For all those with toddlers

[Mom-ninja.]

Did you know that all you have to do to prevent your toddler from writing on walls or cabinets is to provide an endless supply of paper within his reach? If you do that your toddler will *never* write on the walls. Says my mom. She made it a point to tell me this. Apparently, the stack of paper that is on the shelf at toddler height is not what she is talking about. That stack of paper must be faulty.

 

My mom went on and on to tell me that if *she* were with my toddler all day he would certainly not write on the walls. She would give him enough attention so that he couldn't.

 

When I pointed out that there are times that I'm doing other things like teaching the older two, and little toddler escapes my eyesight, she had a reply for that. She said in a sigh, "Well, yes. You still insist on home schooling which means you have no time to spend with your youngest. He's not getting the attention he deserves and needs. But what can I say?"

 

So there you go. Have paper available and if that is not working then obviously your toddler is being neglected.

[secular_mom]

Did you know that all you have to do to prevent your toddler from writing on walls or cabinets is to provide an endless supply of paper within his reach? If you do that your toddler will *never* write on the walls. Says my mom. She made it a point to tell me this. Apparently, the stack of paper that is on the shelf at toddler height is not what she is talking about. That stack of paper must be faulty.

 

My mom went on and on to tell me that if *she* were with my toddler all day he would certainly not write on the walls. She would give him enough attention so that he couldn't.

 

When I pointed out that there are times that I'm doing other things like teaching the older two, and little toddler escapes my eyesight, she had a reply for that. She said in a sigh, "Well, yes. You still insist on home schooling which means you have no time to spend with your youngest. He's not getting the attention he deserves and needs. But what can I say?"

 

So there you go. Have paper available and if that is not working then obviously your toddler is being neglected.

Lightbulb moment here- so THAT's why my 5yo loves drawing on her brothers bedroom door. How silly of me. Thanks for the tip, I'm off to Sam's Club to buy more copier paper. :tongue_smilie:

[LisaKinVA]

:lol::grouphug::lol:

 

And that's why I have paper everywhere, and yet... every door is decorated, there are lipstick kisses on my staircase, and don't get me started on the walls by their beds (or above mine!?!)

 

Yeah, I don't have enough paper, that's it.

[Alphabetika]

Please thank your mom for me.

 

*goes off to find more paper, peels toddler off the kitchen table on the way* :lol:

[mom2myboys]

:smilielol5:Who knew it was so simple? *Adding tons of paper to shopping list*

 

ETA: Sorry. I should add some ((hugs)) here for you too. Sorry for the lack of support from your mom.

Edited November 30, 2010 by mom2myboys

[Miss Sherry]

Once when my dd was a toddler I was talking on the phone to my dh and I said "OH, Lisa just drew a picture on the wall with a red crayon" and he said

 

"Take a picture of it" hehehe . I didn't realize he was so sentimental. LOL

 

The only way to prevent your toddler from ever writing on the wall is to be at their side 24/7 making sure they NEVER have a crayon or marker of any kind in their little hand and are never close enough to a wall to write on it. Yep, that's going to happen. :lol:

[Miss Sherry]

I was so mixed up. I thought you were supposed to have paper around so they could tear the paper up and that would prevent them from wanting to tear up their books. Now I see why that strategy didn't work because I had it all wrong.I was focusing on the wrong toddler behavior. I should have been worried about the walls,not the books.I should have handed them a crayon to write on the paper to keep them from writing on the walls. But will writing on the paper ALSO stop them from scribbling with the crayon all over their books and tearing them to shreds ? I hope so because now I have a couple of grand children we hope do not love to scribble on and tear up all of their books like their Mommy did. :001_smile:

[LisaKinVA]

See, my oldest *never* wrote on the wall, ever. Then, Kathryn was born. I swear the girl was born with something to write with, because once that girl gripped a writing tool in her hands (yes, plural, the girl is ambidextrous), everything that *could* be written on *was* written on. The child had a 6th sense about finding anything to write with -- even if you had put everything away, she'd still find something, somewhere to use (Desitin, toothpaste, soap, ketchup, mustard... you name it, if it could be used to mark something, she'd use it).

