Janeway Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 It has started up again! The 2 yr old is tearing the house to shreds. We have locks on things. But he is opening the fridge repeatedly and dumping things. He has broken glass jars (salsa and such). He just ripped the tops off all the yogarts while I went to the bathroom. I am dying here. I took a bungie cord and tied around the handles, but had to put a cloth under it so it took some work to do. While I was out of the room, I guess an older child wanted a drink of milk or something so the bungie cord was removed. Kids also had lunch and never put the bungie cord back on. All I can think of is to ban the fridge when an adult is not in the room to put the bungie cord back on, until after the 2 yr old goes to bed for the night. My nerves are so on edge now because I have spent much of the day dashing back to the kitchen and re-assembling the fridge. Since it is a new fridge, we do not want to risk scratching it with anything with sharp edges to lock it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guinevere Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Can you gate off the kitchen? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 (edited) Put on a lock. Something like this, https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003NSAY7U/ref=pd_aw_sim_79_of_22?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DA0Q4NM8FM8XZDT7GQ89 , on the doors. It'll automatically lock when the fridge closes. There is one made for the fridge, but I can't find it right now. ETA: here is the one I used. https://picclick.com/KidCo-Adhesive-Child-Toddler-Appliance-Refrigerator-Oven-Safety-Lock-231190589102.html Edited September 4, 2017 by amo_mea_filiis. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 I'm a fan of tomato staking at that age. 2yo gets to go to the bathroom with me. 2yo gets to go to the laundry room with me. 2yo gets to go to the backyard with me. 2yo does not get to be without parental oversight until the 2yo is less impulsive. We do a lot of game playing at that age, knocking back and forth on the bathroom cabinet, playing puppets with the washcloths and socks,..whatever keeps the 2yo in eyesight and within hearing. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth86 Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 Lol. My dd is like this too. My boys always were and still are always under foot. I have never ever had to wander about what they might be into. Dd is just into everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 I'm a fan of tomato staking at that age. 2yo gets to go to the bathroom with me. 2yo gets to go to the laundry room with me. 2yo gets to go to the backyard with me. 2yo does not get to be without parental oversight until the 2yo is less impulsive. We do a lot of game playing at that age, knocking back and forth on the bathroom cabinet, playing puppets with the washcloths and socks,..whatever keeps the 2yo in eyesight and within hearing. That's what I've always done. Either with me or a responsible older sibling for the moments when I just can't. We try to never leave the room without assigning someone to take over Guard Duty as we call it. lol 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeenagerMom Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 I'm a huge fan of high chairs and baby gates at that age. I also found that strapping them into a carseat in front of an activity table would keep them occupied for a bit. Honestly, toddlers require craptons of supervision. If toddler cannot be in direct vision, toddler needs to be securely in a safe area (child-proofed playroom, etc). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicMom Posted September 4, 2017 Share Posted September 4, 2017 I feel your pain. We so far have not found a lock the two year old cannot pick or a gate he cannot open. We call him tornado. I've never seen someone be able to destroy a room so fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted September 5, 2017 Author Share Posted September 5, 2017 (edited) I considered gates, but in reality, he has been capable of climbing in and out of the crib for a year now, so I suspect the gates wouldn't work, I know that this is just a time of life that will pass too. Edited September 5, 2017 by Janeway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 maybe older kids need to clean up toddler messes until they can keep from allowing him to make messes? Mine hasn't figured out how to open the fridge yet, but for example if he gets into your room and wrecks it because you didn't shut the door, then you have to clean up the mess. Hugs and sympathy from me!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 Can't let them out of your sight. I took mine to the bathroom with me. That's the life of a parent of toddlers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeenagerMom Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 I considered gates, but in reality, he has been capable of climbing in and out of the crib for a year now, so I suspect the gates wouldn't work, I know that this is just a time of life that will pass too. They do make extra tall ones now (why the heck didn't they have these when DS was two?). https://www.walmart.com/ip/Regalo-Extra-Tall-Baby-Gate-29-40-with-Walk-Through-Door-and-Extensions/39201053#read-more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 One other thought; when my littlest was that age/stage of life, I completely rearranged the kitchen so that anything he could reach was something he couldn't hurt & couldn't hurt him. All the lower cabinets got non-breakable things, the fridge got arranged so nothing breakable or easily spillable was in his reach, etc. I also made extra sure to have items, toys, etc, that kept him busy. So, for ex, that's around the time we made a rice bucket and a bean bucket and put funnels, spoons, cars, etc. in them and he was allowed to play in those (I think we also bought a kiddie pool that he was theoretically supposed to sit in to play with them...). We put a small climbing toy in the house to give him a safe place to climb. With plastic cups, tupperware, etc, in the lower cabinets he was allowed to open, stack, drum, etc. to his heart's content and we'd just pick up later. All markers were replaced with washable, and I showed him how the fridge surface made a great wipe-off board (or the bathtub, or sliding glass door, or whatever) and kept paper everywhere that he could color. If I had to leave the room, and just could.not. take him with me, I got him engaged in something first. If we were all doing things together at the table, he'd sit in his high chair and we kept a rotation of stuff to occupy him, from finger foods to finger paints. It was a crazy busy time, but a mix of tomato staking, intense toddler proofing (in the form of making things allowable, vs. forcing them off limits), and intensely proactive busy boxes/activities for him (and lower standards on the house keeping...) and we survived it. It's exhausting, though, I know. Hang in there. It will one day be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 I remember that stage. I couldn't believe the stuff my little guy could get into. I did resort to locks for the fridge and pantry for a while. They were great until he learned to open them (which took a while; they were the kind that require two buttons to be pushed simultaneously). He's four and still can make a mess faster than anything, but it's not as destructive because it's not food. The stage will pass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 I, too, would just bring the kid along wherever I go, or else strap him in somewhere and deputize a responsible person to watch him for ten minutes. It sucks, and it's awful, but it does pass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMS83 Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 Our kitchen is a galley kitchen and perfect for a gate. Ours was 48" tall and I had it up until the youngest was 5. And I did keep them pretty much everywhere with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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