Please Play with Your Toys

I had the same thoughts as the poster before me.
Give him a cupboard down low with tupperware and pots and pans. Sponges are also good baby toys, just not the used ones with chemicals on them.
We also used rubber bands in the kitchen and bathrooms. THe big, fat ones work best.
I did have to get those plastic doorknob protectors so my 18 month old wouldn't leave the house though.

I have an 8 month old who is constantly on the move and exploring everything. While it's great we are in the same situation as you in that we live with my in laws so there's only so much kidproofing we can do. When I am trying to cook or get something important done where I can't watch him, or don't want to pull him away every couple minutes I put him in a pack n play with his toys until I'm done. It kinda forces him to play with his toys or you can use things like other moms suggested like tubberware etc.

Put him in the exersaucer. Giving him a drawer of his own is a terrific trick when you are working in the kitchen...but when it came to using the oven and stove, I put the kids in the exersaucer at that age.

As for childproofing without installation (drilling into the cabinets, etc.), Safety First sells a couple different locks for side-by-side cabinet doors that you put around the knobs -- no installation needed. Here's a link so you can see what I'm talking about:
http://www.safety1st.com/usa/eng/Products/Home-Safety/Lat...

PS...you will find that he will enjoy playing with the simple things over his toys for a couple more years. Give him some tupperware, measuring cups, or a large box, and he'll engage in some of the best developmental play (pretend play) you can possibly give him!

Just wanted to let you know you aren't alone. My 15 month old is the same way. Tons of toys available, but he wants the remote, my socks, our dirty shoes, the kitchen scrubbrush--anything but his toys! And his toys are way more fun than my socks! I think it's just the age and exploration needs. You have a lot of good responses already and we've done a lot of those suggestions. We also got the magnetic Tot Loks that stick on to cabinets, rather than the drill kind. They are a pain sometimes but they've worked well for us and have stayed on great. That allowed us to keep some cabinets (cleaners, glass stuff) off limits without drilling into the doors. We also have some of those slide locks on the outside for side by side cabinets. But he has his "own" drawer of sponges and towels and tupperware. That has really helped, at least in the kitchen. Good luck!

This is what I used to do, I used to put my son(s) because both of them did it in there high chair if I needed to do cooking or something of the sort that could hurt them and give either something to snack on or put my cellphone on lock and let them play with that which kept them busy for awhile! Just the sounds of the buttons and them lightening up amazed them! And if that didnt keep them busy long enough I gave them apple sauce in a bowl with a spoon, yea its messy but kept them busy!...Good Luck to you!

I agree with all the previous advice and would add: Is your child also getting enough time outside??? Let him explore the park and other things outdoors. Bring toys and books there. I started doing this, and other parents started also bringing their toys. Our LO became interested more in his and their toys (grass is always greener). Now we go every day and his curiousity is satiated. He still explores inside, but it is easier to place limits inside when both of us know that outside he has so much freedom.

He'll be into his toys a bit later, right now it is age appropriate for him to explore. I agree with other moms-I gave my son tupperware, let him explore pots and pans, (that weren't too heavy), socks, and anything else that was harmless and he loved it. I remember watching him pull all of the tissues out of a kleenex box one at a time and being totally enthralled with it. I let him do it and then just stuffed them back in. What the heck. Chasing the kitties tail whenever it came into sight was a (potentially dangerous) high priority. They are learning how real things in the world work at this age and it's pretty important. Of course, you have to keep your eyeballs on them alllll the time which is awfully tiring.

A friend who had a child almost a year before me gave me really good advice: leave one drawer in the kitchen full of plastic containers, spoons, etc. that you're OK having them get into and play with - even if it makes a mess. You can teach them that is their drawer, and they can play with whatever is in it.

We never child proofed our house other than a tension gate at the bottom and top of the stairs, rubber bands around cabinets we didn't want them getting into (such as those with kitchen chemicals), and safety locks on the doors to the bathrooms, basement and garage.

Have you considered getting a cheap stool (if he likes to climb) that is low to the ground and lets him get his climbing interests out of the way? Sure, he may occasionally fall, but I'd rather my kid fall 6 inches than off a chair.

Winter is a tough time for having a little one who's mobile. We play smash and crash a lot to get their energy out. Pile up a bunch of pillows in a hallway, let them run, knock them over, and do it again. It's cheap entertainment that burns off a lot of pent-up energy and helps you keep your sanity.

HA HA HA HA HA! Girl, welcome to toddlerhood! Yep asking too much. There is no "keeping an eye" on a child that age. Its "keeping a leash". Seriously, think about it, he's newly mobile, getting better at it all the time. He's been looking at all these thing from afar all his life. Its go time!!!!
The trick is, to stay close enough that you can put out one fire before he starts another one! Yes its a phase, is lasts about 3 years and then it only visits, but often.
the only thing I can suggest is a cupboard or drawer in the kitchen with tupperware and measuring cups, spoons that are safe for him. Show him where it is and let him empty it himself. That way he is in the kitchen with you and you are close enough to keep him out of too much trouble.
I would tell you to be worried about him if he just sat idly and played with a rattle and a plush book for long periods of time. He is discovering so much, he NEEDS to be curious.
It a JOB Mama! I have 2 of them!

