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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to long for her to just sit the hell down and play with some toys?

25 replies

ohbugrit · 26/11/2011 08:10

She's 14 months. She keeps me up all night every night. In the daytime her primary desire is to get herself as far from the ground as possible. This morning she's mastered the dining table via the chairs. So how do I keep her from climbing on it?

She climbed into her cot the other day. She can get onto the window sill via the sofa and onto DH's desk via another chair. She's obsessed with stairs and with escaping outside. This morning we've had tantrums because evil mum wouldn't let her play with a serrated knife,because she wasn't allowed to crawl on the desk and because I refused to let her go into the garden with the dogs at 6am in a sleepsuit when it has been snowing.

She's charming, funny, sparkly, affectionate and gorgeous but why oh why won't she just play with a shape sorter and give me a moment's peace?

OP posts:

Proudnscary · 26/11/2011 08:11

And your AIBU question is?

amistillsexy · 26/11/2011 08:13

playpen

Original poster

ohbugrit · 26/11/2011 08:13

Sorry. I'll get my coat

OP posts:

amistillsexy · 26/11/2011 08:13

Sirzy · 26/11/2011 08:17

Snow?

At that age Ds would only sit and play if I sat and played then we got maybe 5 mins!

He was 2 a couple of weeks back and has currently been doing the same jigsaw for 15 mins alone. So it does get better , although he is still an "explorer" and just before settling to his jigsaw could be found climbing into his toy kitchen

Flanelle · 26/11/2011 08:17

Fancy not wanting to siddown and play with a lovely shape sorter! Weird.

Actually YABU. Sorry.

Make her a cushion mountain to climb. Give her the run of the pan cupboard and let her make some noise. She sounds like an adventurous spirit, and I think your best bet is to foster that as safely as you can and stop trying to make her all quiet and ladylike. Big noise and safer stuff to climb. Try it. She might sleep better too, if she can let off steam in the day.

washingonawednesday · 26/11/2011 08:17

We roll with the playpen here. Admittedly we have a huge one so it doesn't feel restrictive for him. My wonderful son is up in the night and wakes at stupid o clock in the morning. I play pen him in the living room ( he does have some great toys - guilty!) with toys in the morning and then pass out on the sofa till breakfast. Only way I can get through the day. He's 11 months btw.

SirBoobAlot · 26/11/2011 08:20

Don't do the playpen, a friend of mine had an equally skilled climber, and climbed out.
You need to take her to the park and wear some of that energy out! I feel for you though. Most of them do kind of go through a stage like this, then settle down a littke bit when the novelty wears off.

NinkyNonker · 26/11/2011 08:20

Haha, I know, 16 mo old dd has never had any interest in toys. Yawn.

amistillsexy · 26/11/2011 08:22

You should be excused as sleep-deprived and at the end of your tether.

To answer you seriously, I had one like this and it's very wearing. Move everything dangerous off the shelves/surfaces altogether-pack away enything breakable NOW, or you'll never get any peace.

Put nice, bright toys on the bottom shelves, so she meets those first-keep rotating what's out on show so she is stimulated.

Take her out and let her climb on the climbing frame in the park- don't worry about her going higher than others-just encourage her and make sure you can catch her if she slips (unlikely, if she's this keen to climb-they rarely do more than they can cope with).

See it as a gift that she is good at climbing-good spacial awareness and gross motor skills willl stand her in good stead later on.

Decide where she CAN climb, and gently tell her 'no' if she climbs where you've decided she is not allowed to, moving her to where she can. Don't worry that your friends and neighbours thin k it's odd that you say 'no, dear,, no climbing on the shelves. Climb on the chairs and table instead'. Tables are stable and washable. WHo decided they aren't to climb on?

Make sure she's had a couple of hours outside running round before bed, so she's good and tired for sleep!

Don't stress about it- it's just a phase! ( which my 8 year old is still in )

BsshBossh · 26/11/2011 08:25

Get a playpen, fill it with toys just so you can get a few moments peace. A Jumperoo is also excellent. But generally she is obviously a baby who likes to move so get down on the floor and rough and tumble with her, build her a cushion mountain for her to play on, put a mattress on the floor, buy her a baby trampoline, take her swimming and baby gym etc, the park in the morning before the big kids arrive etc etc. Not all babies like to play with toys so for your own sanity you have to just accept it until she's older.

Oh, and baby proof your entire house!

