He's Everywhere, He's Everywhere!!! Anyone???

I always put up a gate in the room that I am with my babyies. Don't put all the toys out at the same time. Rotate them every week or so, so he doesn't get tired of them. It sounds like he wants more one to one attention. What ever you decide, please be consistant....Nana I.

As the parent of a very active 2yr old boy who is always ready to leave the house by 9am, I can sympathize. My best advice is either to have a friend over to play with him or to get him out of the house. trips to science museum, children's museum, zoo, toy store, train store, other people's houses is just thing for us. I know you work so that makes it hard to leave for the whole day. Maybe there is a little school program he can do a couple mornings a week to get some outside stimulation?

I am going to put out a different place to look--my son had really adverse reactions to MSG--the 'natural flavor' that is in virtually ALL brand name chips and crackers. If he had anything with msg, he would literally climb walls. When I started giving him organic cereal and crackers the out of control energy settled.

I used to be a counselor at a therapeutic camp for emotionally disturbed boys ages 8-15. With them we noticed that anything with white sugar amped up their acting out. Food dye can also be a trigger.

Hmmm, your son sounds familiar! My son was very similar until he got old enough for the computer. . .

Anyway, I have two thoughts for you. One is to think in terms of his 5 senses. The more senses you get involved the better. For example, make up some homemade playdough and add some unsweetened kool aid to it for a nice fruity smell. This will engage his sense of touch, sight and smell. It may not be bath time, but a nice bubble bath in the middle of the day can be alot of fun. My kids all enjoyed banging pots and pans in the kitchen. Ear plugs may be in order for you mom! :)

The other thought I had is that often times it is hardest to keep kids entertained when we are exhausted ourselves. So you might want to give yourself a break. Trade babysitting with a friend, get grandma to pitch in and take some time to be a grown up for a while. I cannot tell you are important this is to your well being as well as the well being of your baby.

All the best, K. D.

Man I wish I had good news for you. But this sounds just like my Jessan. He's almost 3 into everything and he's not happy unless he has my complete, total and 100% attention. Which is quite a feat when you know that I not only have 8 kids and 10 horses but I homeschool several of the kids too. I agree that you can't cater to him, you have to let him throw his little temper tantrums. But be careful that, while you're letting him learn to express himself, he does it in a respectful manner. We tried this with Jessan, he decided to start yelling at me. His favorite line is "I telled you NO!!" Guess he hears that one a lot. lol I'm not a big advocate of "rewarding" the kids with outings just because they can't behave themselves at home. My general rule of thumb is, when you can behave and mind at home, we'll leave and not until. Trips to the zoo and museums sound great, but not because he's too wired and in control at home. Toy exchanges sound great, if you have someone to do that with. Good Luck, and if you get any really awesome ideas (and I hope you do, cuz I'm about at my wits end, as well) please pass them along.

I suggest you buy "The Out Sync Child" and it's companion "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun" - he could have sensory issues that can be addressed by what is called a sensory diet.

I also suggest you call your local school district and ask where you can have a free evaluation done on your son. Our local program is called Focus Inc. - I don't know what your local program would be called.. but it is government funded and provides free evaluations and services for children ages 0-3 years old. My youngest is not 4.5 so I can't remember how many words a 16 month old should have.. but your son could possibly have a speech delay (good thing you are teaching him sign language).

the evaluation could take place in your home and you can receive services in the home. They will have him do activities that may help him with any sensory issues he may be having, too.

Your son sounds so much like my 4.5 year old at that age. I thought boys for me were calmer.. but my son is so much "wilder" than his 15 year old brother was at that age. I had him evaluated when he was almost 3 and wish I'd done it sooner, the gal that came to our house did some great things for him. When he turned three he "graduated" to having an eval. with the school district... again government funded, its an early learning program to help identify issues kids may have and provide services if they need it.

again.. your local school district should know the name and number of organization in your area that does evals. for your sons age as they deal with these people as the kids turn three and move on to the school district. Don't call the nearest school.. but the school district's main office and ask for the early learning program and ask someone there to direct you.

oh.. and most likely you will have to buy those books brand new, I looked on used sites and there are not there.. it is a really popular book. Even if you don't decide sensory issues fit your son.. then it has a lot of great ideas for activities that you may not have even thought of.

best wishes.

