Not to want to child-proof my home

[GodzillasBumcheek]

...because my relatives are visiting and their kids can't keep off my ornaments/bookshelf/electricals etc?

Why do they think i want them to visit if i am going to be constantly rescuing my things from their child? Shouldn't they be doing the running around (at least some of the time), or have taught them by 18 months not to grab everything in sight; and by three years, shouldn't they know NOT to bash electronic equipent on the floor/throw items towards the telly?

[elmoandella]

say your on a fitness urge. make them go walks when they visit. young kids love going walks.

[GodzillasBumcheek]

Lol...but my family doesn't!

[elmoandella]

can you not insist everytime they come round you must go into the garden if you have one?

when it rains say

"there's no such thing as bad weather, just wrong clothes" and throw them a kagoul. be cheaper by them than replacing broken ornaments. lol

[Bumperlicious]

It's a flatscreen ( don't asked, paid for by MIL) but on the stand of our old hulking gert TV. Was at the front of the stand but DD kept smacking it and plastering her fingers over it so it is pushed back to the wall and blockaded at the side with various bits of furniture. DD is too small to reach it atm, but won't be long...

DD just thinks "no" is a comedy word.

[specialmagiclady]

My house is slightly childproofed against MY children. But if other people's kids come over and cause havoc, as long as the mum is making some effort to control their child/clean up, I just accept the carnage.

(Which means I bloody hate it, but put up with it in order to see beloved friends.)

Usually, though, my kids are the worst as I let them jump on beds, sofas etc, play pirates in sitting room, use sofa cushions to make cowshed and generally fuck with my house.

When my new kitchen is finished next week, there's gonna be some changes round here, Ah can tell ya!

[elmoandella]

my kids get to run amok in my house too with the toys. perhaps they cant see my ornaments for them.

just in others people house i watch them

[GodzillasBumcheek]

Lol @ the kagoul idea...unfortunately our garden is pretty much the same as our house. Fine for DD but for other wayward toddlers probably a minefield of saftey issues. We have a small pond (very, very, very small, but still a pond), and a rabbit hutch, several vegetables growing, and a veritable plethora of ants. Black ants, red ants, big, small, 6lots^ of 'em. Little bstrds. The ants i mean, not the kids

Bumper...if only it were so easy...same as you, flatscreen (smallish though!), old tv stand, but where it has to be due to the location of plugs/aerial wire, it is on an angle and can't be pushed back [sigh]

See, there really is no cild-proofing my house! We trained DD through absolute necessity - and it was hard!

[GodzillasBumcheek]

No child-proofing it either!

[elmoandella]

i say let them eat/play with ants.

[PussinJimmyChoos]

I visited a friend with a new baby the other week and DS (two) was in tow. He was very very good and I am very mindful of what he does in otherpeople's houses as I believe children need to learn respect for other peoples belongings etc.

However, all that said, he is still only two and naturally curious and the house was not baby proofed in anyway. I could see the new mum wasp chewing over him picking up a few things off the sideboard - nothing breakable, just loose change that they had left there and it made me really stressed and wanted to fast forward her life to when her child was 2 and see what her outlook on life is then!!!

[uberalice]

Sheesh, to read some of these comments, you'd think the parents were going to plonk the toddlers in the middle of the living room and then leave them to it. What's wrong with a baby proofing to a reasonable degree (move ornaments, remote controls, etc) and then just keep an eye on the LOs and stop them if they look like they're about to scale a bookcase or decapitate the cat. Oh and all this talk of training? Train my arse.

[ReallyTired]

I think its easier with visiting toddlers to give them something that they can fiddle/ explore. Prehaps one of your daughter's toys.

Children tend to get up to mischief when bored. In someways a child wanting explore is healthy at 18 months. Its better than having a child who is placid and totally uninterested in their world.

Could you not take the childen to a park or somewhere outside. The fresh air would tire out any self respecting male toddler.

[GodzillasBumcheek]

Have you actually read all the comments, uber? Because i thought i had made it plain that it wasn't just a few remotes/ornaments.

And are you implying your arse is not trained? [dirty carpets?]

[GodzillasBumcheek]

Yes RT...i do that with the 3 year old. thing is, the younger one is only in town for a few days at a time, and his mum isn't the park type (well, okay i could ask, but i would be expecting a 'no').

[ReallyTired]

My child at 18 months was a whirlwind. It really demoralised me as parent that people thought my parenting skills were terrible. My son also had zero language skills before the age of three and half when he had his adenoids out and grommets inserted.

He is still mildly hard of hearing, but his behaviour is angelic (most of the time) at the age of 6.

[tori32]

Sophiebbb Ever heard of the word no in a strict voice and 'the stare of death'? At 8mths my dd1 knew not to touch- oh she still did, but would sit by whatever it was grinning, then do it! by 1yr I could leave her unattended knowing she wouldn't touch/break things. At 18mths I could leave her with washable pens and she wouldn't draw anywhere other than on paper/ drawing books. At 2.6 she can be trusted with scissors and carries them as you should. training from very early on is the key. Consequences for actions.
YANBU, but I would to save them trashing things

[specialmagiclady]

Is she your first, Tori?

[MrsThierryHenry]

I think you are being unreasonable about this. Not least because most kids of 18 mos wouldn't have that level of control, but also because, frankly, if they do damage your things you'll be kicking yourself afterwards!

That said, we have taught our 19 mo DS to respond positively when we set boundaries, so he'd be a dream guest at your house!

(yes, I have read other comments, and yes, I am aware that our baby no 2 may turn out to be a terrorhead)

[nooka]

What about a soft toy place then if the mum is not a park sort of person? My dcs usually messed about when they felt I was ignoring them (by trying to have an adult conversation) and when they were bored. If you are not going to baby proof, and you think the mum has insufficient control I think you need a more creative solution.

[tori32]

No, I CM and had 4 under 2yo last year(2 part time iyswim), none of whom would have trashed the house. I have also now got dd2 who will be trained by the Sgt Maj! They all knew I wouldn't allow it and stopped trying very quickly.

[KnickersOnMaHead]

Message withdrawn

[tengreenbottles]

this is not a safety issue then is it ,this is about keeping your things safe ,in which case i would move things

[melrose]

this is really interesting. Beyond a stair gate at the top of the stairs and plug socket covers I ahve not child proofed anything else, but i ahve taught my children the word "NO"! and yes a 1 year old does understand!! Am totally with teh OP on this. If my DS (now 4) had ever thrown a remote control at a TV he would have been taken out the room and told off and she is not being unreasonable to expect others to do the same.

That said I would move anything particularly precious out the way of my 1 year old right now as he is pulling himself up and grabbing at everything in reach. But if I visited a house and saw an ornament or something simialr taht may be at risk I would just move it out the way!

[melrose]

and don't get me started on children jumping on sofas, they're for sitting on!!!