What do you do when your toddler (2.5) refuses to tidy his toys away

[astragirl]

we tell him that we're going to put them away if he doesn't tidy them himself and put them on a shelf so he can't have them for a couple of days, but this doesn't seem to phase him. He probably knows he'll get them back eventually and he has plenty of other toys to keep him occupied. What does anyone else do as a so called "punishment"?

I don't think punishment works on this one quite so much as encouragement. Toy tidying for a toddler can be quite daunting. If you make it that for every toy he puts away nicely you'll help by putting one away for him it's more 'carrot' than stick. And if you make it race... who can tidy it away quickest??! ... then that's more fun too.

Have you got a copy of Mary Poppins? The 'Spoonful of Sugar' sequence is very apt.

We used to get so frustrated with our two girls that we used to get the black bin bag out and start 'tidying' them into it.
They soon came along fished them out and put them away!
Bit cruel but it worked as the tidying race never seemed to work with them

Make a game of putting things away and reward that behaviour. Pointless punishing at that age about neatness.

we have tidy up time at 6 o'clock
no tidy, no telly

has never failed.

Leave them

long term 'punishment' no good here ime
I coerece her to do it any way I can rather than leaving it undone and then punishing, iyswim

if you can bear it, stand at the other end of the room and throw them into the basket?

Just tidy alongside them. It's a bit much to expect a 2.5 yo to understand what the ppint of tidying really is, or that it is different from playing, or even to imagine the conesequences in 2 days time when the toys are on the shelf.
Chill, and save your battles fo when he is much older.

My DS3 is that age and I don't punish him for not tidying. He's only little! If I say that if he tidies some toys away we can then sit down and read a story but we can't read until it's tidy, he will then happily tidy up.

encouragement and praise work better than punishment/criticism - which brings out the best in you? it's no different for them, and actually a lot more fun if you do something whilst everybody is happy

Make it into a game and help him ..hes only 2

We have honestly tried all that! Some days, he chooses to tidy up of his own accord (particularly if the mess is in his room). Most days, he will tidy up in parallel with one of us. But some days, he won't do it simply to assert himself. The "tidy up or no telly" might work, but he doesn't get telly every night, and "tidy up or no bath" really wouldn't work!

Just get on with it, its a routine and if you don't make a fuss eventually he will conform. Talk to him while you do it, give him toys and praise him for trying, e.g. when he puts them on the floor he did a good job because he stopped playing and its tidy up time now.

whatever your normal consequences are for not listening then you can just apply it to this? mine i do time out in his room so if he was not listening when i ask him to tidy it, then i would give a warning or start counting to 5and if not then off he goes. he is just turned 2 and that works with him so i just use it for everything, although tbh i tidy up the toys anyway not him because i do it so much quicker.

Although it seems to work for Firawla, developmentally two is too young for "time out" as punishment for not conforming. He is two; two year olds frequently don't do as they are asked. Pick your battles and reward, encourage and play.

One basket of toys out only at a time. Games and races to tidy up. After tidy up = story, or whatever. No tidy = no story.

Or tidy up = sticker on chart, or whatever.

Two is too young to 'punish' and too young for time out.

Benefits rather than punishments deffo the way forward at this age.

I do the toy-basketball thing too like badger.
(I get a bit competitive.)

My DD will tidy beautifully at nursery but will not do it at home. The only way she will do it is if I say "we can't do x until they're put away" or, at certain times of the month, "shall I put them in the bin then?". She's 2.10 and is adept at "Want you to do it, mummy"

i don't think punishment is appropriate for a 2.5 year old, and i shouldn't think they have any strong feelings for tidying either.

absolutely agree with kalo

With DS aged 3, we tidy together, or I do it when he's asleep sometimes. He puts his clothes away quite well but likes to leave his toys where he is playing with him for a day or so, I don't mind so long as they are not trip hazards. DH and I have decided we will crack on a bit more to get him tidying and improve his table manners (using a knife and fork properly) when he is 4 ... let's see how that works out ....

leave his toys where he is playing with them