J.

Boy, toddlers are the most amazing, frustrating, amazed frustrated little creatures, aren't they?! Visit the Nurturing Pathways website at www.nurturingpathways.com for information about dance and rhymes and songs you can use any time to calm and engage your child. Also check out Ann Greene Gilbert at www.creativedance.org and see her "Brain Dance". You'll see moves you can use at home and gain more closeness while your child is entertained and learning! These dances are good for brain, body and bonds! And don't give up on the signs. Even though it seems like your wee one is using them to the exclusion of oral language, he is still expressing himself, demonstrating comprehension and communicating with you. One more thing - empathy! When your son is frustrated, you may try responding to him with the same level of volume nd energy. If he's yelling because he wants to go out, get down on the floor with him (very important) and yell with him, (not AT him),"You really want to go outside! You're mad! You're frustrated! I know, I know!!!" Often having those very big feelings articulated and acknowledged is enough to enable little ones to deal with them. Good luck!

My son has the same problem. He loves to be outside. I think the longest I have ever seen him play with a toy is about 5 min. So, I bought a raincoat & boots (and a big umbrella for me) and we just go outside. He loves to jump in puddles, that never gets boring. We float little boats in puddles, we hunt for bugs/leaves/rocks. I sometimes hide small toys or balls in the yard and we look for those. We collect rocks and count them. I work full time, so now that it is dark in the evenings, we go on "night adventures" with a flashlight after dinner. He never is gets bored with it.

I'm not sure what else to do, but to say hang in there. It sounds like you have tried a lot of different things. The only thing I can suggest is to find other moms and form a playgroup. you can rotate houses or meet at a park. It's a change of pace that you might find valuable. As far as the signing thing goes, don't worry that he resorts to sign rather than words. The important thing is that he communicates! He'll go back to words when the time is right. He's not digressing, he's actually learning quicker.

Hi M.,

Is he being overactive to get your attention? I'm just wondering if that is the case. My daughter at that age and even now does this at 2. I suppose it is somewhat of a stage. I talk to her constantly so she has talked since very early on. I do know though that each child is diffent. Even at 16 months a child can understand what we say much more than we can appreciate.

Signing is great as long as you discuss the words and what they mean. I started very early on talking to my child about using her words. We worked on signing some when she was younger. It is only once in a while now that she acts out or just gets too much energy. I have now learned that the sudden energy spurts came from diet for her.

I think it is very challenging to find activities for kids when it is cold. If supervised we color, do indoor bowling or indoor basketball or just bounce the ball. I am blessed because my child is very easily entertained. She even takes headbands and puts them on her head one at a time and giggles. What about playing in a tent. We got a Dora tent and she plays with it from time to time. They have all kinds for girls and boys. You can also make one out of boxes and blankets. :) Another thing you can try is games like leapfrog laptop that has letters and numbers, or a fisher proce musical drum. Those helped me when I had things to do and needed her occupied. Just a few thoughts and ideas.

You sound like a very loving mom and as long as you are happy i bet your child learns to be independent and content too. :)

Blessings,

K.S.

Wow, he sounds like my son. I'm sure you will get lots of suggestions, but I have one that might be a little different.

My son was just like that, go-go...in fact, we nicknamed him Keary Go-Go. He only had a half dozen words at that age (didn't really talk until he was almost 3) and was frustrated. We also tried teaching him sign. He would not sit still for a book or any close work. Turns out (and we didn't find this out until he was 4) that he is extremely far-sighted. Doing anything close up for more than a few minutes was extremely difficult for him becuase he could focus for a few minutes on near work, but then his eyes would get tired and he would have to look at faraway stuff. He too, prefered to be outside and preferred to do BIG muscle things.

If other, simpler methods don't work. this might be something to consider. I don't know where you are, but if you go this route and are near Eugene, Margaret Foley is fantastic.

I can relate!! My son is 17 mos. and very active as well. My mother-in-law just got him an indoor climber w/ small slide. It has been a big help to entertain my son and gives him some indoor exercise. They have used ones on Craig's list too.
If you have a garage that has some open space you could let him push a trike or stoller around in there. There are also toddler indoor playtimes at community centers, great fun w/ lots of ride-in-cars, play workbenches, etc. Just look online under your local community centers for days and times.
good luck!

