Toddler won’t walk outside?

[exhauated101]

Hi everyone,

I’ve previously posted about my little boy and being concerned about autism, I tried taking him to the garden today (we haven’t been out and about much recently) and he screamed blue murder wouldn’t walk outside no matter what i tried. I tried explaining to him that he’s fine and I won’t be picking him up he carried on, tried sitting him on the blanket with some toys outside he carried on, tried playing some nursery rhymes for him and that calmed him down but he still hated the whole prospect of being outside and I just don’t know what to do:(

Just before the lock down my sister left her abusive partner and came to stay with me which of course I was happy to accommodate but it’s been 2 weeks now and it’s really wearing me down, I can see the effect is has on my little one too, my little one can’t play with toys because my DN5 will snatch it off and scream blue murder if she doesn’t get her own way.

I am starting to get more and more impatient and I’m certainly losing it a lot more these days and then feel horrible after but 2 adults and 4 kids in a two bedroom house isn’t a great mix.

I have no idea how else to entertain my little boy as I have mentioned previously playing with toys (even if I lock myself in his room with him) doesn’t work and ends up with two tantrums. I don’t want him having too much screen time and I am trying to let him play in the garden as much as possible but he just refuses.

Hi OP, sounds really rough. Can you talk to your sister about DN's behaviour? At 5, if she has no SEN she should know better than to snatch/scream etc.

What does your DS do when left to fend for himself? Does he like sensory play, water, sand, drawing etc? Maybe just set out some 'stations' and leave him to choose?

Sorry not much helpful advice but didn't want to read and run

Neither of my 2 took to the garden at first. Hated grass with a passion that was scary to see. I'd go with the playing on a blanket for a while, he might get brave eventually!

My son absolutely hated walking on grass from around 14 mth to 3 yrs old. I just kept ignoring the screams and tantrums and continued to play outside, encouraging him to join in, but not forcefully.

It got to the stage that he would no longer scream and tantrum, cos no-one paid any attention, but he would try to join in the games from the patio, which was progress. (took a few months of doing it for an hour or so a day or two each week)
The 'leap' from the patio to the grass took a bit longer, but I just kept putting toys, pools, slides etc a bit further into the grass areas so if he wanted them, he'd have to walk on the grass, and eventually it stopped being an issue at all.

Keep it fun, keep the focus on the game you're playing and not on the 'being outside' part.

It actually took my son longer to get over his extreme fear of..................bloody tinfoil !!
He's a totally well adjusted adult now, and doesn't even remember being afraid of anything when he was a kid
You'll get there, and then he probably won't even remember he was ever upset by it.