Is your toddler like this too?

[BertieBassetts534]

DS is 2. I took him to a museum and park today and it was just mayhem. I had him out the buggy so he could explore and wander like all the other children there.

He was just running from thing to thing, running towards stairs, running through people. I took his hand and tried to keep him under control but he was having none of it, massive tantrum.

We left the museum and headed for the grounds (basically a big park but no play area) and he was off again, speeding off away from me as fast as he could. I had to run after him as he was heading towards a hill and went flying. Running isn't ideal for me as I have a heart condition and I was already sweating buckets from wrestling him around the museum.

I tend to keep him in the buggy if we're at a particularly busy place because this happens every time, it just feels so restricted and sad when most of the other kids his age are just pottering about on foot enjoying themselves. I long for the day he'll walk nicely beside me or only a short distance ahead.

Is your toddler (or was your toddler) like this too?

Could you try reins?

Far too young to go to a museum.

Yes I think that's probably the way to go. I'm going to have a look on amazon now. Thank you.

I had a very active toddler. I did classes almost every morning. Swimming, gymtots, rugbytots, music and movement. Then lunch then anything i needed to do. He needed to be active and tired.

That depends on the museum. There were dozens of parents and toddlers there today. The buggy park was overflowing with prams.

It's not just museums though it's everywhere.

Depends what is on. Mine does arts crafts for little children.

or the national childrens museum in halifax is amazing. I took my children there frequently.

Perfectly normal for toddler to enjoy running in loads of directions yes. I’d start with less busy places, lots of hand holding, praise and if necessary “if staying close to me is too difficult you’ll need to go back in the pram for a bit”. Practice - they aren’t born knowing how to behave in public!

I’d also try and go to lots of places where it doesn’t matter if he runs off and explicitly tell him “now we’re in the playground with the fence so you can run wherever you want in here”.

He might just not be a pottering round a museum kind of child though - my daughter loved that kind of thing, my son was overwhelmed by crowds and too many choices, couldn’t engage with any of it and just ran about causing chaos. We did a lot of outdoor but contained areas with him. He didn’t want to look at stuff, he wanted to “do”.

Yes. He is 3 now and has calmed down slightly but he is a runner. Won't even ride his balance bike, just wants to run.

All the classes I took him to, just saw it an an opportunity to run. It was a bit embarrassing at first as the other children all listened and joined in but I decided to cut our losses and just find pla ces/activities where he can just zoom around.

I quickly adjusted our life so we did lots of activities where free running was fine and then if I wanted to do anything, he would be in a trolley or pushchair but I did limit this to be honest.

It wasn't hard to adjust but on the other hand, he is a very easygoing child who does adjust and stop when I tell him to.

Took him to a zoo last summer and my fitbit said I'd walked 6 miles. He ran the whole time, back and forth, around so goodness knows how many miles he ran!!

I have however, put a lot of time and effort into safety so we've done lots and lots of walks around our local town, learning how to cross roads, when to hold hands, when to stop, how to behave in shops. I used reins for a long time as an extra precaution near roads bit we had the backpack ones so I could tuck them away once we were somewhere it was safe.

It's hard work but it does pay off.

Completely normal, I remember about 2 years 4 months my toddler just being mental for about 4 months haha. Like just constant, never stopped, wouldn't sit in the buggy, into or on top of everything, little concentration, wrecking everything. I actually remember sending my friend a video of her and being like holy toot I can't keep up haha. It's totally normal and passes. I would never of taken my 2 year old to a museum, that would of been a disaster.

Thanks for the replies. It makes me feel better to know its not just us. The energy is boundless.

I love the idea of gymtots and such like, I hadn't heard of it before but googled it after it was mentioned. I'll have to see if there is anything like that locally as DS would love it.

I've ordered a decent set of reins which connect by wrist so, in theory, we can walk side by side 😁

My friend's ds was a bolter and she absolutely had to use reins. There really is no alternative, whether your dc likes it or not, they have to have them, for their own safety.

DD is 2 and she does run fast but can also hold hands and walk when I direct her to. We go to museums a lot, and usually have some active time in a contained outdoor space to balance time indoors. Generally we go to kids areas in a museum like the basement at the Science Museum where she can let off steam and there are lots of hands on activities, then she's happy to toddle around looking at things after.

I use reins but usually only outdoors on a busy road or along the canal. At parks I let her run free if it's safe, I do have to run to keep up with her but she can't outrun me yet!

Agree with this. Mine does Gymboree, Little Gym, Diddi Dance, Water Babies, Little Kickers. She needs to get the energy out in the mornings, we never have days at home.

Yep! They're busy, quick little creatures! Just lots of exercise and space to move. But don't be put off taking them to a museum that's a perfectly good activity to do!
Mine has reins (controversial on MN sometimes) but has to be done for safety - would not forgive myself if he bolted into a road!