Oh, my, do I know how you feel :) My first child (a daughter)was so talkative and mellow, at an early age. My second, a son, didn't seem to say much until he wanted to; by the age of two he talked a lot more. He was one of the 'chasing the horizon' children; he was so full of energy and wanted to tear pictures off the wall-he even bit his teeth on an onion once :) the only cabinet I had no child lock on- and he would run out the door under someone's legs when they came in! We got him a sand-in-the bottom punching figure which he loved and also kind of wrestled with and I taught him how to do cartwheels and he loved an exercise ball to roll around on.He loved wrestling with Daddy, too. As he got older he got so much better in communicating. At first I thought he had a bit of Hyperactive disorder. I never put him on medication, though. Do you think he would like building a fort with blankets or whatever? Even if he tore it up, oh well, just part of the age and child. I had to watch Brian closely but let him be rambunxious in the yard and at parks while reminding him to be thoughtful of others and point out certain things to him along with rules. He is 25 now and was a VERY good athlete in Middle School and High School; especially Football and Karate. He became a very good Martial Artist (the Karate). While he was in school(when he was younger and through High School) I had to keep up with him, making sure he kept his homework up, etc. He joined the Army at 19 and went to Iraq. He is a fine young man, now and is so much more mellow. I am sorry I have no fixes for you but just remind yourself that in time he will grow and become different in a good way; he will amaze you. Put him in little league sports and activities as he grows. Swimming lessons mellow out a child, too. I have 5; the youngest daughter is now 18. She learned, early, how to open a locked door and ran out when I was in the bathroom....had to track her down :) She was also an exceptional athlete; the last sport she excelled in, for 4 years, was girls Rugby. 2 of my daughters played. Just keep on doin what you're doin, so to speak and time will work it out. Another good energy release is putting him in children's wrestling. Ask around or look for youth clubs that do this. Good luck; I understand! K. E

This is about the time when the 'terrible 2s' started with my daughter. Sounds like you have a very smart, very determined little boy on your hands that will continue to keep you on your toes.

With my daughter we need active stimutaling toys and games to make her happy - she is almost 3 now and slowing down a bit - thank god - but things that kept her moving was what she wanted at that age and never spent more than a few minutes at a quite toy.

So - some ideas - you need engery burning activities to wear him out:
1 - put on some music and dance/run around the room.
2 - create a safe baby obsiticale course will pillows and blankets and let him struggle through it. You can buy tunnels and mats also.
3 - have a jumping contest - prentend to be bunnies and just jump, jump, jump
4 - ride ons - the little plastic ones work indoors very well
5 - rides in the laundy basket - put him in and push him around to show him how its done - then grab toys and let him push them.

Anyway - you get the point - get and keep him moving. Then put your feet up when he naps.

Good luck!

Hi M.,

Don't know that you necessarily would be worried, but I just wanted to say that I wouldn't worry about speech delay (suggested below)--a dozen words at this stage is terrific.

Also, kids who sign do talk a *tiny* bit later on average, but it's not really a meaningful difference (I think it's a month or so), and there's no lasting difference in the long-run.

My mother-in-law got me a few well-reviewed books on activities for toddlers. I haven't read any of them yet, so I can't speak to their usefulness from personal experience, but you might check them out if you're interested. Here are the titles:

1. Things To Do with Toddlers and Twos, by Karen Miller
2. 365 Games Toddlers Play: Creative Time to Imagine, Grow, and Learn, by Sheila Ellison
3. First Art: Art Experiences for Toddlers and Twos, by MaryAnn F. Kohl

For out of the house, we've also enjoyed the classes offered through the parks and rec department. They're really affordable, and you can find classes for music, dance, gym, and such to help get those wiggles out.

Good luck with your high-energy little guy. You must be tired!