He sounds like a text book example of his age and that is great because it means his mind is working well and he is curious about his surroundings. I would get some external safety latches that you can put on and off for the cupboards that really have dangerous stuff eg. the one with the dishwashing and cleaning things. And yes at his age, you will spend nearly a 100% of your time redirecting and chasing him. I am a single parent and live alone and so I feel your pain. I gave up cooking for a while and only microwaved :) But the good news is that it will only be for a short while. In about a year, he will be quite different. I found the walking to about 20 months the hardest for all the reasons that you mention. but now my daughter is nearly 3 and it is so much different. She still wants me to play with her all the time but she is not opening all the cupboards and she no longer flings all her food and everything else around. Boy was she a flinger. At my parenting class, the teacher said, remember "this too will pass" and it was good advice. Good luck.

Yes, you are asking too much of a 13 month old.. He is naturally drawn to people and the things that are "no's"...

He has only been in this world 13 months and probably has only been getting around for a few months.. So much to explore.. Nobody else plays with the boring toys.. They are playing in the kitchen or with the buttons on remotes, tvs all of the cool stuff.. You have to child proof the home that you ALL live in.. He does not know any difference and no is just a word he is hearing, but not really able to always comprehend, especially if it used too much...

Put him in his high chair while you cook and let him play with pots and pans on his tray.. Give him a plastic bowl and a spoon and let him learn to stir.. Give him a wet wash cloth and let him "clean some plastic dishes". Get a playpen and let him play with his toys next to you while you vacuum, fold clothing whatever.. In day care he would be playing with blocks, using colors, playing outside. He would be rolling balls, he would be on little riders scooting around the room or playground.... All of this would be with a teacher and other kids all around him..

I have a 22 month son who does the same exact thing. It is a trying time. But one thing another mom suggested is to try to put away some of his toys in a closet for a few weeks and then bring them out again and put other toys in the closet. Or at dinner time, take out a couple toys that you let him play with only during that time. It might be a bit early for him at 13 months...but an idea for the future. I think my son gets bored with his toys so easily and I think this has helped a bit.

i have a 13 months twins and they play with everything except a toy they have a very big basket full of toys and they just don't care but they love to play with pots,going inside kitchen cabinets ,what i do is when i am going to cook i put them in a secure place like in the room with a baby gate ,i really don't know what else to do.

I think you are expecting too much. He is going to explore. That is how he learns. Why don't you simply put him in a swing or play pen with some of his toys when you have to cook or do something, then let him loose when you can watch him. Unfortunately, we spend a lot on toys and gadgets and they never seem interested in those things, so yes, he is more interested in his world and the one he sees mommy and daddy always in - kitchen, bathroom, etc...in his mind "what do they do in there, I want to know..I want to be a part of it, hmm..this looks good, I shall test it.." lol..just enjoy these moments and do the best to childproof as much as you can and if you can't just watch him or put him in an special area surrounded with those toys.

I know you've gotten many responses, but I wanted to add it my experience. My son was (and at 2 1/2 still is sometimes) more interested in items around the house than in toys. His favorite "toy" when he was about your son's age was a tupperware bowl that fit perfectly on his head like a hat. He loved it so much that I stopped keeping it in the kitchen and gave it a home in the toybox. Right now my son has that bowl, about 20 clean plastic yogurt cups, his own duster w/handle, a remote with the batteries removed, two empty wrapping paper rolls, a set of measuring cups, and a small plastic dustpan and hand broom all in his toybox. He LOVES being able to imitate the things that Mommy does around the house and by making these things more accessable he tends to stay out of the cabinets and closets I don't want him in.

He's exploring new textures and new things that are different than his toys. We also did the accessible cabinet with tupperware and other safe dishes. Also I rotate which toys we have out. Kids get bored of looking at the same toys all of the time ( I see that even with my 8 month-old, she's definitely more interested in something new than something that she's played with for a few days in a row. And we still do that with my 3 year-old's toys). So it's like getting new toys once a week or so.

But it also sounds like maybe he's trying to get your attention - if you are stopping what you're doing to redirect him, he's getting attention that way and maybe that's another reason why he's doing it so much. You're gone during the day, so maybe he just wants you to sit down and play together with him?

At that age, they do just get into everything. Good luck making dinner, because that's the peak time for trouble. (Hey, mom's not looking, so I'll take all the DVDs out of the holder) Honestly, dinner time remains a difficult time even when they're older because kids simply want your attention. One idea you can do at your mom's is to create a special cabinet in the kitchen for your son. Fill it with Tupperwares and anything else that's safe. Our kids loved to empty out that cabinet in our kitchen and quickly learned where it was and would go back to it. We did install locks on all of the other cabinets. You might consider installing the adhesive kind that you can remove easily should you leave your mom's place.

Some kids are also better at independent play than others. Mine always preferred me over any toy.