how do I get my two and a half year old to LISTEN???

[becstarlitsea]

I know that all toddlers are a bit like this, but my DS is particularly bad (a/c his nursery, not just me!). He can hear - if I'm whispering or calling from the other room he hears me just fine as long as it's something he wants to hear.

He just doesn't listen at all. Not when I'm calling him to come back away from the busy road, not when I'm telling him not to climb on the table as he'll hurt himself (he did), not when I'm telling him to wait and let me go first on the icy fire escape (he pushed past and fell down a flight of stairs).

Even when I get down to his eye level and try to get eye contact to tell him something important, he looks over my shoulder and talks over the top of me. This is the main reason he doesn't listen - because he just never stops talking and of course he can't listen and talk at the same time. And as far as he's concerned nothing I could be saying could ever be as fascinating as his continual discourse on the subject of trains, diggers, teddy bears, poo... etc. etc. How can I get him to listen? Pleeeeeease? Any tips very gratefully received.

Bumping and hoping for hints on a 5yo doing the same...

My DD who is 2.4 only listens when she's interested. ie will respond to the 'do you want chocolate' question but will flatly ignore me if I ask her if she wants a drink of water. Same with warnings and she generally ignores anything that involves me saying her name!

No idea but if you ever find out, please let me know.

I used to have this problem. I used to crouch down and ask DS2 to listen to me and to look at me when I talk. When he looked away I just stopped talking and asked him to look at me. I kept hold of his hands the whole time. I think he eventually got the message but he isn't the greatest listener.

Unbelievably I halfheartedly tried something I read on a thread here the other day.
I got down to DD1's (2.11)level adn calmly said 'I would like to talk to you, please' and then just waited and repeated it. And every tiem (about 5 times today) she has come over and listened.
Wortha try?

(Can't rememebr which thread, think it was a 'how tot alk so your kids will listen' one

I think you wait about twenty years...

PortAndLemon If he lives to see his twenty third birthday I will be soooo grateful!

I'm just so sick of visits to the A&E dept and worrying that if he carries on like this he'll end up on the 'at risk' register.

Just never, ever, ever stops talking. From the second he wakes (talking to his Bear) to the second he sleeps, while he's watching TV, while I'm reading him a story, while he's hurling himself down the fire escape.

Argh.

My Mum said today that I was the same and I s'pose I lived to see today... Just pray that DS does too. [anxious mother of pfb emoticon]