To ask what you would do?

[osd]

Ds nearly 3, potty trained, so we took the gate off his room so he can us the toilet as the potty is to small.

Tonight I go upstairs as I can here him, go into the bathroom the hot taps are on full (this has happened before so that I had no hot water in the morning) but in the sink is a used tampon, ok yuk I can't flush them as we have a leachfield, so I put them in a small bin; emptied every morning. The two dirty nappies are on a low shelf and the other tampon hes tried to shove down the bidet plughole there is water all over the floor. All he says to me is 'done a poo poo mammy' aarghh!

So I said no Fireman Sam in the morning and yes I did tap his bum not hard but he already knew I was mad. There has been similar antics every night this week. So I had already sent him to bed with 'be a good boy and go straight to sleep and you can watch Fireman Sam' So disappointed with him, and I should have pulled the handles off the taps.

So AIBU what should I do with him, I am fed up I am almost past parenting him he is so difficult.

I can't believe you 'tapped his bum' for essentially being a nosy toddler. If you're going to smack then do it when he's doing something dangerous not when you've let him access a dirty bin. He's not being difficult, he's being a TWO year old who is learning about boundaries and what is and isn't acceptable.

Put the bin up out of reach (on top of the medicine cabinet perhaps) or put it in your room. And (I mean this nicely) if you're genuinely finding it hard to parent him, then ask for some support from the HV or someone :)

I feel sorry for the kid as he was trying to proudly tell you he'd "done a poo mummy" and you hit him. He won't have any understanding of what he did wrong and certianly not the next day he wont know why he hasn't got fireman sam as his brain isn't developed enough to work that way.

It's up to you to provide a child safe environment if you are going to allow him places unsupervised.

I can't believe you smacked your 2yo for using the loo fgs. As for the used tampons left within reach of a toddler? Jesus Christ almighty. I think you need a reality check and perhaps some parenting classes?

Yes...awful. I have a 3 year old and never let her be alone in the bathroom as I know she'd run the taps dry ...your son is exploring...you need to take him to the loo at this age....not let him go alone.

Mooncup :)

I think you're getting an absolute pasting for an oversight/bad day. He was being a toddler - you maybe over reacted. Stick the stairgate back on. Tomorrow's another day!

You left stuff around for him to play with and you tapped him, you ought to be ashamed. He did not deserve that he is not even three years old, if you don't want children to touch things don't leave anything for them to touch.

Disgraceful you let him use the bathroom when you have used tampons in the room where he is.

He is young, he is nosy, wants to explore.

Jesus H christ you slapped him. Get a grip and clean up your house before allowing a small child to wander alone into the bathroom. He did not know he had done wrong how could he you left the stuff there for him to PLAY with.

Blimey Squeaky, I'm glad my Ds hasn't figured it out, he's a right terror!

He's far too young to understand that what he's done is gross to us! He must be utterly bewildered at being punished.

All he needed was an explanation of why what he had done wasn't on. In fact, scrap that, he didn't need anything at all apart from being removed from the situation and told not to turn on the taps - it's your responsibility to make sure the rest of it doesn't happen again.

My son is the same age and I would never leave him in the bathroom alone for the water issue alone. To expect him to have the discipline to just use the loo and go quietly back to bed when there's so much to get into is unreasonable.

He does not strike me as difficult - your expectations are too high

That's just awful. My 2.8yr DS is a monkey for getting into stuff and experimenting, sudocreme on the bed; drawing a picture of a chicken on the carpet in nail varnish, but these have been MY fault not his. He's being an inquisitive little boy, and I wasn't watching carefully enough. Yes, we had a serious talk about not drawing on the carpet etc, but no smacking or punishment. As for smacking him after he's excitedly telling you he's done a poo, FFS. I don't agree with smacking and never have with mine, as IMO just teaches them that smacking is OK. We do a special dance for poo poo on the potty :o

Put your stuff out of the way, especially dirty nappies, and used tampons and accompany him to the toilet, no way is a 2nd old old enough to be trusted to do that alone.

once, and i will always remember this, my little boy had shoved about 10 sanitary towels (Clean) down the loo. I was so cross, i really told him off

but then i thought

he is just copying what i do, he wasnt trying to be naughty, and it made me feel really cross at myself

A 2/3 yo generally needs help with going to the loo. Your expectations are far too high!

Unbelievable!

You are the parent, it's your job to keep him safe. He could have suffered serious burns and it would be entirely your fault and you tapped his bum? If anyone deserved a smack it's you.

Keep the bathroom locked at night, get a big potty and leave it outside of his door.

I dont think it is usual to put used tampons in a bathroom bin actually!!!

any plumbers reading this will be rubbing their hands together with glee at the thought of all the blocked toilets they're going to be dealing with!

i think he is too young - at this age I left a potty in DS' room and listened out to help if necessary

Ds is FOUR and still not allowed free access to the bathroom, he and dd are little so n sos in there so we have locks on the outside at the top, if he needs the toilet he calls me or dp, or at night wakes us, simples.

just..... bork
Um..... empty his potty at regular intervals through the evening?

Ds is FOUR and still not allowed free access to the bathroom, he and dd are little so n sos in there so we have locks on the outside at the top, if he needs the toilet he calls me or dp, or at night wakes us, simples.

I can't get past that your 2 year old can run the hot taps . If he can't be trusted to leave them alone then you need to stop him accessing the bathroom, there's a disaster waiting to happen there :(

DD went and flooded out the downstairs loo twice this weekend.
Toddlers DO this sort of stuff. Doesn't mean the OP is a neglectful parent ffs!

I think my children must have been exceptionally thick

they never figured out how to open a stairgate and I used one until they were at least 3yo

they never climbed over either

Jesus fucking Christ, she's put used sanitary protection in a bathroom bin and lost her patience with a child who won't sleep. She's not fucking Hitler. Calm down! I can't believe you all walk merrily through the house with your tampons every time you change them! Yuk!

OP, you really shouldn't have smacked him for that you know. I've smacked occasionally but don't like to, and i really think he wasn't being deliberately naughty. Can you turn the taps of tightly so that he can't turn them on? I'd be worried about scalding.

Did you know we have a What Would You Do topic?

You might find it less fighty