How do you teach a 2 yo not to run off?

[lizzlebizzle33]

At my wits end with my 2.3 yo Ds. He's ruining everything for himself as he jut won't listen and now he has to stay in the pram when we go out.

I also have an 8 month old so we use a double buggy, I need two hands to push it, it's long and heavy and I can't hold ds1s hand while I push it.

At the park yesterday I gave it another go and trusted him and let him out of the pram, he completely ran off, up some steps so I couldn't follow with the pram and out of my sight, won't come back when called. I had to ask a stranger to watch my baby while I ran after him. Scared and embarrassed, what can I do to teach him he needs to stay where I can see him?

Reins?

Yup would second reins - those little back-pack bags.

Based on my sample of 2, there is not much you can do apart from try and manage it - first DC would run off and completely ignore stop- the other one much younger doesn’t run and does stop

Totally agree with reins or one of those wrist reins that you can Attach to the buggy and to his wrist so he only gets to move a short distance until he can be trusted. Nightmare for you.

You can't. You just have to go with containment til they grow up a bit. Some do it, some don't!

Reins. He’ll probably hate them. He’s a free spirit.

Mine hated reins that much he got on board with not running off very quickly

Keeping him in the pram sounds best. Managing a toddler in reins intent on escaping while pushing a double buggy sounds too much work!

Reins are great but maybe not in that scenario.

He's so young, nothing you can do but be a broken record until it sinks in and tell him he's going in the pram until then.

Ditto to reins, the backpack type seem to be very popular now. Some people can be very sniffy about reins, but if you've also got a buggy to push and no spare hands it's probably the only safe way.

I think it's unlikely that you will be able to train him not to do it. At that age he's too young to understand the dangers of running off, or to remember that he mustn't.

Reins and play the go stop game where you tell then to go then stop. Make it a fun game and then they will automatically stop when you say stop when you need them to.

Yes we used to play stop/go or run to X (next tree or whatever) when in the park

Try some very short trips with your old single pram, a buggy board and reins. My eldest hatet reins and learnt pretty quickly it was hold the pram or I'd put his reins back on.

Ds loved his reins, he announced he could "gallop like a reindeer" instead of having to hold hands!!
We hung them up with his coat and it just became part of the leaving the house routine.

Mine gets opportunities to range but every time he doesn't come back as soon as asked he gets strapped in the buggy and has to apologise.

Starting to see results! I have a baby too and I know the panic of having to abandon baby in pram for a few seconds to go on the chase

Reins worked for a while, or the buggy but then he would wail to get out, promise that he wouldn't run off and then promptly Usain Bolt it.

So one day I went to the supermarket for some non-urgent items, gave him his usual warnings not to run off, promised a treat at the end if he behaved, and set him down walking. He bolted. So I grabbed him and we got as as far as the car, he promised to not do a runner, so I let him down. He was good for about 5 minutes then legged it again so I put him in the car and drove home. No outing, no treat and a telling off from dad (as well as me on the scene) when he got home.

The next outing, I had to return to the car once, but he behaved after that, and subsequent outings only needed a stern "will we go home??" asked and he got it. It was following through and the loss of his treat that did it though.

It also helped that he could count off the shops, so I'd tell him which shops we needed to go to and what we were getting there - I would keep the outings short, do no more than 3 shops at a time and the essential ones first, in case you need to abandon the trip.

I would get reins too, but also I drew a line in the ground if we went anywhere, like the beach I drew a box around us on the sand. I told him if he went past the line, we were leaving and I did that every time.

I used chalk on the street too. My other children were not as bad but my son bolted off everywhere, its really hard I understand!!

I just kept leaving places until he got the message.

Surely a little backpack reins would do the trick to help your LO stay close by and still have freedom. I'm assuming the more he is restrained in the pram, the more frustrated he gets.

Reins or bricks on his feet!

Thanks all, I do use the little backpack reins when we go for just walks but I want to let him have s play in the park and kick a ball or something, I feel so mean keeping him in them all the time.

I will try the stop go method somebody mentioned and try to make it a fun game.

I see other kids even younger than him just walking nicely by their parents side, makes me feel like I've gone wrong somewhere with him.

You haven't done something wrong. Some kids are bolters, like others are climbers. And others aren't. Don't be down-hearted!
Mine got the message pretty quickly after the first few times we just gave up and went home. She knew it wasn't a game and that I was serious, if she ran off that was the end of the park trip (or whatever). Reins are also fun if kids want to be a horse or whatever. be consistent- we used them every time we went out for a few weeks.

I used this with both of mine. Works a treat.

You've not done anything wrong, he's still very little. Maybe explore local parks and stick to ones where play areas are kind of fenced in so he can't escape easily. Can you manage a sling for the baby? I used to only release the toddler when the baby was in the sling. That way I could shadow them easily.

O God. I had a bolter. I am ideologically opposed to reins etc (it's like having a dog on a lead, it restricts their freedom, blah, blah), but I had him on them. I used to think he would be the only child in the universe to be going to university on reins. My others never needed them because they were not bolters, and would happily walk holding on to me/the buggy. It's genetic, believe me, and is no reflection on anything you have or haven't done. I used to do the 'stop and go' thing in safe places - but anywhere near main roads, it was reins all the way.

Both.mine were bolter. Eldest grew out of it by about 3.5years when he developed a sense of danger and better reasoning skills. 2yo would run off but I can get his older brother to call him back. The trick I learnt was to find something interesting to look at. A leaf or stick is usually sufficient. A spider is a definite win. So when one gets a little bit far away, I stop, crouch down and say 'oh look at this!'. They usually want to see.
The stop/ go game was somewhat successful. Ds2 seems to stop briefly if I shout freeze. But then loves a good game of chase.
Reins were used on ds1 near roads but I let him have his freedom in safe spaces like a woodland walk or a fenced playground.
I was very firm with both that they must hold my hand next to roads or they go back in the pushchair or on reins or home. No arguments.
Another game is hiding behind the nearest tree.
I found carrying Ds2 in a sling was easier for keeping up with ds1 when they were baby and toddler size.