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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Help my DD is disgusting

19 replies

HomeintheSun · 14/05/2011 19:24

My DD is 18 months, and my second child, she enjoys putting her hands in the dog water, putting dog biscuits in the dog water and then washing her hands in it, putting a tea towel into the dog water and the sucking the water out the tea towel and today her new thing is putting her hands down the toilet and scooping out toilet roll that she had just put down there. I have tried moving her away telling her no, I have tried saying yuck no and moving her away, distracting her and explaining that it will make her tummy hurt.
Everyone I have asked for help just laugh and say its a phase, which has done nothing to stop her doing it. Please anyone got any other ideas that might work, my DS never did this.

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whomovedmychocolate · 14/05/2011 19:27

First of all, get a toilet lock. (Boots sell them).

Then lift the dog bowls or shut the doors.

And yes she will grow out of it. Mine both weaned themselves on cat biscuits as a first food.

And pay no heed. Say no and remove her from the situation. Don't comment, yell or harp on as this encourages her to repeat it. Good luck :)

FannyFifer · 14/05/2011 19:27

Don't let her near dog bowl or toilet, I have a 16 month old who I'm sure would delight in doing the things mentioned, I don't let her.

ScarlettWalking · 14/05/2011 19:28

Remove the items out of her reach and keep the door on the toilet shut.

thisisyesterday · 14/05/2011 19:30

stair gates so she can't get to any of it?

it IS just a phase, in that I don't think there is any quick way to teach her not to do it tbh, you need to make sure she has no access to either

mousesma · 14/05/2011 19:32

My 10 month DD also loves helping herself to the cats food and water so I just put them where she can't reach them if she's in the same room.

OopsDoneItAgain · 14/05/2011 19:41

Dont understand why she has access to these things. Any small child will investigate absolutely anything if allowed, they havent yet learnt about hygiene.

Original poster

HomeintheSun · 14/05/2011 19:56

Thank you everyone for your comments.
She is a very determined child, we have stairs next to the down stairs toilet door (which is kept shut) and she has now found that if she stands on the bottom stair she can reach the toilet door handle, I will look into getting a toilet lock next week. The dog bowls are in the kitchen and DD has the run of the down stairs, and has now found that if she stands on the door to the washing machine (closed of course) she can reach whatever she wants from the work surface. I have just got to find somewhere that she can not get to though.

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thisisyesterday · 14/05/2011 20:05

put a stairgate on the kitchen then

ds3 is the same, and it's exhausting, but the easiest thing is to just keep him out of rooms where there is danger
he likes to turn the cooker on, open the cooker, open the washing machine, start the washing machine, climb up the door of the washing machine to get to the worktop... it's just not safe, so he is not allowed in there!

Original poster

HomeintheSun · 14/05/2011 20:36

I have tried putting a stairgate in the kitchen doorway but this means that I am then unable to shut the kitchen door and then when I am out the dog jumps the stairgate and claws the carpet near the front door and I can not let that happen everytime I go out.

OP posts:

SouthGoingZax · 14/05/2011 20:42

Yes best bet is remove the yucky stuff or make it inaccessible.
My DTs are straight into the dog bowl/biscuits if we leave the gate into the utility rm open

thisisyesterday · 14/05/2011 21:01

ahh tricky... i don't suppose there is such a thing as a quick release stairgate either is there. i do know you can get extra tall ones for dogs, but i don't know how much taller they are.

how about one of those babydan playpens that you can use as a room divider? you may be able to fix it to the wall either side, allowing the door to be used still?

Jezabelle · 14/05/2011 22:07

It'll improve her immune system! Obviously try to stop her, but don't brake your neck over it, or beat yourself up if you do take your eye off the ball, it won't kill her!

My DD2 was extremely curious and disgusting at 18 months. In fact, she still eats mud! (she's 2.5 now, not 18 BTW!) But it's not done her any harm. I can't honestly remember the last time she was really ill.

Jezabelle · 14/05/2011 22:10

BTW, she sounds like a clever and self-sufficient little thing to have worked out how to open doors and reach the work surface! I reckon you might have a few years of trouble ahead of you!

Original poster

HomeintheSun · 15/05/2011 16:30

She has not as yet tried to eat the dog food so I suppose I should be glad of that, she has always liked the dog water but over Easter we went to the in laws house and as it was hot outside they has a water bowl out there for the dogs and my fil encouraged her to play in it and as she was barefoot, to actually get in it, (fil is great for that kind of thing) and I think this is where this whole thing has come from.

She is very smart and even though she is not talking yet she still knows what she wants and how to get it, with or without my help, we have a set of kitchen steps that we keep in the hallway and I found her pushing them into the kitchen to get to the bag of grapes on the worksurface.
Thank you for all the comments and it was reasurring that she is not the only one to be this gross and she will grow out of it.

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fartingfran · 15/05/2011 16:36

It's only water - bit manky, yes, but not the end of the world. It won't be a problem in 6 months. :)

cottonreels · 15/05/2011 18:05

My 19month dd does the same. LOVES cat biscuits.

hophophippidtyhop · 17/05/2011 07:32

Maybe put out a bowl of water somewhere safe for her to play with? My dd loved turfing out my kitchen cupboards at that age, so I had one cupboard with all the plastic stuff in that she was allowed to play with. If she went for the other cupboards, I'd direct her to the plastic one, and she eventually just went straight to it. After a couple of months she didn't do it anymore as I'd let her get it out her system, I think.

Original poster

HomeintheSun · 19/05/2011 12:17

Well my DH came home on Monday evening after being away for 5 weeks and she has all of a sudden stopped doing it, I do not know if the phase is over or she is just too busy with her Daddy to think about doing it.

OP posts:

Jezabelle · 19/05/2011 20:23

Breakthrough, fingers crossed it lasts!

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