To think my sole purpose is to keep her alive

[Sleepgrumpydopey]

My 2 year old seems intent to hurt herself. Climbs on her toy box and jumps off. Runs off to the road if I don't watch her. Opens the front door and tries to go outside. Jumps on the bed. Puts everything in her mouth, coins etc.

I try and child proof as much as possible but I do feel exhausted basically spending the whole day tidying up after her or stopping her from getting injured.

i know how you feel. we have a 'toy corner'. and they would rather play with the tv unit and the switches.

Same here too. New game is doing a roly poly off the sofa and jumping from the coffee table. Last week it was putting cushions on the floor and falling backwards whilst sitting on a camping chair. Trying to run off when coming inside from the car is a regular occurrence. I'm constantly shouting "be careful! Dangerous! Stop!" It's very exhausting, you have my sympathy!

My 4yo does this. He was dancing at the top of the stairs today and I looked up at him from the bottom landing and said "Seriously? Are you looking to fall and get hurt?" He just grinned and danced off. Twerp.

Your job is to keep her alive, not stop her from ever getting hurt at all. Maybe you're focussing slightly too much on stopping her from learning from experience. It's impossible to tell from your OP but it might be worth thinking about.

If she's hanging out of an upstairs window then you need to deal with it but if she falls and hurts herself jumping off her toy box she will learn a very valuable lesson and remember it for longer although she may have to learn it several times before it sinks in.

Try assessing the risks differently and only addressing those where the hazard is too great.

Also remember the MN mantra; this too shall pass

My 2 yo is currently supporting a lovely blue arm cast.....

My DD2 had one at 14 months and nearly ended up with an additional head injury because she was so tiny that, when we stood her on the floor with the first rather heavy plaster of paris cast, she toppled over forwards narrowly missing the the corner of a metal cupboard

Don't get one of those big American fridges. Our neighbour's little girl's just like you describe. She hurt her foot treading on an egg as she climbed the glass shelves in the fridge to get to something on the top shelf.

Not a criticism but it might give you a breather to pile cushions and pillows on the floor and let her build a den or roll off them, rather than do less structured, random stuff, like eat coins. Just keep suggesting safer things for her to do before she finishes the last one so she's not tempted to climb or run.

Yes, it's exhausting.

Two suggestions to reduce the burden on you:
a) reins or wrist strap when you are out
b) bolt at the top of the front door so reduce escapes

Whenever we hand ours over to nursery at that age, we always seem to be filling in "prior accident" forms at least once a week! And likewise when we pick them up, we get given an accident form..

I hear you, believe me! But on the plus side, as they've got older they're very good at knowing their limits with physical activities such as climbing and so rarely hurt themselves yet go further than most other children in their age group. This stage is very wince-worthy, but by not wrapping them up in cotton wool it does them big favours for the future! At least that's what I tell myself when my current two year old smacks his head yet again on some allegedly child-proof bit of furniture.

Bless you. This stage is exhausting, isn't it. At least babies stay in one place even if they don't sleep through the night. Although if yours is anything like mine were at that age, you'll have all the movement of a toddler but with the still-broken sleep associated with a baby.

What saved my sanity was a large, old-fashioned playpen. It completely dominated my living room leaving a tiny walkway between playpen and sofa, but it was worth it. It was a completely safe space I could leave DC if I wanted a wee/shower in peace, to speak to someone at the door or on the phone in another room, etc.

I also put up lots of shelves at above-toddler height and invested in lots of pretty boxes and baskets to put on those shelves so that 'stuff' could be kept out of the reach of little hands and mouths.

I used my door chain and fitted the usual kitchen cupboard locks, etc.

It does get easier.

DS1 (7) and DS3 (3) are like that. DS1 has calmed down a bit although still regularly brings home accident letters from school. DS3 is lethal though and the main reason that he is in the buggy and not walking is that he'd be off at great speed and I can't push DS4 in the buggy and hold DS3's hand/reins safely.

I have a just 1yo and he is similar - he's up the bunk bed ladder like a SHOT, we have to take it down every day till the 6yo needs it...he is also out the doors on all fours, though he can walk, just. And we're moving house so there are boxes and rolled up carpets everywhere.

Give me strength!!!

Also he cries when I leave him so we've ditched the playpen

I have to take him to the toilet with me, everything...and he gets into the kitchen whenever we forget to close the gate and sticks his little hands into the bag of chicken pellets, and stuffs a load in his mouth.

I know, 'he must be hungry', so it would help if he would show more of an interest in the actual food laid on iykwim

This child is nuts.

I do think it's a difficult balance between helping them to test their limits and safety vs. Protecting them from serious harm.
Roads are obviously non-negotiable but there are so many grey areas. DD fell off the sofa arm the other day and smacked her head on the fireplace tiles.
I felt very guilty amidst the sobbing and somehow any 'lesson' she might have learned seemed pretty irrelevant.

Jumping off the toybox shouldn't hurt her though, should it? I'm assuming the box is on the floor and isn't six feet up.

I seem to recall both my children did this for about 10 minutes at a time on various occasions. I didn't stop them. I probably videoed it.

Yes, your job is to keep them alive, but if you're getting fretful to the point that you're devaluing yourself entirely, perhaps take stock and try to work out which are the important things (running into the road) and which aren't (toybox).

Your child will occasionally hurt themselves in fairly mild ways which might have been preventable. I think it might be worth trying to accept this rather than prevent it at all costs. Otherwise you're going to burn yourself out.

My dd has attempted to climb up the 6 shelf bookcase f in the living room. She was 3 shelves up when I walked in & wrenched her off kicking & screaming. My dh has now nailed the case to the wall as a precaution.

All out furniture is screwed to the wall for the same reason MsAsprey!!!
He's sporting an egg on his head (again) because he was buggering about in the car climbing into the front seat falling head first into the footwell, while I was strapping baby DS2 in (I make DS get in first so he can't sprint off up the road and play in traffic). I know I should have strapped Ds1 in straight away but was that focused on just getting the pair of them in the car before we all got soaked/run over.

Could you turn the playpen into some kind of adventure centre depending on her interests? So a pirate ship/castle/horse stables/tent... Cheap cotton fabric, cardboard, cable ties to fix it, maybe some sensory play lights and lots of cushions.

Hang on in there.

It doesn't stop when they get older. DD8 had a playdate yesterday and her and her mate spent the first 10 minutes jumping off the bloody sofa onto a hardwood floor. A houseful of toys but they try to fracture bones instead. All mad.