DS is driving me absolutely crazy!

[Farfromtheusual]

DS is almost 1. He's been walking since 9 months. He is into absolutely everything. It's seriously driving me insane.

He literally has to mess with everything. He's not interested in his toys, he would rather play with an empty plastic bottle or my slippers. No matter how many times I tell him no/take whatever it is he's not meant to have off him/move him away, he goes back and does it again and again and again. I don't even have a coffee table anymore because anything that was left on it was just thrown all over the place. I can't even hide stuff from him because he will find it. If he can see something out of his reach and he wants it he will have a massive tantrum.

He's taken to pulling his bed sheet off and pulling bits from the mattress and chewing/playing with them when he's meant to be napping. I've put 2 bed sheets on, same problem. I've put 3 bed sheets on, same problem.

He had a serious accident recently grabbing something he wasn't meant to (before I could stop him) and was hospitalised for almost a week.

I just don't know what to do anymore and I feel my self slowly losing the plot. I'm getting angry and shouty. I know he's still a baby but he does understand, I know he does.

What can I do? Please help! And tell me it gets better

They are tricky at that age.
You need to baby proof anything dangerous. Anything sharp, hot, pointy is well out of the way.
Give him boxes/baskets of things it's safe for him to play with but seem exciting because they're in a box and are maybe things he's not used to. Don't mind the mess until later.

Repeat No in your stern voice and move him away. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
He is only one so will understand soon.
Hope things get better.

Baby proofing has already been done (even more so after his accident) but there's still bits and bobs that aren't really dangerous, but that I still don't want him messing with. I put them as out of the way as I can but he still manages to get to stuff (pulls out drawers etc)...it's sooo frustrating! Even things like he will pull all of the cushions off the sofa, tries to climb up on everything! I can't even have washing hanging up because he pulls everything off the airer and runs around laughing at himself.

I will just have to carry on as I'm doing, saying no and moving away etc, it's just driving me insane because he is a strong willed little egg that doesn't seem to give up very easily 😩

Maybe I'm being too much of a neat freak but I hate the mess. I can only tolerate it so much.

He is one. Just a baby. He may understand your words in the moment but he doesn't have the foresight and reasoning capabilities that you seem to expect.
You have to put everything away out of reach. It is difficult but it is the only way. High shelves, cupboard locks. Can you put the clothes airer in the bedroom and close the door?

You're right endof, maybe I'm expecting too much from him too soon

There's safety gates on both doorways and I have to barricade the dining area with the dining chairs to stop him wondering down there to mess with more stuff. We've not long moved so still have a lot of or stuff in boxes upstairs so don't really have the space to do that. We normally use the tumble dryer but unfortunately it's in a cupboard under more boxes of crap! If only the weather wasn't so unpredictable and I could put it outside.

I miss the days when I'd leave him for
a minute and when I got back he would still be in the exact spot I left him

This parenting malarkey is exhausting!

I have 4dc and if it's any consolation I found the stage you are going through really really hard with all mine.
I used to get up, get ready and get out. I would take them somewhere they could exhaust themselves soft play (which I know isn't fun!), the park, even a walk anywhere. I used to just try and tire them as much as possible and spend as much time out in safe environments well as safe as they can be!
Toddler groups were good as well, a contained safe room with coffee is always a winner!

I know it's hard to see when your in the middle of it but it is a phase and it will pass

He sounds exactly like my youngest DS who was one in June. He's an absolute pest and cannot be left alone for one minute, sweetest little boy but is just into everything (I have caught him eating cat biscuits ). I think its completely normal, its just a phase which you have to endure. A bloody knackering phase when they're not old enough or have the mental capacity to realise what is dangerous and what isn't.

My oldest DS is almost 3 and was the same but I can now have a conversation with him about why something is dangerous and he listens, he even tells me to look out and be careful!

It will pass!

That's should have been not !!

Can you get a playpen for him? It will keep him contained long enough for you to get your vital things done and have a cuppa. Fill it with new things every few days to stop him being bored. Tupperware and wooden spoons etc.

My 19 month old DS is still obsessed with the tv controller and manages to record me new programs every day. I'd like to say the phase will pass but I'm still waiting. And mine isn't even walking unaided yet. 😬

Oh you poor thing. Two of my three are what we referred to as our Death Wish kids. It was utterly soul destroying at times... just into EVERYTHING dangerous! You could have a bottle of cyanide with the lid gorilla glued on, seal it in a lead box, throw it out into the middle of the Indian Ocean and my kids would totally find the jar, open it and down it like Smarties. Many tears of stress and fear have been cried over my two lovely boys. My eldest is now 15 and I'm so delighted he didn't bury me alive with his antics because he is the nicest, calmest guy... incredibly bright. He figures things out so quickly. Here's the best part, he's super cautious. Go figure. Same with my now (over) 3 year old. But oh my heavens, it's rough because you just get totally worn out. I still take my 3 year old out to a meadow and just let him free! I find the fresh air really calms kids down. Also music. Baby Einstein videos on YouTube seemed to work short-term wonders for my kids. It might buy you 5 minutes of peace.

