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Parenting

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Original poster

How do you contain an 11mo who goes for everything they shouldn't?

14 replies

sharond101 · 07/05/2013 21:36

Ds wants everything he shouldn't have. He wants to play with the toilet seat, the dog's bowl, the phone, the vase, my shiny white cupboards. He is crawling and cruising and is very fast. If I refuse his something or take something away from him or him away from it he has a meltdown. He was a very clingy baby and I've had a nice few months where he became a bit more happy to amuse himself with a toy or book whilst I made dinner. He loved his jumperoo but is getting bored of it now. How do I get anything done?

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Booyhoo · 07/05/2013 21:39

playpen. lifesaver!

5-10 minutes at a time wont harm him. bring it into the room you're working in so he can see you. give him toys in it to amuse himself with.

Purplehonesty · 07/05/2013 21:41

Playpen for essential times when you can't watch him ie cooking the tea?
I have the same kind of dd but haven't resorted to that yet as my ds keeps her entertained.
If he is at preschool I tend to put her in her baby walker and she follows me round.
I also bring out different toys each time she plays in the living room so that she doesn't get bored and vary where we play ie if I'm doing the bathrooms I will bring toys into the hall and watch her there

MummaBubba123 · 07/05/2013 21:41

Baby Dann play pen

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Rosa · 07/05/2013 21:43

Door Gates , cupboard locks..give him a cupbiard that he can have fill with plastic stuff ( ikea kind if thing) and let him play with it. He is exploring and obviously the No is new to him so when you take the item off him replace with a toy . As for the dogs bowl they learn to share...now is the time to move things up and out the way if they are precious or could be dangerous ( lamps on tables, glass fruit bowls etc) . Add an extra foot as they can reach higher than you think....

Original poster

sharond101 · 07/05/2013 22:17

He has a paddling pool with balls in but can get out of that now. I sometimes put him in his cot for minutes whilst I hoover or shower so maybe a playpen would be a solution.

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Original poster

sharond101 · 07/05/2013 22:18

Though looking at the Baby Dan one I can imagine his screams

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saggybaps · 07/05/2013 22:22

Do you have a travel cot? I bought an extra mattress for mine & fill it with toys & balls. Which he loves to chuck out, or he'll stand happily watching whilst I cook.

LargeGlassofRed · 07/05/2013 22:22

When my twins were this age, I baby proofed the lounge and put a stairgates on the door, so at least I could leave them for a few minutes, I also had a a travel cot in the kitchen, when needed. It lived under the table and i could put it up in a min or two and throw some toys in and that would give me Just enough time to sort tea out

dizzy77 · 07/05/2013 22:25

Move stuff. Cupboard locks are our friends: only on the ones that matter, I'm happy w DS rummaging in the baking tray cupboard or in the Tupperware etc. Also keeping some "allowed" toys in each room for distraction.

As DS gets older and stronger (he's nearly 2) fewer things are out of his reach, so I do have to enforce more boundaries, usually by distraction (keep rotating the "allowed" toys). I also pick my battles: I'd prefer he didn't rummage in the recycling but it amuses him for 10 mins when I'm trying to get on so I've started keeping sharp tin cans elsewhere.

notcitrus · 07/05/2013 22:39

One child safe room, lots of stairgates to keep child in one zone, and chill out about things that won't hurt them much, like toilet seats.

Keep providing new child safe things to play with - a couple new milk bottle tops keep dd content for a few minutes.

MummaBubba123 · 08/05/2013 05:12

sharond101 the Baby Dan was the only way if preventing my son from making a bee line for the nearest plug socket/ wires - and yes, we did have those plug safety things.
I attached hanging toys all the way around the inside and so it didn't look like prison bars ;)

Original poster

sharond101 · 08/05/2013 21:49

We don't have a travel cot, Mum has one which he sleeps in once a week at her house. He likes everything I have a hold of so maybe the milk bottle tops and tupperware are a good call. Notcitrus I can't bear to let him play with the toilet seat even though I clean it every day. He gets his fingers stuck in it too.

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KatAndKit · 08/05/2013 22:19

A travel cot makes an excellent ball pool. You can buy a very basic travel cot very very cheaply, a second hand one would do especially if it is just for playing in.
I find that if I have to take something away, I need to have something even better in my hand to do a quick substitution. So if I need to take the phone away, I divert him quickly to one of his really irritating vtech cars that makes all sorts of songs and noises. Anything noisy with irritating tunes generally is good for minimising the meltdowns.
It is normal for him to want to explore things though and he needs to have a chance to do that safely so if there are locks on the cupboards then chill about him getting his mucky paws on your doors, it's hard to have everything pristine when you have a toddler about.
When I want to do something in the kitchen I often have to sit him in his snug seat (like a bumbo but lasts longer) and give him a pan and a wooden spoon to play with. He doesn't like to be out of sight at the moment due to a separation anxiety phase.

cory · 10/05/2013 07:37

I did the same as LargeGlass and notcitrus: baby-proofed one room. And kept lots of toys there to make it attractive.

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