 

I just wish that when she got old enough to "know better" she stopped. Her little sisters have taken after her -- and now I have lost all hope for containing the writing implements, even though they all have their nice little bins, with their nice little lids in the nice LOCKED cabinet, or drawers...they still get out somehow and into little hands.

[myfatherslily]

She said in a sigh, "Well, yes. You still insist on home schooling which means you have no time to spend with your youngest. He's not getting the attention he deserves and needs. But what can I say?"

 

Lol! This is true, you know. If you would only spend LESS time with your other children, your toddler could be getting their share of attention and he'd be all set;)

[MrsBasil]

Hmm, I am seeing a hole somewhere.....like the other day when my toddler was surrounded by paper to color on and still tried to color the dog's rear end.

 

This was after he successfully colored the floor. He was given paper, he just ripped holes in the paper and colored the holes not the paper.:banghead:

 

In fact he's tried or successfully colored walls, windows, my hand, his stomach, the dog, the floor, my hutch, and basically anything that isn't the notebooks and huge piles of paper I have available to him in every room of the house.

 

:grouphug: I have one child(the toddler) and he still manages to get into trouble while I'm trying to do things around the house.

[Miss Sherry]

Well my goodness, if you would just give up homeschooling the all encompassing problem of walls being written on would be taken care of and all would be well.But doesn't that just make you want to bang your head on the wall ? :banghead: :lol:

[Miss Sherry]

Hmm, I am seeing a hole somewhere.....like the other day when my toddler was surrounded by paper to color on and still tried to color the dog's rear end.

 

This was after he successfully colored the floor. He was given paper, he just ripped holes in the paper and colored the holes not the paper.:banghead:

 

In fact he's tried or successfully colored walls, windows, my hand, his stomach, the dog, the floor, my hutch, and basically anything that isn't the notebooks and huge piles of paper I have available to him in every room of the house.

 

:grouphug: I have one child(the toddler) and he still manages to get into trouble while I'm trying to do things around the house.

But holes in the paper are so much more interesting to color than just plain ole paper. :001_rolleyes:

[Tohru]

:grouphug:

 

 

Does she have any advice about stickers? We have a serious sticker problem...we have paper, but still have the crayon problem. Plus a paint problem, and even glitter glue. No biggie, my dh is a painter, but it's the stickers on the walls and refrigerator that I'd like to stop. :tongue_smilie:

[Tarreymere]

Sounds to me that grandma just volunteered to babysit. Pack up the diaper bag!

[Abigail4476]

Sounds to me that grandma just volunteered to babysit. Pack up the diaper bag!

 

Haha, YES!!!! And make sure there are crayons in that bag. :lol:

 

My son drew a sailboat on the back of my brand new couch with a pencil when he was 3 or 4, which fortunately (somehow) erased right off the fabric. My husband scolded him and the next time he drew a similar piece of art behind the cushions of the couch. Effectively hidden from plain sight, but bigger and better than the first one. I couldn't help it; I smiled to myself and left it there. It'll probably be there forever. :)

[sbgrace]

One of mine was so awful about this. I'll never forget the day I walked in to find red crayon "streets" all over the living room carpet, up the couches, across the cushions, back down, etc. Ack. He was a stickers everywhere kid too. His twin never colored on anything except paper. Kids are so different.

 

I have a loved one that does the sort of thing your mom does. Tiresome. :grouphug:

[EthiopianFood]

But holes in the paper are so much more interesting to color than just plain ole paper. :001_rolleyes:

 

Which gives you the definitive answer as to how to keep them from writing on the walls: put holes in them. They will color the holes, not the wall!

[Rosie_0801]

Paper? Who thought paper had anything to do with this issue. Our local motto is "if you don't want pen on the walls, provide chalk instead." :glare:

 

Rosie

[TheReader]

Paper? Who thought paper had anything to do with this issue. Our local motto is "if you don't want pen on the walls, provide chalk instead." :glare:

 

Rosie

 

This might just be the most brilliant thing I've ever heard. My walls are impossible to wash (they do not use gloss or semi gloss paint here) and the pencil drawings don't even erase off the wall.

 

Chalk. Chalk will be my new best friend.

