To be in tears over how destructive my 2.5 year old is?

OP you are in the THICK of it right now. You would definitely not be the first parent to hide in the loo and have a quick cry. Will he be going to nursery/preschool in September?

Hi! I'm kind of disappointed for you that so many posts say something to the effect of 'do better '. You're doing your best, and it's enough. Your child sounds like a force of nature and like me you are in a very small space, possible like me with very little funds to, for example, buy products specifically to deal with this temporary frustration.

My 2.5 year old girl is the same, and I have tried a range of different approaches. In the end I think patience is the only way to get through it. She literally can't stay like this forever, right?

I am mainly writing to say that it's totally not your fault that your child spilled juice on tbe coffee table!

Xxx

But it is the truth - Close supervision will stop these destructive behaviours.
Three children so close in age is a lot for anyone to contend with- one toddler can be entertained easily.

But three young children when you only have two arms?..not so easy.

Drinks at the dining table only, for a start. And sounds like he might be seeking attention, and also need to release energy? Is he going to childcare or children's groups where he can let off steam?

I only have one 2.5 year old (2nd due later this year) so appreciate it's not the same but I do the following:

I let him play in the sink with the water after washing his hands and just put towels down! If he pours water out of his cup elsewhere it gets confiscated. He does this a lot! Likes to make concoctions with water and food... we do also have a water table in the garden which he loves but ours is mid renovation so not always that accessible.

We use the magnetic locks and keep the magnets up high! He knows how to use a magnet if he can get his hands on it but can't override them like the other locks we've tried - I'm not sure anybody could override them without pulling the cupboard door off. Anything like wipes/breakables in a cupboard (pain in the arse!). We can't have crayons etc. out unless directly supervised.

Gave up with separate bags for puzzles - we just have one draw they all get chucked in!

It will pass... at least I hope!

Definitely sounds like attention seeking.

ANY attention, even if you are shouty and crying, is better than none.

Outdoor exercise and play is essential to keep young children happy and calm.

He sounds bored- and probably jealous of the baby.

Can you put them all in a buggy and get them outdoors for a good hard runaround?

Being cooped up in a tiny house {or even a big one} is boring.

Toddlers need lots of activity, their brains are like sponges, taking everything in.

Exercise, and more exercise. Wears them out so the indoor destructiveness {out of sheer boredom} will hopefully be diminished.

That was the 50s solution, for me in the 70s we had “play pens” literally toddler sized cages. Not recommended these days…

Oh my goodness he sounds like a handful! Also, it sounds like you are doing everything you possibly can. I would have cried too. I did laugh at the aunt tying the toddler to the table leg. That sounds very relatable. I do hope your little velociraptor will grow out of it!

We have a baby gate across the kitchen doorway. He’s worked out how to open it.

We had to get one of the baby gates with a foot pedal that requires the weight of an adult on it for it to open.

It’s tough, but you’re not alone. Many of us have been through it as lots of toddlers are like this! Mine decided to climb the curtains one day and brought them crashing down. The house will often be like a bomb site so don’t feel a failure,

we used to joke that any day where kids were alive fed and happy was a successful day.

Was also going to suggest seatbelt clip.

With toy boxes is there anywhere else they can be stored? She's in garden?

Being a few things in at a time they he chooses.

Do you have a garden? Water play tray and swing etc are great for kids who sensory seek like your ds. Or big soft bricks for inside.

Has this behaviour started since the baby was born?

Does he go to nursery and what is he like there?

Sorry for all the questions. There will be some helpful solutions but they are only helpful if they are practical !

@AngeloMysterioso

one thing you can do easily is fit small bolts at the top of your doors to contain him in the room you're in. He shouldn't be left alone long enough to do some of these things.

😕Not sure the idea of tying a child to a table is a 'helpful reply'.

I disagree about the messy play. You're not talking your standard toddler here. You're talking Godzilla toddler. Messy play can never be contained with such a beast. We only ever did messy play outside with the door locked so we couldn't go back in until he was stripped down to a nappy and carried, wriggling, back in straight to a bath.

Thing is that child one is more of a stegosaurus (able to wander around munching on stuff until attacked) and child three is more of a dinosaur egg (stays mostly still, need to avoid it being cracked).

You need to concentrate on your mini raptor herding. Nothing breakable, they all love pulling out baby wipes and pouring stuff out, but they need something more entertaining to keep them from pissing off Indomummyis Regina.

Ps it could be much worse. They could be a poo smearer like my friends kid.

We also had some safe cupboards with things he could pull everything out of. We just got used to living with tupperware all over the floor for a year or so.

My DH once forgot to lock the spice drawer. That was a fun afternoon.

Don't replace soap dispenser. Use bar soap.

Keep zip locked bags out of reach.

Set up some messy play somewhere cleanable. (High chair over big mat in kitchen maybe) I used water as it would dry not sticky.

Supervise better. (Some kids just can't be left alone, which I learned the hard way)

The old baby car seat was useful for toilet trips. Strap in, place in safe place, special toy, pop to the loo.

I used to have one cupboard they could go into…like pots and pans and Tupperware to play with. Every cupboard not safe you really have to get key locks for like in Uni halls kitchens.

Mine also would unclip their car seat. I ended up buying a car seatbelt buckle guard/lock. They have them on Amazon.

As for food /drink, can put child size table in kitchen? Or put a rug under dining table and have a sit in seat at dining table for all food/drink other than plain water.

Mine were like this.

In the end their bedroom was no furniture and a futon pad only on the floor to sleep on.

The lounge had pretty much everything taken out of it except sofa and chairs and toys. Fire had a guard.

We didn't have a nice house for a long time.

Can you check out better stair gates etc? I’m sure DS2 knew how ours opened, but they were actually quite hard to open - physically, I mean. He wasn’t strong enough to open it. MIL couldn’t do it either.

Omg we used to say the same thing about the raptor scene 😂

Have you tried the magnetic locks. So you can't open them without sliding a magnet over the front? And then keep the magnets very high up?