Original poster

ohbugrit · 26/11/2011 08:26

I try to let her do as much as possible - the cupboards get emptied multiple times a day (the crockery has plenty chips to show for it), I let her negotiate the stairs herself, she spends a lot of time outside in the garden, at the park or just running round after her brother. We go to a group and often to soft play. Nothing satisfies her urge to climb though and it's impossible to make the house safe. We use stairgates but she just clings to them wailing so a playpen is unlikely to work, even if there was room.

It just feels like she's either endangering herself or crying because I'm trying to stop her endangering herself .(

OP posts:

KittyFane · 26/11/2011 08:26

You say she's sparky, would you prefer the type who just sits there like a doughnut? No!
My DD was like yours, I am still recovering (she is now 8) and she's still the same! She's been up since 6am this morning faffing around, making everyone breakfast, drawing, chatting, singing. I sit here quite happily nowadays on MN and let her get on with it.
Your time will come OP!!

Iggly · 26/11/2011 08:27

YABU sorry - DS was like this. Only now at 2.2 does he play for longer periods on his own. When he was younger, I longed for his nap times as he too kept me awake.

I made sure that some rooms were safe - living and room and his bedroom. Dining room was out of bounds when he was little (stairgate) unless supervised - used a stairgate. In the living room, we took away the coffee table, there are no book shelves, wiring is tucked away etc. Kitchen, we had a cupboard for him full of plastic Tupperware and other random bits so he could pull stuff out while I (tried to) cook. Also went out a lot to the park etc!!

KittyFane · 26/11/2011 08:28

In the meantime, long walks in the countryside are your friend- out of the house as much as possible!!!

Original poster

ohbugrit · 26/11/2011 08:36

The babyproofing thing ... it seems impossible. For example, the DC's room was safe until recently, but now she gas to be supervised in there because she climbs on the bed and bounces on it, or clambers across to the window. Or scales the cot by bracing herself against a cupboard. Our house is too small for us to have room to rearrange things but I think a padded cell is what's needed!

OP posts:

Bumperliciious · 26/11/2011 08:38

You have my sympathies. I'm lucky, dd1 was a great 'potterer' and can amuse herself for ages. Dd2 is proving more of an issue. Can't turn your back on her for a second - she has a death wish!

cjbartlett · 26/11/2011 08:39

Why are you letting her empty cupboards and chipping crockery? Put catches on them so she cant

Original poster

ohbugrit · 26/11/2011 08:44

ch - because foolishly I expected her to be like her brother, who I let have free reign with the cupboards for a week or two. He then got it out of his system and the only cupboard I kept locked was the cleaning stuff one. Thought she'd be the same - I was wrong.

OP posts:

BsshBossh · 26/11/2011 08:45

Do your kitchen cupboards have catches on, are your chest of drawers and bookshelves fastened to the walls, do your windows have locks on them, is the DC's room carpeted so if she falls from a height it will be a soft landing, can you replace stairgates with taller ones (for dogs)? And why are you letting her in your cupboard with plates etc? Only let her in one with tupperware and plastic.

MrsWembley · 26/11/2011 08:49

Use stairgates and ignore the cries, she'll get used to them and learn to accept there are rooms she's not allowed in. A friend has a DD like this. God, she's agile! She just lets her get on with so much, but certain things she has drummed into her are a no-no.

You don't want a quiet, submissive little girl. Patience and eyes in the back of your head are what you need right now.

And a park nearby.

Original poster

ohbugrit · 26/11/2011 08:49

Yes, everything's bolted down/to walls/padded corners/carpeted etc. But she's just a baby, she'll still hurt herself falling from a bed or table, carpet or not!

Sorry, lots of helpful suggestions ... I just haven't known such a climby child before. The CM has the same problems.

OP posts:

ladyintheradiator · 26/11/2011 08:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

startail · 26/11/2011 09:16

Your DD sounds just like DD1. I'm afraid the others are right there is nothing you can do except child proof as much as possible and follow her about.
It's exhausting, I don't think I had an adult conversation for two years without having to grab DD1 in the middle.
You just have to find places they can climb. We're lucky we have room for a big climbing frame and I quickly learnt were every playground was.
She seemed just to be irresistibly programmed to climb, fortunately she also seemed to know what she was capable of.
She never got stuck or fell off. I got used to it.
When she was older she used to scare the mums at school, by heading to the very top of a tree in the park.

butterflyexperience · 26/11/2011 09:36

I have one of these climbers too
Drives me potty...
A few weeks ago dd2 17 months old whilst I was upstairs getting dressed for 10 minutes went to fridge got a yogurt out, climbed onto front room windowsill and smeared yogurt onto the window....

Eyes at the back of your head...

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