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Behaviour/development

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Original poster

Help! Almost one year old climbing...

23 replies

PseudoBadger · 20/09/2014 21:57

DD is an intrepid little thing and has been walking for a couple of months. She's fearless, brave and hard as nails.
For a week or so she's been perching on the arm of Ds's mini ikea chair and I've been stressing but letting her get on with it.
Today she learnt to climb on to the sofa, she then sits right on the edge and tips backwards. Tonight she was eyeing up the bookshelves.
Because she's so tiny she really has no fear or self preservation. DS did this but a bit later so was more cautious. How should I cope?

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sammum9 · 20/09/2014 23:14

My dd was a climber from a very young age - i enrolled her in tumble tots in the hope it would help her learn to climb safely. Not sure it it made any diff but touch wood, she hasn't been rushed to a&e yet and she's 6 years old now!

thatsn0tmyname · 20/09/2014 23:24

Sounds very familiar. The novelty soon wears off once they learn the next new skill

sammum9 · 20/09/2014 23:25

Sorry but not always the case thatsnOt - dd is now a very agile little runner, climber and gymnast!!

AryaOfHouseSnark · 20/09/2014 23:28

As hard as it sounds - and i do know how hard it is, I think you just have to let them get on with it.
I second taking them to tumble tots or similar - we just used to go to soft play, encourage them to go down feet first, head first doesn't work < speaks from bitter experience >

AllotmentQueen · 20/09/2014 23:30

I have a fearless climber and feel your pain! He's nearly 5 and definitely hasn't grown out of it - I caught him climbing over our 6ft back gate yesterday ??.

I took him to gym to teach him to roll and land well, and he has just started climbing lessons at a local centre. I'm neve going to change him so I need to teach him to assess his own risk!

TheNightIsDark · 20/09/2014 23:31

I found DS on the windowsill yesterday. He's just turned one

DS1 was a climber. DS2 is on a whole other level. You have my sympathy.

gamescompendium · 20/09/2014 23:47

Nothing like bumping their heads to knock some awareness into them, let her get on with it, she will fall off something at some point though. 3 climbers in this family (DD1 started crawling at 6 months and immediately started climbing the stairs) no-one dead yet and no climbing related visits to A&E either. I've just jinxed myself now haven't I

AryaOfHouseSnark · 20/09/2014 23:51

I agree Games, there's nothing like falling to teach them not to. I don't mean that in a that'll learn em way.
They're so young at that age that I don't think they learn from no or careful. One of my Dts had a fall off the sofa at a similar age and was much more careful afterwards.

AnotherStitchInTime · 20/09/2014 23:52

Dd2 was like this. Got to the top of the sofa at 8 months old. I invested in a play pen for those times when I couldn't watch her all the time. Money well spent. As she got older I taught her how to be safe while climbing/getting down, she still has little fear at 2.5. No A&E visits here either.

AllotmentQueen · 21/09/2014 12:29

Arya, I wish that worked! DS2 falls and hurts himself all the time doing daft and dangerous things - he hasn't learnt his lesson yet!

Mutley77 · 21/09/2014 13:08

Nothing you can do except keep an eye I don't think. My DD is 15 months and despite IMO being old enough to know better she doesn't and regularly stands in her highchair and leans over the edge, climbs onto the dining table and walks near the edge etc etc. I keep reinforcing "get down backwards" and so on - she gets better but I can't leave her unsupervised (she can even now get out of her pram straps) except in her cot!

My older 2DC were out of their cots and into beds at 18 months - DD will never be out of a cot as far as I can see - although once she can climb over the side I suppose she is no safer there than anywhere else, dreading it!!!!

sammum9 · 21/09/2014 20:55

Mutley, my dd started climbing out of a cot at a young age - I got a few more weeks peace putting her in a travel cot - it was harder to climb out of!
Then a few months of hell once she was in a bed!