 

'Cause, yea, the unlimited paper is NOT working, and he's old enough to know better. Even several sessions of helping mom wash the walls afterward hasn't done the trick.

 

Just sign me "moving all the pens, crayons, markers out of the house and bringing in chalk instead"

[IsabelC]

I would say that the 2yos who voluntarily restrict their drawing activity to the paper they've been allocated would be in the minority - why stick to paper when there are walls, doors, floors, your body, books, your siblings' writing, and so on? :D

 

As for what to do about it, we just try to keep the writing implements out of her sight/reach and only get them out when someone can supervize.

[Sherry in OH]

I would say that the 2yos who voluntarily restrict their drawing activity to the paper they've been allocated would be in the minority - why stick to paper when there are walls, doors, floors, your body, books, your siblings' writing, and so on? :D

 

As for what to do about it, we just try to keep the writing implements out of her sight/reach and only get them out when someone can supervize.

 

How do you manage that? Am I the only one who has given birth to a monkey with a memory like an elephant? The boy will climb anything.

[mommaduck]

I tear up all unused portions of old workbooks and put scrap paper in a drawer for them, but my printer paper still disappears!

[Wheres Toto]

Sounds to me that grandma just volunteered to babysit. Pack up the diaper bag!

 

:lol:

Paper? Who thought paper had anything to do with this issue. Our local motto is "if you don't want pen on the walls, provide chalk instead." :glare:

 

Rosie

 

I actually do this too. Unfortunately colored chalk can be hard to get off wood paneling. :tongue_smilie: Plus chalk only amuses them for so long so it's a short term solution. I swear my dd has a hidden cache of markers and crayons that she pulls out whenever I turn my back. We keep them locked up hidden away but somehow she finds one.

 

DD's favorite things to color are herself (but only with markers) and the television screen/fish tank/mirror - she likes the glass. DS's favorite is the wall in the bedroom closet.

 

Both have been like this since they were old enough to hold a crayon. Can't blame it on homeschooling or lack of attention due to siblings. I guess I have to give up all cleaning, laundry, housework - everything except sitting on the couch watching the children every second. Maybe with a nice cup of tea? ;)

[TheReader]

How do you manage that? Am I the only one who has given birth to a monkey with a memory like an elephant? The boy will climb anything.

 

you're not the only one. My youngest was climbing things before he could walk. seriously.

 

we're going to buy some touch-up paint soon just so we can touch up the walls. I'm hoping beyond hope that we can find a semi-gloss paint here, somewhere. (it's very uncommon in Brasil). Washable walls are the single biggest thing I miss about the US.

[mommaduck]

Markers are once again banned from this house. I'm about to ban pens, because they are a pain! However, I have found that Murphy's Soap is almost better at getting things off the walls than Magic Erasers. Chalk...now I LIKE that idea!

[annlaura]

I knew I was missing something! So the reason the wall near the boys' table is a mural is because the roll of paper there isn't big enough. ;) I will say, though, that I managed to keep the wall clean when DS4 was little until I left him home with DH one day. He didn't pull the table out, and when I got home DS4 said, "Isn't it beautiful?!" :lol:

[TheReader]

Markers are once again banned from this house. I'm about to ban pens, because they are a pain! However, I have found that Murphy's Soap is almost better at getting things off the walls than Magic Erasers. Chalk...now I LIKE that idea!

 

oooh, putting Murphy's Soap on my US shopping list.

[babysparkler]

Which gives you the definitive answer as to how to keep them from writing on the walls: put holes in them. They will color the holes, not the wall!

:lol::lol::lol::lol: Too funny!

 

My past toddlers had this wall-coloring passion...but my current toddler has found his own way to destroy our home... scissors!!! He loves to cut (window blinds, books, clothes, you name it), so I have a stack of Kumon books at his disposal and this has helped. I think I would have preferred crayons on my walls :glare:... much cheaper.

[Mom-ninja.]

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Edited December 1, 2010 by Kleine Hexe

[IsabelC]

How do you manage that? Am I the only one who has given birth to a monkey with a memory like an elephant? The boy will climb anything.

I said we *try*, not that we succeed :lol: