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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

2 year old bolter...

96 replies

drspouse · 12/07/2014 04:11

DS is 2 1/2 and until recently he liked to run head/run off but would always stay in sight, but recently he has started running off round corners, running in the street etc. He also generally used to stop at the corner/curb when we said STOP but that's not as reliable now either.

We can't keep him continually in the buggy/high chair when out, he needs to be able to play in the park, walk down the street with us. We need to carry things in shops and cafés. But it's getting hard. We are staying in a hotel at the moment and have a baby DD too and today I went out of the room and DH was feeding DD and DS tried to follow me - but went in he wrong direction down the corridor (we didn't realise he could open the door). He hates having his hand held - he won't actually hold hands, he just lets you hold his wrist while shouting "No hand!"

We hate to chase him because he just thinks it's a game and laughs. We often say "hold hands or carry" but he would sometimes rather be carried, and sometimes we have too much stuff. He also does a lie down strike sometimes but that's easier to deal with. We try and stand still and look cross and say "Not laughing" but he then just tries vanishing round he corner. He has scared himself too by losing us but it doesn't seem to deter him. If we follow him round 1/2 a metre behind that also makes it into a game for him and he tries to get away. Plus we have bags/buggy/now DD too.

The other day we were at a cafe in a shopping centre and he ran down the corridor (tables at edge of an indoor corridor) and we could see him and there wasn't anywhere for him to go) and a shopper came up to him and said "where are your mummy and daddy", which he didn't answer and when we came after (we were just packing up) the shopper said "I thought he was on his own!" in a panicky, accusatory way. Which is kind of what we panic about too!

I'm not really talking about extended walks e.g. to the park at the zoo, where we just strap him in the buggy (or I've recently tried an Ergo) but from car to shop, or to house, or at the park if there is ANY exit, or inside a shop.

Is there any help for this, short of a) waiting for him to grow out of it or b) never letting him off a rein/out of the buggy, even at the park? DH is on leave at the moment as DD is v new but he'll be back at work soon and I'll be home with both of them.

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Shia · 12/07/2014 07:42

You should have him on reins.

Both of mine were on reins and you can make it fun. My son quickly learnt to come back if called but my daughter was more headstrong and needed reins for a longer period of time. We progressed from traditional reins to a tellytubbie bum bag that had a strap.

I don't like the wrist ones, my children had very slender wrists and in the event of a fall I would not like the jerking on their wrists.

A couple of times I have had to run into a road and snatch up a toddler who's mum is running towards them from way down the road. One time a car had to do an emergency stop and I managed to get the child onto the pavement but was shaken up myself as I could have easily been hit by the car. The car driver and occupants were naturally also shook up and yelled at me although it was a strangers child.

The mum arrived after the car had departed and was out of breath and red faced. She told me that the boy was always running off like that. I advised reins and she stiffened and told me that her son was not a dog and was most indignant, despite my saving her child from going under the wheels of a car.

Reins are practical and can save lives.