Climbing on the table

[MamaEli]

DD is CONSTANTLY climbing on the kitchen table. I know she loves the climbing part and I think she likes the view. But obviously she can't be doing that! I--for the most part--am a pretty permissive mama, as in, it won't kill them, right? BUT this is not OK, because even though a fall is just a maybe, a broken arm, leg, or concussion is not something i want to go through.

Redirection isn't working--climb the couch, the chair, color, pots and pans, etc.

Spanking didn't work either.

It's bad all the time, but worse when I'm making dinner. The other night, she was literally getting ready to hang off the light fixture. I'll wear her in the MT, but that's only temporary. Usually I can at least get dinner done. (Usually.) DH or I could literally be taking her off the table all day long, like 5x or more an hour.

[S Starr]

How about time-outs? like a boring two minutes in a toyless play pen. Good luck!

[hjwilkins1211]

Good luck! My DD is doing the exact same thing. We tried pushing the table against the wall with all the chairs btw the walls and table but she learned how to pull the table out. Yesterday she was on the table, turned on the ceiling fan and walked across the table to her highchair and climed across the tray and sat down in her chair. All the chairs now go on the other side of the gate and my older DD's play choo choo train with them. What a pain meal time is getting all the chairs out. If you find something that works let me know.

[Infinity]

I have a friend that bungee corded all the chairs to her table so her LO couldn’t climb.

Personally we just keep redirecting Asterix (19mn). My older two are good at getting him down telling him the tables not for standing it’s for food and taking him to his toys.

It’s not the funnest part of being a parent but I see this as one of those constants I do, eventually they learn and I get to move to a new constant. I’m always saying to the twin 3yo stop picking your nose, here’s a tissue. If you want to touch your self go to the bed room or the bathroom. Can we please put on panties? And to my old two. Could you try talking and resolving? Please don’t yell. No fighting! Use your words! (thought by 7yo and 9yo I would still need that one!) I’m constantly getting Asterix off the table and stopping him from trying to scale the cupboards and drawers and from playing in the toilet (can’t shut the door or turn off the lights because of the twins).
Yes my life is very exhausting and repetitive!

[jennsmile]

We got a little tikes slide. When he would climb on the table I would redirect him to the slide. Now we have a big playground as well and my guy has gotten older. Is there something on the table she is after? Sippy cup? Lightswitch reach, bowl of fruit? Cellphone? Purse? Maybe get a little table from IKEA for her to have her things on. Could she "Help" with dinner? My children loved when I pulled the chair over and let them help. I could never justify one of the kitchen helper stands b/c of my small kitchens.

Jenn

[MamaEli]

Hmm, good suggestions. I don't see the slide in our house, and there isn't anything on the table she goes for. We just took the pack n play to the sitters for her to sleep in. She just likes to stand up tall---maybe she's destined to be a leader! Or actress.
I guess this is just one of those things we get through, and look at later and laugh. *sigh*

[pokydog]

Nip it in the bud!!! ASAP!!! Seriously, I thought it wasn't *that* big of a deal, as my ds did it constantly & even fell off the chair a few times. One day I put all the chairs on the other side of the room & he still played on them. My DH put them all back. A few days later I didn't want to bother, so I just pushed them in really far.

Well, my 15 month old climbed up, faced backward with his hand over the top of the chair & fell with it, crushing 2 fingers in the process. He broke his middle & ring finger & both also split open from the impact onto the tile floor. The middle one was hanging by a thread at the tip (including nail bed). He needed 8 stitches there & 2 in the other.

This was 6 weeks ago yesterday. Unfortunately, it took this accident to
a. keep him off the table/chairs & b. make us realize the seriousness of the climbing. It could have been MUCH worse.

Now, when he climbs on the coffee table or couch or places he shouldn't, we remove him immediately & say very firmly "NO CLIMB".

If it takes removing whatever she is climbing on, DO IT. You'd rather have that than a head injury or broken bones.

gl

ETA: in my avi pic, he is about 4 weeks post injury. Notice his right hand how he has his fingers curled in to protect them. He just started using that hand again about a week ago.