how do you keep your house safe but not empty??

[jennybensmummy]

my ds is 4 in november and big for his age. he has autism, probable adhd, and possible dyspraxia. he has major sensory and proprioception issues, is very violent. he spends a lot of time well pretty much all day throwing things around, well pretty much all day in fact, food barely gets eaten he just stands on it. im trying to gradually adress all these things but very slow progress!! just wondering how other people manage having a house full of things when their child can get to everything and breaks and or throws it hes too tall and agile for stair gates and cant put locks etc on doors as rented house, and were skint!

[drlove8]

i'd like to know the answer to this one myself! ..... my house is still kitted out like i have a baby/small toddler(think 18mths).... thankfully dd4 is very small so isnt a problem yet, but she'll grow and then i will be at a loss too.
I miss my pre- twins home that included table lamps, orniments, photo frames ,pot-pourie ect.... all that has been destroyed( or put away untill kids move out), and replaced with plastic tattoys.

[drlove8]

forgot to add - my carpet gets 3 meals a day pluss snaks too ! New carpet cleaner gets delivered tomorrow!

[Widemouthfrog]

Very apt after the morning I have just had with DS2, age 3. We have had a bedroom smeared with sudocrem, my staircase, fridge and kitchen units daubed with permanent marker, two board books ripped up and toys everywhere. The pens were on top of the kitchen units - he climbed on a chair, then onto the kitchen units and stood on top of the microwave to reach!I am reducing our house daily - no ornaments anymore and cupboard locks and gates all around the house. I have had to take down all the curtains and poles down as he was pulling them off the walls on a weekly basis. His bedroom is wrecked - he has peeled off his scooby doo borders, pulled down the wall hangings, and stripped the wood out of his toybox, and last night he pulled the blind down and was rolled up in it on his windowsill.

No diagnosis yet - I suspect ADHD and Aspergers.

I guess my answer is the things have to go.

[Deeeja]

Ah, I have an empty house, have no ornaments, lamps (miss lamps ).
I don't have carpets, rugs get ruined, house always a mess.
Stair gets still work for my 4 year old ds with autism, but 2 year old asd is able to escape everything, 6 year old asd ds also unpredictable.
Look forward to one day have a normal house.
SIGH!

[Deeeja]

stair gates, not stair gets

[drlove8]

am currently filling in holes in bathroom walls, where dd4 has ripped off the loo roll and handtowel holders.... have also to replace ceramic tiles at front porch where she hurled a plantpot that broke tiles.... am also on stairgait number 4. thinking of selling her M.O.D as a WEAPON OF MASS DISTRUCTION

[jennybensmummy]

were forever filling in holes drlove8 from my ben headbutting holes into walls we should have shares in fillers!! ben could be sold to the MOD too!! were thinking going to have to move lots more things only he tips furniture over and bangs it against walls til it leaves marks/holes, like dining chairs, sofas, toy boxes etc short of emptying house completely im at a loss of what to do!! he is an escape artist, can climb my fridge doors (no idea how!) he has such strength and throws furniture etc hes a right menace and not even 4 til november!! feel like i need to sort it asap as i mean to go on as hes getting bigger and bigger and its getting worse!!

[drlove8]

lol jenny!

[anonandlikeit]

I keep telling myself that minimilism is so in...We chooe the bare cell look.

[jennybensmummy]

ha ha minimalism is good definately, at this rate we will end up with blow up furniture as cant wreck the walls with that and its wipe clean.... hmmm now theres an idea!

do you think i can hire ben out for demolision work?!

[magso]

Ha! We resorted to blow up chairs - worked well for a while! We went for the 'italian rustic' look (think bare chipped plaster or damaged terracotta paint effects)- bit dated now! Along with bare floors and washable rugs, double cuboard locks on cuboards (top and bottom so only an adult can reach both at the same time), extra large shower curtains for spill mats, nailed down everything, shelves instead of picture rails ( especially in bathroom), soft tubs for toys (collapse when climbed on) floor lamps nailed down too. House is now totally cluttered with ds (9) mess and muddle and looks like a slum! Gone from investigating everything in sight and general mess and destruction to collecting and pulling things apart to work them out! So constructive destruction! No point in redecorating - yet!

[Marne]

We are lucky that dd2 can't get over the stair gate (yet), you can get larger/higher gates which are for dogs from argos. Dd2 spends most of the time in the sitting room (gate on the door), our sitting room only contains, dd's toys, TV, a sofa and the pc, we have no ornaments, we have pictures on the walls but dd has started climbing the sofa to get at them.