Take care, Juliet

Hi, my name is A.. We are at 17.5 months and Wren loves to go outside, too. I don't have much to suggest about where to go or what to do....just keep looking for things that seem interesting. I just wanted to comment about the sign language. Wren has about 60 sign language words and she can SAY some, too. I'm not worried about the lack of use of the verbal...it will come when her vocal cords are more developed. I would encourage you to continue to use sign. Wren rarely gets frustared because she can tell me all kinds of things with her hands. Have you notice how thrilled your son is when you understand him? Wren vibrates with excitement when she tells me something with her hands and I verbalize it. Wren talks about what's in her books and what's outside and the balloon she sees at the grocery store and the hat that man has on and the car that just drove by. It's conversation and she loves it. I don't feel like I have a non-communicating, frustrated baby...I have a human who has so much to say. I wouldn't listen to anyone who would tell you that signing will keep them from talking. Wren is ABLE to say lots of things with her mouth but I'm not putting any timetable on when she uses them more. She said BANANA at about 10 months....hasn't said it again. Oh well. She signs banana and gets what she desires. If you are interested ASL browser has a person doing signs...easy to learn from. Good luck. A.

Hey M.!

I don't have any additional advice on what activities to do with your little one - you've already got some great advice.

But, I did want to give my 2 cents on the speech/sign issue. I have a degree in Linguistics, with a speciality in child language acquisition. At 16 months, his language development sounds very normal. In addition, children that are focused on physical development will often push language development aside for the time being.

As for signs delaying speech, the research has shown that the opposite is true. Hearing children who learn signs actually speak earlier. I won't bore you with all the statistics, but the research has been very positive regarding how learning signs impacts language development. I just wanted to share this with you in case you were at all worried.

It's amazing how different children are! I have a quiet little girl, who will play "house" or make me "tea and cookies" for hours. I did grow up with two brothers who were wild and active, so I have some idea of what you are experiencing. He's probably keeping you in good shape : )

Blessings, M.

Hi,
I have 18 mo old twins and just moved here from sunny CA and feel your 'indoor' activity struggle!! Some ideas...
PLAYDOUGH (you can make it cheap and easy at home and it is safe even if he eats it, wich he wont b/c it tastes horrible!)
COLORING (sit him in his chair, tape down the paper and let him have at it)
PAINTERS TAPE (sounds silly, but my kids LOVE pulling tape off of things I put it on (cabinets, their arms/legs etc etc)
OATMEAL BIN (I bought a big thing of quaker oatmeal at Costco and put it in a clear storage bin that they can either get in and play in or sit outside of and play with(put in measuring cups/spoons etc) put it on a big sheet b/c it is powdery and can get a bit messy, but easy to clean up and if they eat it...good!)
TAKE A BATH (put him in and let him play!)
SIT ON THE FLOOR AND SING/ACT OUT SONGS (my kids love songs that have gross motor mvmts with them (ie: "zoom down the freeway" and "1-2 buckle my shoe)
WATER (stand him on a chair at the sink or wherever and let him play/splash in the water...you of course need to be right there, but mine LOVE this)
EMPTY BOXES (make a fort or tunnel)
PUT ON COAT/HAT/BOOTS AND GO PUDDLE JUMPING AND GET DIRTY!!

Anyways, hope these ideas are helpful!
J.

A friend of mine introduced me to the idea of rotating toys. Take some of your son's toys and store them away for a few weeks. Reintroduce them to your son, at the same time removing some of the other toys so you can repeat the process again in another few weeks. It helps keeps things fresh. Also, Super Nanny has some great tips for playing with your kids. Watch a couple of the episodes and you're sure to find additional things to do with your child. Research age-specific toys to see what sort of developmental toys are available for your son's age group. Also, see if there are any books for things to do around town with your baby. He might just need a change of scenery every once in awhile.

As for the signing, keep it up! The more words he learns to sign and the longer you practice them with him, the easier it will be for him to communicate with you. Don't worry about his choosing to sign instead of speak the simple words. He'll talk when he is ready and a sign is much better than the nonsensical grunts and pointing you could be getting.

sounds like my daughter! I have no advice but am glad to see that my kid's not the only rambunctious one, sometimes I feel like a bad parent because my child is so curious and energetic!

