Is this usual toddler boy behaviour or am I not being careful enough ?

Just normal active toddler behaviour. Mine si 18months and spends a good a ount of time sat on the kitchen table. Even removed the stair gate as he climbs over it. He's baby no 3 and they were all climbers, you have to embrace it rather than fight it. No baby proofing this time, it just reaches them it's ok to land on stuff if it's all soft.

If anything I'd say yours is just slightly clumsy so maybe do some gymnastics classes and get him able to climb better. Also teach him how to climb down- turn around and one foot, one hand etc. Do lota of physical things with him to get it out of him. Balance beam, stepping stones, mini climbing frame etc.

My youngest daughter was like this. Constantly climbing things, we were living in a rented house at the time so couldn’t really put locks on cupboards for example. The amount of china we lost ! She was lightning fast

You're being massively unreasonable to assume this is related to being a boy. Why would you think that?

It’s not insulting. Just makes me roll my eyes a bit at the idea that only boys are boisterous while girls are just quietly playing with their dolls, or whatever.

I also think it can lead to a bit of a “boys will be boys” mentality as they get older that ends up excusing worse behaviour because that’s just what boys are like (not saying you’ll be like that, but I think that’s where I can go).

oh dear, what sort of pen was it? Without the playpen our house would have been chaos!

I had 2 of these and the playpen was an absolute life saver

It's definitely toddler behaviour and not toddler 'boy' behaviour.

It's nothing to do with him being a boy and everything to do with his age.

Keep him close when you can like when using the loo, keep him contained where possible (highchair/pop him in front of the telly if you're doing something more dangerous) and educate him not to do unsafe things (no climbing up drawer handles or onto headboards).

I have a boy and he's obviously had the odd accident like a slip in the bath or a fall in the hallway but it's not because he behaves unsafely. He was told not to climb on things because they'd tip, to sit on his bottom in the bath etc. Tell him why not to do those things so he only ever does them once!

He likes to climb. Get an indoor climbing frame/baby gym and put down a mat. At least then you can say, this is where we climb. And start teaching how to fall.
Good luck!

@Amijustarubbishmum well it’s obvious he likes climbing - anything. Not sure if this is just boy behaviour or not, but you now know that if there is something to climb he will try. Knowing this will help you to keep him safe.

Now an engineer by trade, I bloody knew he would be.

Interesting. So is mine. He loves solving problems. 😁

It's normal. Mine was a climber and an escape artist. I was so careful, seldom took my eyes off him yet he still regularly managed to get into trouble.

He was walking at 7 months, and climbed the stairs by himself at 11 months when I left him with his dad for a couple of minutes. He learned to pile his blanket in the corner of his cot and use it to climb out. At 14 months old he managed to get himself jammed in the cat flap.

For years we couldn't open windows because he would try to climb out. It's like he was hypnotically drawn to them.

Undoing 5 point harnesses was a doddle for him.

He's a completely normal teen now. needs a bomb to get him out of bed.

Almost all toddlers will get into scrapes of one kind or another and you need eyes in the back of your head. Sometimes it feels like they are actively on a suicide mission - I've got a boy and a girl and both have had their hair raising moments.

It can be relentless but I think your child is both a normal toddler (boy or girl) and you need to supervise a bit closer through this stage if you know he's physically adventurous. Like he probably needs to come to the bathroom with you.

But nobody can prevent 100% of toddler bumps and accidents, it's just not possible. And don't worry, it's a phase. Not that older children can't be silly and hurt themselves from time to time, but it won't always be so full on.

It’s a bloody nightmare no doubt!

I think back in awe at the utter determination, imagination and genius of my bonkers child as he scaled the living room curtains, handed me the nuts & bolts from a dismantled stair gate and escaped from shopping trolleys, high chair straps oh and of course his car seat with ease and frequency!
Child locks on doors & cupboards were no match for his troubleshooting mind & skill.
Cupboards were emptied all over the kitchen floor daily. He could climb up and down kitchen drawers in seconds.
Eyes in the back of my head was the only way he survived his childhood.
He was also a “bolter “ so would razz off at speed if let go of for even a nanosecond.

Now an engineer by trade, I bloody knew he would be.

I would take him in the bathroom with you it's no big deal
I would not leave in a room on his at any time as he appears too inquisitive and agile
I would use a high chair for him to be ready for his dinner and in a cafe can I ask if you have had any babies or toddlers on your family or if friends do ??

Yeah I had one of those as well.

Never leave him in a room on his own, take him with you to the loo.
obviously pour away hot water as you’ve said. Ditto being aware of oven doors, kettles, and anything else. Especially knives/scissors.
learn the grip of steel when out in public.

It’s hard to think ahead when you’re tired with a toddler but if you have a climber/runner/escape artist, you just have to learn and think FAST about what they could possibly do next. Look at a room and think what could they possibly do - they will do it.

Mine survived and is now in his 20s and climbs big mountains for fun. I am also very grey haired.

It’s not even a ‘toddler’ thing - it’s some toddlers. They are not an homogenous group. Risk taking and activity levels are very much influenced by personal temperament. Some climb sofas and jump off cupboards. Some don’t like swings or slides and would rather sit and play! And everything in between.

'Aw', I'm not a perfect parent, either.
And, my twins both have severe AuDHD/Autism.
Try being the Mum of girls whose key workers say they've never met boys with that much energy or risk taking behaviours.
Explains my prematurely grey, but beautifully silver locks.

Not a boy thing, some toddlers are just more adventurous than others.

Aw we can't all be perfect parents.
My DS is a massive ball of energy. Climbs, jumps, runs. He has severe autism and his understanding of danger or hazards is literally zero. My girls were active but DS is just in another league. When he left nursery his key worker asked me how she was supposed to get her steps in now she wasn't running after DS. His teachers say he's happier outside than being indoors (which is true).
I just wish I had the energy to match him.
Girls can be on the go constantly but in my experience boys take more risks (and add more gray hairs to their mum's heads) than girls.
As your son gets older he'll understand danger more and not take so many risks and you can relax a bit. Although having said that my nephew (who is 24) recently decided to do back flips of a park bench and knocked himself out (he was fine)? However the good part is his mum didn't know anything about it until she knew he was fine the next day.

It's a kid thing, I was amazed DS got through childhood without A&E staff doing a SW referral.

Within about 3 months he needed his head glued due to throwing a tantrum and hitting his head off the TV stand, hand x-rayed due to sneaking up behind a relative causing them to fall over him like a sack of spuds, they managed to avoid landing in top of him but squashed his hand and finally, needing his foot x-rayed after kicking the wall not the ball 🙈.