Can your 2 year old be still?

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

I do think I have an overtly active child but I’m starting to wonder if I have unrealistic expectations of a 2.5yr old.
Aside from watching tv there is never a moment she can be still. Constantly moving even when eating dinner. Colouring she’s up and down on her chair. Tried a kids yoga YouTube video with her and she’s soo busy running and spinning she can’t concentrate. Is this normal?

Sounds about right to me!

Will she sit and listen to a story?

Our Ds is 2 next week and he's either running around or he's asleep. There's barely ever any in between. If he's still it's because he's not well.

Our son was like that at 2. He’s 6 now and can sit for 15/20 mins if he’s occupied but still struggles. Luckily in school his teachers are understanding and try to work with him to improve.

Mine is quite introverted already and will sit and play quietly, but everyone tells me how unusual that is if it helps! Nephew is a whirling dervish as are most of the other 2 year olds I know!

Mine is exactly the same

He's either asleep or moving....he will occasionally read a book with me, but he can't even sit through a 10 minute program on Cbeebies...right now he running up and down the flat making funny noises

Hmm, my second is 2 now and very different to DC1 in this regard - I would say there is ‘always moving’ and ‘always moving’! So I think it is normal (and exhausting), but my 8yo still can’t sit still, is looking likely to have some sort of SEND, and looking back I think this was evident from his movement patterns from very early on. He was always very restless, he moved excessively, squirmed even when sitting, he struggled to focus.
Whereas DC2 is up/down at the table, moves lots, doesn’t generally ‘sit nicely’ (although she’ll snuggle more contentedly for a story than her brother used to), but it doesn’t feel that same sort of stress-inducing frantic. I don’t think that’s because I’m used to it now, I think it is qualitatively different with her, and that she is more ‘constantly moving, perfectly normal’!

NuffSaidSam she will listen to a book when she’s trapped in a bath. Otherwise she’s grabbing the book off me, trying to read it herself, switching books etc.

ComeOnEileen11 I’m so jealous

I’m wondering how normal it is- so all responses are helpful. A few of my friends have 3 year olds and they are sending me things to do on lock down, such like the yoga video, that I’m wondering if she will calm by 3 or she’s just more hyper. Some of their children will sit and play with trains for 30mins at a time- no way does she do that.

I’m also wondering if it’s just getting worse or more obvious because of less structure with nursery and plays places being shut, or if it’s just an age thing.

I was a very hyper child so sadly could be karma biting me in the backside.

Still? A 2.5 year old? Apart from ComeOnEileen's kid that basically doesn't happen.

Mine is like a hurricane unless he's asleep or we're reading. If I could read all day I would.

My DS is never still - he'll watch TV but then will be up dancing to the theme tunes, mealtimes are basically how much food he can eat in 5 minutes before he needs to get up again. Big chunk of my day is just watching him run round the living room - at least I get to sit down.

My 2.5 yo is never still it literally makes my head fall off watching him sometimes.

I think most two year olds are constantly on the go but do you think he is "busy" and active or slightly wired? Sometimes the more active a child is, the more stimulation we give them so it ends up escalating and spiralling into a slightly manic vibe.

No harm in trying to encourage and remind them to sit still for meal times and a few activities a day.

She’s I think just incredibly active- I have though started removing toys from the room in an effort to get her to focus- she can sit still for a peppa pig puzzle.

It can just be a bit chaotic when she wants to paint and then wants to blow bubbles and then go to her toy kitchen and then build a tower in the space of 4mins. I do think her behaviour at the dinner table, up and down on her chair has got worse but tbh I think before she was so tired from a day at nursery she would sit better by default.

I also think I know quite a few calm passive children, who make me question my LO more.

Nope. 22 month old DD and she’s always been so active.

Even as a baby, she skipped any kind of sitting and playing stage and just went straight to crawling. As a newborn her legs and arms we constantly flailing.

So it’s no surprise to us that as a toddler she’s a bit wild!

I do wish I had a massive open plan house as I constantly have to move from room to room as she just can’t be trusted alone anywhere. It’s exhausting but she broke us in her baby days so anything else is an improvement!

Oh and yes to knowing calm and passive children.

I have a friend who was saying she’d never get baby reins as it’s like having a dog, but she just doesn’t realise how calm and not very active her child is.

I will say the passive children I Know of go to bed incredibly late, maybe the positive side of an active child is they knock out by 7/7.30pm...sadly me too not long after.

I have 3 and they are all very busy busy busy but my middle one who is nearly 5 has an extraordinary amount of energy. He climbs, jumps, dances, runs, hops, watches tv upside down, does constant seat drops on the sofa, runs from the dining room to kitchen constantly. If he has to share a bed with me he constantly moves in his sleep. I think it’s just the way some children are. He’s tiring but great fun too.

Watching with interest

Ha ha nope! Mine just turned two and I've been trying to take a nice photo of him for the occasion, so I've been waiting for him to sit still. Been waiting two weeks now

For the meal times is it worth experimenting with doing a combination of something physical (a walk, play in garden, dance party, play-fight) followed by something calm but structured (a little puzzle or some play dough or a book) before sitting down to eat?

I’m a stickler for table manners from day one and don’t have the patience for kids getting up and down from table!

Good luck!

6yr old now still a ball of energy/ she’s learnt to zone out a bit to her fav program at times- but you could fill her day with activity from morning to night she would love it. She’s also not great at imaginative play, I think that makes a difference.
Her sister by comparison plays with toys and dolls and sits a lot more- but she takes a lot longer to go to bed. Pros and cons.

If he watches TV mine will sit but not necessarily still. And he will sit and eat a meal (I wouldn't allow him to get down until he's finished anyway - but he chooses when he finished I don't make him eat everything!!)

But other than that, on the go constantly. And has to run everywhere, not walk.

My favourite game when I need a sit down is to get him to sprint, from me on the sofa, all around the downstairs as fast as he can and back to me again. He gets to burn off energy and I get a rest!

Ps - your point about bedtime. I don't know about other kids but mine conks out at 6.30pm for 12 hours! (No nap for over a year now though)