I'm sure this is not what you want to hear, but I'm going to say it anyway... let him throw a fit when he gets mad at you. This is a very crutial time of learning behaviors for your son and what he learns now is going to set the stage for him for at least the rest of his childhood if not longer. You can't make him happy every second or run around trying to figure out what makes him happy every second that he's not communicating. He needs to be able to not only figure out what to do with the options he has, but also figure out how to express his wants and needs. He's not going to talk in full sentences most likely, but the more he feels he needs to, the more he will work on a way to tell you what he wants... thats human nature. However, the more you try to guess what he wants, the less he has to work on either because you're doing all the work for him.
My son at that age really enjoyed blocks (both alphabet blocks and legos)... he loved to put them together and then smash them apart! He also got into playdough quite a bit at that age... once he learned it didn't taste good (I made it myself so if he did eat some it didnt' matter, it was flour, salt and water)!

You say that he's possibly bored of his own toys....Try a toy exchange party. This way your getting *New* toys that you can occupy him with...and it will be fun for him cause he gets to pick and have a play party at the same time.

You have probably done it but also putting half the toys away, and bringing them out again weeks later might help as well.

I have a 2 1/2 year old little girl. I have never bought her a toy. We have just a few that are gifts. I have found that as long as I am one on one with her in everything I do, she is always entertained. We play, read books, she helps me fold laundry, make dinner clean the table, put things away, etc. Kids LOVE to be a part of household tasks. I also work in a preschool and we do the same thing there. We even have little brooms and dustpans:)
It sounds like your boy is ready for some sensory activities. Play dough is great. I liked Karen D's suggestion of scenting the dough. Something we do at our school and my home is take shaving cream or lotion and spread it onto a table surface to make shapes and write on the table. It is messy, but very easy to clean up. You can add food coloring to the shaving cream and do a different color everyday. A bucket full of dry beans or rice with some scoops and measuring cups and containers is a wonderful sensory activity. You can take some of the beans or rice and put it in a tub with a lid to make a rattle or shake drum. Balloons are alway great too. My toddler loves them. You can experiment with putting shaving cream on the outside of balloons, or beans on the inside of them before you blow them up. What is importnat is that you let him see and be a part of setting these projects up, i.e. helping you put the beans into the balloons.
I do believe that it is necessary to take grown-up breaks for yourself, but not while you are with your child.(I am not saying you do:) My daughter is in preschool now and that is my time to myself, as well as my time to go to school and work and study and post advice on mamasource;)

I know that you mentioned signing and that he then refused to say the words that he knows.. However, I signed with my son who didn't say a single word until he was 2 (he said mama right at age 2) and I would say that signing saved us so much frustration. I don't believe that signing hurt his ability to talk, he's just not a linguistic child so it helped us a lot. He was totally on in every other department, so I didn't worry about it. Have you thought about a play group once or twice a week? The stimulation of other kids (different ages) would be good for him. Also, when my son was that age I made sure to get him outside everyday to the park, to ride his tricycle etc. If you can get him to burn off energy he'll have more attention for quiet activities. :)

Hey M.!!
Wow, your little one sounds like he's related to my 2 girls (5 and 3.) They were getting the same way from being out of school for 2 1/2 weeks. We've been there with teaching sign language and the frustrations of not being able to get out the hundreds of thoughts and ideas going thru their heads. I would get frustrated too. Jace is hitting big milestones and is learning that big "I" word and also Independence. Eek! I would love to tell you that he's going to calm down one day, but I don't think it's ever going to happen. He's getting to a great age to enroll him in gymnastics or kindermusik or something similar. I started both of my girls in gymnastics at 17-18 months old at Little Gym to get their wiggles out. They still go and still need it to get their wiggles out.
And I even get bored with my house being the same way for too long, so I rearrange everything. It helps with keeping things fresh and new. Plus I can rotate toys out and bring in new ones (that have been in the closet for awhile.) Now that they're older, they can help decide which toys/books/clothes/etc can be donated to other children.
I hope this helps you!! There are some great parks in our area, you could always bundle him up and visit a park every other day or so.
Good luck!!
A.

I have a 20 month old. I like to turn on the music and dance with him or play games that make our bodies move. The local library might have some good toddler reading times. The toddler times at the library have a story time (real short story) and song time also. If you think he is bored with his toys put some away out of sight for a few months then bring them back out again. He might think that they are new toys. I don't know if that will help.