21 month old troublemaker, how to discipline?

amother

Yellow

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 9:21 pm

my 21 month old is adorable, but he is also such a big troublemaker!! I don’t know how to discipline him. I dont want to hit, or yell at him.
For example, In the bath he will deliberately spill water on the floor, and splash me! He will pull the tablecloth down with all the food on it.
He pulls kids hair, and he pokes their eyes. He throws things.
He seems to be doing these things on purpose.
In addition he unpacks every single cabinet, breaks eggs, is constantly flooding my house, and spilling salt and swooshing it around.

He is otherwise very bright and happy. And he could be so sweet and gentle at times.

So my question is, is this normal 2 year old behavior, and how do I discipline him?

mommyla

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 9:46 pm

Gotta be your first, right? Wink

Normal. Normal, normal, normal. He's not doing it on purpose to "make trouble," but he's probably looking for a reaction from you (and I'm guessing he gets it!). Time to babyproof. Cabinet locks. Eggs on high shelves. A couple of unpacking-safe cabinets (pots without glass lids, wooden spoons, etc.). Tablecloth clips or no tablecloth! Close the shower curtain if he's splashing you, or just put down some extra towels.

If he hurts someone, pick him up, remove from the situation, gently hold his hands and simply say "no." He'll get the message eventually.

You certainly shouldn't yell at him or hit him! He's just a baby and he's learning about how the world works.

amother

Yellow

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 9:59 pm

mommyla wrote:

Gotta be your first, right? Wink

Yes it’s my first! Thanks! Glad to hear it’s normal. It’s just that all the other babies his age seem so much calmer. When in stores, or at the Sheitel macher, they just sit so nicely. My kid just likes to turn over the place!
So my house is babyproffed already. He just seems to get into everything. He will pull a chair over while I’m making supper, and before I could do anything spill an entire black pepper into my chicken! He’s just as fast as lightening. So how should I react when he does such things??

amother

Yellow

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 10:00 pm

alis_al_kulana wrote:

He's a normal toddler. Might be a bit bored.
Try buying him some new toys like magna tiles he can destroy your buildings.

Yes, he might be bored. But how should I react to him when he does these things?

alis_al_kulana

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 10:14 pm

amother wrote:

Yes, he might be bored. But how should I react to him when he does these things?

I made my house very very baby proof. I never leave anything on the counter or my 3 year old will open it and spI'll it. Every cabinet, drawer, oven, refrigerator has a lock.

I also hired some help to play with my child who needs more simulation. This cut down a lot on the trouble. He just needs to be outside and touch things more than I have energy to .

I bought my kids toy brooms on amazon. When they make a mess they "help" me sweep it up, then I take the brooms away. I just want them to take responsibility, they are to young to help.

My kids know what's wrong but are just fascinated by opening things and touching things. So instead of yelling I try to set them up for success

I also have baby gates every where so they can't run thru the house freely. Especially great when I'm pregnant and low energy. Keeps the mess contained.

gold21

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 10:21 pm

amother wrote:

Lol, I totally relate!... except that it's not my first KA"H
This behavior will IYH resolve itself in time
For now, there's not much to do...
Or if there is something to do, I don't know what it is...

mommyla

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 11:04 pm

My kids are the same. Some kids are just livelier than others. It's more fun that way Very Happy

but it's definitely challenging!

Search online for creative babyproofing solutions, you may learn something helpful. My monkey-like DS has outgrown his affinity for climbing on tables (it does happen eventually, now he climbs on counters instead LOL

) but I just found a tip that would've helped back then - it sounds crazy but you can bungee-cord chairs together or to the table legs so that he can't pull them out.

You need to keep these kids busy! A couple of cabinets filled with things that he likes to play with (pots, Tupperware, measuring cups and spoons) should keep him entertained while you cook, and lock the other cabinets. Let him empty the cabinet and hide inside. Let him pull up a stool and "help" you cook - my kids love it when I station them at the sink with a big container filled with water (or, even better, with the faucet running) and some cups. It's worth an increase in the water bill and it's just water, so fairly easy cleanup!

And of course he'll get into things that he shouldn't, and that's okay. Just say "no" gently, have him help you clean up, and move on. Then put the baking soda/eggs/ketchup on a higher shelf Very Happy

momof2+?

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 11:07 pm

My kid is the same way and he is just a bit younger than yours. Pulls tablecloth, climbs on kitchen chair onto kitchen table, grabs at anything he can pull down from the counter...I thought my house was babyproof from my older kids, but this kid needed extra proofing😁 I do find that he loves to be kept busy. He likes unpacking groceries (leaves them all over the floor but keeps him busy so I don’t care.) brings me potatoes, 1 at a time from the potato rack and then I give him the potatoes to put back😏 but sometimes I just need to seatbelt him in his high chair so I can accomplish what I need to do. I try to keep a stash of ices in my freezer as those keep him happily distracted (for 2minutes).

chocolatecake

Tue, Mar 06 2018, 11:35 pm

Normal toddler behavior. My 18 month old is the same way. My kitchen table is right next to a counter. If the chairs arent stacked and I turn around for a second shell climb onto the table and then the counter and o once shes on the counter the possibilities are endless....and she climbs out of her crib so bedtime is a blast and in middle of the night she usually stops into my room for a visit. Its a delicious age they are so excitable and full of energy. Enjoy it!!!!

MyUsername

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 5:25 pm

He sounds like such a bright little guy! Where did you see so may well behaved toddlers sitting nicely while their parents did things? They are the exception, not your kid!

Try 1-2-3 Magic, he sounds old enough. The main thing is that there is very little reaction from you with a clear course of action. It takes some time, but worked wonders for us!!