What's your toddler's odd obessessions?

[FuckingFlumps]

19 month old DS has a rather odd fascination with stones it's beginning to border on obsessive. He collects them everywhere we go, fills buckets and bags with them, lines them up, makes patterns and stacks them and generally favours them as his toy of choice when playing outside.

In my mind it's an odd little quirk of his character and most toddlers have a similar obscure fixation. However I mentioned to a friend today in general conversation and she said its utterly bizarre and not normal because her toddler has no obsessions.

Not fussed about her comment or attitude if she wants to think that so be it. However it got me wondering what other oddities are coverted by other toddlers. So feel free to share with me what unusual items your little people seem to treasure beyond all else.

DD2 was obsessed with a plastic screwdriver.

She slept with it every night.

One day she lost it so I had to rush out and buy an entire toy tool box from Argos, just for the pissing screwdriver.

It was the wrong colour

There was the noddy phase and the garden gnome phase

Different child spent years pretending to be a dog.

DS loves signs. It’s been ongoing since about 2, a constant litany of “what does that sign say” “what does it mean” and he’s decided that caution signs with exclamation marks are problem signs

Drains 🤦‍♀️

Dgs 2 is obsessed with missing pieces. So much so that he spends an inordinate amount of time hiding jigsaw pieces, playmobil, duplo, little figures just so that he can then discover there are missing pieces! Then he lists everybody who he thinks is responsible for the missing pieces and where he might have left them. Then he makes a very obvious search for the missing pieces, is delighted that the missing piece is found, reunites it with the rest of the toy. Lists again everybody who was responsible for the piece going missing and where he found it and then toddles off to hide another piece.

DD is 22 months and loves socks, shoes and balls. Socks, every morning she brings me a pair of socks and refuses to let me go downstairs if I don’t have socks on. She often double socks herself and often talks about socks.
She’s also shoe mad, frequently changing her shoes throughout the day and sometimes just holds them saying ‘it’s mine’. She tries to get me to wear her shoes too and gets upset they don’t fit me. 🤷‍♀️

I love the "problem signs" :o

DS can recognise the word "STOP" in written form because he loves pressing the button on the bus and making the stop light light up. So he can "read" it off a stop sign (or anywhere else he comes across it). He also says any sign with a red X on means naughty.

My 3.5 year old still loves stones. Deffo make a digging patch OP! He also has adopted a plush sponge we kept in the car, as if it’s a cuddly toy ❤️

When dd1 was little she was obsessed with some alphabet flash cards and a bottle of pink body wash she carries round with her for months like a favourite teddy, was called her pink!

Dd2 was obsessed for a long time with some carpet samples....

DD 21 months knows which jacket, phone, shoes and sunglasses belong to all 5 members of the household. She gets really cross if you use someone else's and wails the name of the owner until you give it back to them.

Also everything with wheels (neenaws) and clothes pegs (naughty nap-naps).

Another one for stones!! And keys. Have been meaning to assemble her her own set of old bike keys, and keychains to keep mine safe

DD is obsessed with my collections of various creams. I have a large bottle of body cream with a pump on it.

She'll make me sit in bed with my legs stretched out and spend ages putting cream on my legs and giving a surprisingly good massage.

She'll then do the same to herself but not her dad as he has hairy legs which are 'yucky'

Birds. He will look for them flying or sitting on rooves - happy to do that for hours. He is also also fascinated by holes. When I’m wfh to arrange lesson plans I can keep him quiet and focussed for hours by wearing a crochet top

All very normal! My now 9 year old has always liked stones and collected them, and still does-he's progressed to gems and interesting rocks now and loves the section at The Natural History Museum!

@bogiesaremyonlyfriend DD1 used to play with carpet samples, she used to make an 'obstacle course' with them! Currently in her toy box but it might be safe to stealthily get rid of them now as she hasn't touched them in a while...

She'll then do the same to herself but not her dad as he has hairy legs which are 'yucky'

Sounds very sensible if you ask me.

Mine has a current obsession with stones (but he is 12).

When he was a toddler he was obsessed with credit cards and the only thing he would sleep with was the Argos catalogue.

My grandson entertains us with his mini obsessions. They include..

stones
sticks ( this is the one he is on atm)
using default words when he is being naughty.. pounting.. sardines.. and others some made up and some just random words
balls.. every ball belongs to him no matter where we are.

Its fab !

Watering plants, it can be chucking it down outside and she will still want us to get the watering can out for her

@BoatsBoatsBOOOATS

Another stone fanatic! Took them on a particularly exciting trip to the B&M garden section to see all the stone samples in the display

Oh i forgot! When DS was about 4 he was obsessed with the B&Q garden section. I used to take a book and some snacks as he spent hours there.

@Peppaismyrolemodel

Drains 🤦‍♀️

😂

You have my sympathy. My DD likes bins 🙈

DS1 loves anything with wheels... smoke alarms everywhere we go he looks for the smoke alarm 😂
DS2 loves motorbikes and anything with a siren

Clothes pegs. No idea why but the instance he sets foot in nanny’s house he has to have the peg bag. He then spends the day dragging the bag all over the place, putting the pegs in/out of cupboards, drawers, his truck and occasionally peoples shoes.

and the only thing he would sleep with was the Argos catalogue

Who needs a pillow when you have the argos catalogue .

I'm loving all the responses and the pure randomness of things some toddlers seem to find fascinating. I hope they still have this level of wonder when they are older. It must be so joyful to see the world as a toddler does.

@OatyBarKid

Potatoes. He has favourite potatoes, friend potatoes, potatoes for filling cars and trucks and a potato pit in the garden.

He hates potatoes on his plate though

He obviously can’t contemplate eating his friends