Welcome to parenting a particularly curious child! Who needs a plastic Vtech musical, light-up phone when there's bleach and Flash inside a locked cabinet? This too shall pass.

He's got a playpen purple which unfortunately he can climb out of

Glad I'm not the only one and now hopeful it will pass thank you ladies!

There's not many toddler groups etc in my area and they all seem to be on a Monday or a Friday - nether of which I can do because I work and there's nothing on my day off, it's so annoying. And I don't want to be travelling too far out of the way!

Maybe start looking on FB or MN local pages or somewhere. If baby groups are not everyday you may find other parents are also at a loose end like you on the other days and would welcome forming a group meet up.

Thanks I'll try that!

He also can't talk yet so I think the constant whining adds to my frustration!

He sounds bright and interested in everything.
Why not start teaching him signing?
My niece has done that with her little boy and it has made a huge difference to his behaviour. He is happy because he can communicate so much even though he doesnt have many words yet.

You really need to get a grip and find some perspective. He's one. ONE. He's a baby doing what babies are SUPPOSED to do. That's how they learn. You just have to try and focus his attention as best as possible. Get a decent sized cardboard box, and every day, maybe a couple times a day, full it with all kinds of safe random things. Kitchen stuff, toys, baby books, whatever. Then let him have fun while he explores through it and then probably sit in the box! It might help in keeping him confined to one room for at least a little while. And please, try not to shout at the poor thing. Can't you understand how confusing and upsetting that must be for him? He has NO IDEA that he's "misbehaving" at that age. Obviously, if he's doing something dangerous he needs to be firmly corrected, but shouting just because you're overwhelmed helps nothing.

My 19 month old is exactly the same! No advice but lots of empathy!

I hated that phase. I accept all my stuff would get ruined but I couldn't stand baring witness to the constant destruction. I ended up making every single cupboard either locked or filled with toys. There is something so soul destroying about replacing DVD's and books over and over again. My son is nearly 2 and that phase has been stopped for a while now. He still makes a huge mess but not a whirlwind like he was and a fair amount of his play has meaning.

Ignore people telling you to 'get a grip.' It's a very annoying stage. I absolutely LOVE watching my son play with trains, jump, run and all the other things he does. I did not enjoy watching him destroy my home.

Note: yesterday he scratched the iPhone charger all over the wall and ruined the fresh paint, it's not all good.

DD was like this and as a result we have nothing in the living room apart from a tv, rug, sofa and shit loads of her plastic tat. No coffee table, books, plants, DVDs, record player - all things which we previously enjoyed having in our living space. Everything is up out of reach in other rooms. Its so nice to have a room you can sit in drinking tea and she's not fucking everything up and your shouting 'no!' 20 times a minute.

Leave the house as much as possible. The less time you are in the house, the less messy it gets!
Exercise, exercise, exercise. Wear him out by walking, park etc then he will be calmer when you're at home. It's a hard age but it gets better.

My DS was like this. It was such hard work. And I felt like the only mum at baby group with this terror that just destroyed the place while the other babies sat there nicely or crawled around a bit.

Firstly he's just turned 2 and is much better now. He can entertain himself with toys and also likes tv. He's still a bit of a whirlwind but it's nowhere near as bad.

We baby proofed various rooms and just kept him out of the other ones. So living room was essentially empty of anything but the actual furniture. Locks on all cabinets. All cables hidden. Kitchen I had one cupboard he could empty of plastic boxes and the rest were locked. Or he was in his highchair strapped in. DH is good at diy so built stuff such as a box for the cat litter tray and cat food with a little door so the cat can get in and DS can't, and a mesh front thing for the front of the tv stand so he can't poke at the buttons on sky box etc. A friend of mine put baby gate fence thing round her tv and fireplace and another taped cardboard boxes over her hearth.

Oh god I had one of these too. He is now 4 and much much better 😎

My Ds1 was like this. First step 8 months,walking properly at 9 months, could climb out of his cot at 10 months. At 2 he could open stair gates. He would climb anything and everything! Fireman's pole at the park at two he would just hurl himself off the side without touching it. I could never take my eyes off him for a second he could and would climb anything! He is now a delightful 12 year old. It is the reason I have a 10 year age gap between my ds's. Fortunately ds2 likes just sitting and playing, I almost don't know what to do with myself.

Mine has just turned 1 and is the same. Into everything!!! I also have a 2 year old so I can't watch constantly. I'm hoping it ends soon it's exhausting. I've given up having a tidy home until the evenings!

My DD is like this, 18 months now and things are slowly getting better. As others have said your DS is just curious, exploring, learning. Hes not misbehaving and really has zero impulse control over what he does. All you can do is keep stuff out of his way or distract him.

DD like pulling the DVDs off the shelf, I just let her do it and she soon got bored. The more you try and stop them sometimes, the more enticing it seems to them

It will pass. Its just a difficult and very messy stage!