Shutting my son into a room?

[Jellybeansincognito]

So our conservatory is attached to my living room by a clear sliding door.

I’m at my wits end with my 2.5 year old- he literally is a live wire and doesn’t respond to any form of no/ stop etc. For months he has been running across/ bouncing on the sofa- I can feel my anxiety rise every time he does it and daily there’s that heart stopping moment of him nearly falling off- onto a hard floor. The sofa is quite high up too, so quite a fall and he’s nearly gone over the edge quite a few times.

I don’t know how to stop him, removing him and putting him on the floor seems to hype him up even more and he gets straight back on more hyper before.
Shouting just makes him laugh.
I’ve even resorted to a hand tap of which he just isn’t bothered about.
Time out doesn’t seem to work- he just walks away back to sofa bouncing.

It’s been months of this and I’ve had enough- I can’t even go to the toilet without him doing it.

So here is my question- he gets 3 warnings and if he continues I’ve placed him into the conservatory and shut the door- for no longer than a minute.

I feel like this is almost abusive and it’s making me uncomfortable, I don’t know what else to do though before I end up with a child that’s fallen off and really hurt himself.

So Aibu placing him into the conservatory as a punishment?

*i am prepared to be flamed...

@BarbariansMum my dd was very spirited at that age. Just like most 2 year olds. I doubt there is such thing as a compliant 2 year old.

boys are a bit like dogs, you do need to get them out and thoroughly exercised every day or they will be climbing the walls.

Surely you mean very energetic children rather than boys?

Could you put a baby gate on a room and let your son play in there free of things he can climb on? Even if it's just for when you're in a the loo. Or take the cushions off the sofa and let him jump on those?

I shut my 2 /3 yos out of the room for 30 seconds / a minute when they really pushed boundaries. I was utterly consistent about what merited going out the room (eg hitting). They were bloody cross bit it wasn't remotely abusive. As teens and pre-teens, they are all very well adjusted, exceptionally well behaved and I almost never tell any of them off because I don't have to.

I did, however, let them jump on the sofas for years. It didn't bother me.

at some of these responses. OP is not locking him in a cupboard under the stairs ffs.

How does he react when he is shut in the conservatory? What does he do when he comes out.

If the conservatory is his playroom (I think I remember one your updates saying that), then I wouldn't be shutting him in there. Although if he's upset rather than playing, it wouldn't matter. If he plays, it's as if you're rewarding the behaviour.

Shutting him there for a few minutes is not abuse.

Taking him outside to burn energy is fine sometimes. You can't be out all day, everyday though. It's easier than it sounds too. Especially with another one to look after and you being anaemic and poorly. It all takes energy from you, that you may not have. (I also have a high energy child, who rarely gets worn out regardless of how much we do. I have fibromyalgia, so my energy is all zapped long before dds!)

The suggestion for an indoor trampete is good, if you have space.

What does he do for any calm time?
The only time my dd was even close to to relaxing/resting/calm at that age was when she watched any TV I think.

Can you recognise the escalating behaviour before he does it? Can he be distracted by anything - drawing, colouring, painting etc?

Perhaps come at it more from a reward angle. Tell him if he can sit on it nicely, he can watch some TV. If he bounces and jumps, then he can't/TV goes off.

Other than that just basic take him off, sit him on the floor and repeat, repeat, repeat. Tedious but he should eventually get the msg and lose interest.

(Sack off the tapping though. It's not working anyway and won't help anything in the long run. They copy behaviour and you don't want him learning that.)

Good luck.