Normal?

[crunchy_mommy]

A few things I'm wondering about with DS (20 mos)...

Is it normal for him to fall off the bed several times a week? I assume it's not THAT odd (otherwise why would they have invented bed rails?) but the frequency is a little weird to me but maybe it's normal. Luckily our bed is on the floor but I still feel bad when he ends up on the carpet. I think he gets disoriented in his sleep because sometimes he thinks DH is me.

Also how about fear of the vacuum? He doesn't like any loud noises but the vacuum is one of the worst for him. I thought it was normal until we went to someone else's house & 5 or 6 toddlers continued happily playing while the vacuum was running and DS jumped into my arms shaking like he always does before I even turn it on. He does the same thing when loud trucks go by or he hears firecrackers or loud music.

And finally, what is a normal attention span??!?! DS won't pay attention to anything for more than a minute or two, UNLESS it's books & puzzles. Books, especially, he will sit & listen to for hours & hours. I get tired of reading because it's just ALL DAY LONG. Picture books, long stories with few pictures, doesn't matter, he just asks to read more & more & more. We go to story hours too and it seems he is the only kid sitting & listening attentively the whole time (and would sit longer if they'd read more than 5 books!) I wish he'd run around more I guess... if I let him bring books to the playground, he'd never get any exercise!! (Not that he's inactive, he loves walking around the house & jumping on things, it's just that he is so obsessed with reading).

[justKate]

Vacuuming IS terrifying! TOTALLY normal.

Attention span? Snack? Did you say outside? OUTSIDE! Totally normal.

Falling off the bed. Poor baby. Does he mind? Where does he sleep? Is he sleep-crawling? If he doesn't seem bothered by it, I wouldn't worry about it.

Don't worry about it mama. They're all different, but they're all PERFECT.

[myfairbabies]

Sounds totally normal to me! I've nanny'd lots of kids, and none of that sounds like something to worry about.

[butterfly_mommy]

Sounds just like DS (well except falling off the bed but only because I use a body pillow as a barrier when I am not in bed)

[shnitzel]

DD is 16 months and just started falling out of bed. I noticed that she started to move around a lot in bed, tossing and turning all over instead of sleeping very still.

She is also terrified of the vaccum and I know a lot of other children that are also scared of it, and any loud noise.

Does your DS also sleep through falling of the bed?
Last night we came downstairs and DD was sleeping with her head on the wood part of our platform bed, she also whacked it really hard into the headboard and stayed asleep.

[crunchy_mommy]

He doesn't sleep through falling... well once he did, but usually he wakes up crying & confused.

Glad to hear these things sound 'normal' though...

[ellemenope]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

Also how about fear of the vacuum? He doesn't like any loud noises but the vacuum is one of the worst for him. I thought it was normal until we went to someone else's house & 5 or 6 toddlers continued happily playing while the vacuum was running and DS jumped into my arms shaking like he always does before I even turn it on. He does the same thing when loud trucks go by or he hears firecrackers or loud music.

DD was petrified of vaccuums around that same age-frame. She has gotten a little better, but still retreats to the top of the coffee table where she says she is safe. If It didn't get better in a couple of years I might worry. But, right now it is totally age appropriate to be scared of loud things.

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

And finally, what is a normal attention span??!?! DS won't pay attention to anything for more than a minute or two, UNLESS it's books & puzzles. Books, especially, he will sit & listen to for hours & hours. I get tired of reading because it's just ALL DAY LONG. Picture books, long stories with few pictures, doesn't matter, he just asks to read more & more & more. We go to story hours too and it seems he is the only kid sitting & listening attentively the whole time (and would sit longer if they'd read more than 5 books!) I wish he'd run around more I guess... if I let him bring books to the playground, he'd never get any exercise!! (Not that he's inactive, he loves walking around the house & jumping on things, it's just that he is so obsessed with reading).

I feel like DD's attention span for reading peaked at 18 months. We truly never knew how long she would go. Around that age, she sat engrossed through two feature length movie in the theater, one live-action, one CGI. At two, her interest in books waned a bit, and she became even more active with a lot of jumping, skipping, and dancing. But it is back with a vengance now.

As far as attention span for toys it is around 15 minutes. That is, if I set her up with a toy, I can get at most, a half hour of her playing by herself with it. This has not changed much in the last year. I am just happy she plays by herself any amount of time. I know I got it good. So, about every 15 minutes or so I have to set her back up with a toy and scenario. That is not bad, right?