my liking and sometimes feel like I crawl the walls due to lack of movement and adrenaline!

i love those bilibo chairs! I will buy one of those I think

[Nocomet]

Neither DH or me are particularly sporty, but I spent a lot of time turning somersaults on my climbing frame and cycling as a child and even as a very lazy adult is still much rather swim than sit on the beach.

DH also cycled a lot, part way to school and up a huge hill to uni and DMIL walked, swam in the sea and rode horses right up to the day she died at 77 (she was on a walking holiday).

And DH can't be lazy, he gets fidgety watching TV. He may not be doing something physical, but he's always thinking, googling or soldering together some bit of geek. He never just chills.

[PavlovtheCat]

nocomet that's me! same as your dh. If i do 'nothing' I itch, scratch, move my legs about. DH can't snuggle with me as I bug him with my moving much less now it hurts to move. I remember before I had surgery i could hardly move and I used to cry as i needed to do something physical, I felt so pent up and angry. I used to dream of running. I am not sporty either, I certainly not enjoy watching it! I just like doing.

My BF always says 'like mother like daughter' about DD who does not ever ever keep still, she is very loving but no time for proper snuggles, cuddles, kisses, runs off to do stuff, or constantly moves while hugging! Perhaps (probably) it is me she got it from. I can't ask my mother now as she is not with us any more. I have done ok in my life so it shouldn't be a problem as long as I let her channel it.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. In shall work to keep her doing physical stuff safely. Maybe look at gymnastics again.