FlipFlopWaddle · 21/09/2014 21:02

Dd2 is a climber, I've found her standing on the table before, and she rodeo rides her rocker and bounce and spin zebra, it seems sitting down on them isn't enough of a thrill! I've tried to use her energy in a constructive way so we go to gymnastics (she's only just 2 and was joining in with dd1's 4+ class in the holidays, the instructor is amazed at her climbing skills ) and I've taught her to climb down from things backwards - we go swimming too and part of the lesson is taking up with climbing in backwards so I said 'like swimming' when she goes down steps. Other than that it's just a case of close supervision I'm afraid!

SpeckleDust · 21/09/2014 21:04

Dd1 was the same - couldn't understand how she'd got onto our bed from her cot aged about 11m. A great climber!

Agree with taking her to active classes/swimming etc. Mine went to nursery from 7 months old, partly because I couldn't seem to provide enough activities for her at home.

Aged 9, She currently does swimming coaching, tennis, netball, cheerleading and gymnastics - the rest of the time she's usually jumping around the house/garden . You may have a very active girl there too!

soupmaker · 21/09/2014 23:13

I've had a rude awakening with DD2. She's almost 14 mo and a climber. She walked at 11 mo and is now up onto chairs, sofas, tables and had a go at the tv unit. She's up and down stairs if we don't keep the stair gate shut. Honestly I'm bloody exhausted. Taking her to the park is a bugger too as her favourite thing is climbing up metal slides! DD1 only walked at 14mo and was never a big climber until she was a lot older - now she'll scale bloody anything.

I've resigned myself to lots of bumps and scraps and only intervene when DD2 is leaning over the sides of the sofa or has climbed into the table. She's getting good at coming down of things backwards as I've constantly shown her this method. God knows what she'll be like in a years time.

MiaowTheCat · 22/09/2014 08:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhizzPopBang · 23/09/2014 20:24

DD is a bit of a climber, walked at 11 months and pretty fearless. Used to stress me out no end when she'd sit with her bum on the edge of the bed / sofa. DP showed her how to get down off things by rolling her on to her tummy, sliding her legs over the edge and shuffling down to the floor, after a few times showing her she got it and can can climb down pretty well - it also seemed to teach her a bit of awareness of heights so she does a bit less precarious stuff.

NormHonal · 23/09/2014 20:28

How should you cope, OP?

I found that , [vodka], and the number for a good hairdresser to cover up the new grey hairs did it for me with my climber.

Now he scoots...and that is a whole new world of pain.

Good luck. See you at A&E!

Original poster

PseudoBadger · 24/09/2014 20:58

Thank you all for replying, what a spirited bunch our children are! Dd hasn't been too bad since I posted, she's learnt how to get off the Ikea poang chair 'safely'...

OP posts:

MiaSparrow · 25/09/2014 08:54

Oh god, this brings back memories. DD was an early climber too. I know that heart-in-throat feeling all too well. Best thing I learned was not to discourage the climbing (because really, you can't stop them if you tried), but to REALLY encourage and emphasise the climbing down safely bit. They do develop a sense of fear at some point...

AChickenCalledKorma · 25/09/2014 09:09

Screw stuff to walls, stand back and - within reason - let her learn to climb (not up bookshelves, obviously). Watch her - you'll probably find she's not trying anything she really can't manage. Go to the park a lot and let her practise on a climbing frame so she get skilled at co-ordinating her hands and feet and doesn't just throw herself at things. Be close enough to avoid major disaster but far enough away that she can have a go.

(DD1 now 12 and still climbing, only now it's up the tops of trees and she's scaling large walls with overhangs at the local indoor climbing centre. It's a big source of pleasure to her ... unlike her friend who's mum always said "no" and "be careful" and "get down" when she was a toddler. Friend is now a squealing wuss of a girl who won't try anything ... )

Linguaphile · 25/09/2014 12:50

Gosh, this is me with my 12.5 mo twins. They started walking at the end of 9 months and now wreak havoc in the house; opening every conceivable closed door, pulling up the carpet, trying to dive headlong from atop their toybox into the adjacent cot... Terrifying. They have just about mastered the sofa and are also eyeing the bookcase.

God help us all.

Original poster

PseudoBadger · 25/09/2014 13:38

Oh god Linguaphile! Do they work together? You know, like vaulting or balancing on shoulders?

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