Climbing EVERYTHING. What works?

[lisalu100]

I used to set the dog food on the dining table, so that 15 mo DD couldn't eat or play with it. Today she climbed onto a dining room chair, onto the table, to get the dog food. We moved the sofa so that she couldn't climb over the back of it. I need to fix the stair railings, because this morning she climbed through them, onto the stairs.

I try to keep NO only for things that are dangerous/damaging, and say danger etc, I have let her fall off of things (not deliberately, but I haven't removed her because I've already done it 20 times/tried to distract).

How do I

a) Meet the need?
b) prevent her from ending up in the ER while my back is turned?

[Petie1104]

I'd get her a little jungle gym outside. Or create an obstical course for her, something fun and safe for her to do. Then just keep reinforcing. Not much more you can do than keep reinforcing. It takes a while. But, if it makes you feel any better, I knew someone who would spank her child everytime they climbed up. It actually caused me to ask her,
"ummm if spanking is so effective why is it you keep having to spank him for climbing". It took just as long for her son to stop as it did for my daughter. So there is NO easy way out on this one.

[dakotablue]

Climbing up and down the stairs takes alot of energy...

Honestly with DS I supervise and let him climb. I've found anything 'forbidden' he is aware of and wants all the more. If I don't make a big to do or even show any upset he stops and moves on when he is ready rather than fixating.


Also, sometimes I think he just wants to figure out how to do something to see if he can.
I think its good to let him work it out. Then again I encouraged learning to climb the stairs because I'd rather he learn to do it well while I'm watching than sneak and possibly fall when I'm not


DS just learned to shake his head, (we say no no no in a silly voice when he does) He has begun to walk around the house and point to things he knows I don't like him to have and shake his head.

For example the soap when I forget to get it out of the bath tub.

[Latte Mama]

I have a climber too. He started climbing very early. At first I freaked a bit and then I just let him do it and supervised. He had to get his fill.

Now he only climbs when he wants to get something in the cabinet to eat even though I constantly tell him that mama will get it for him!

I did get him a climber which he used all last winter but he did get bored with it so we sold it.

[Norasmomma]

The only thing that helped with DD was time. DS started climbing, but he got scared because a dining room chair fell over on him

[Abraisme]

I simply let my 14mo dd climb things. She's often on the the coffee table, trampoline, couch, counter, etc. I stay relaxed and never suggest to her that these things are dangerous. She's never falled off of the counter or trampoline and she's been up there a lot. I often help her down when she gets stuck, but all told it really hasn't been that big of a deal.

[candelaria80]

Originally Posted by Abraisme

I simply let my 14mo dd climb things. She's often on the the coffee table, trampoline, couch, counter, etc. I stay relaxed and never suggest to her that these things are dangerous. She's never falled off of the counter or trampoline and she's been up there a lot. I often help her down when she gets stuck, but all told it really hasn't been that big of a deal.

This is us as well. I actually like to watch her figure out how she's going to climb something that is way too high (she has discovered stacking random objects to get where she wants to get ).

[shnitzel]

We use folding chairs and keep them folded up when not in use the nonfolding chairs are under the side of the table that we pull against the wall. We have an ikea table that is very shaky and little surface area so sometimes there are unsafe things on the table.

[MelW]

Today I found my toddler climbing from the back of a chair, over the half-wall to the dining room and and climbing down on a suitcase. She taught her big sister how to get food out of the top cupboard, and I'm contemplating child-locks on some of my upper cabinets. I often "find" her on the stove (luckily she usually kneels on the buttons and I hear the beeping), on the counters, on the top bunk, etc.

We have had stairs with no baby gate since she was one, and she is allowed to climb them as much as she wants. And quite honestly, much of the rest of our furniture is climbing friendly, too. She doesn't really like being on the ground, so usually plays while standing on a chair, couch, stool, counter. As much as I can I encourage her to climb in safe ways.

We practice safe climbing (mostly descents) together at the playground, on the stairs, etc. I show her how to hold on with her hands and she knows how to call for help if/when she gets stuck up somewhere high. We have frequent small falls, regular bruises, and at this point are measuring our "success" by no emergency room visits.

There are a few "no climbing" things in our house: the drafting table, the piano, the dresser drawers. I "enforce" these by plucking her off whenever she climbs up there and redirecting to something else to climb. We don't have toilet paper holders in any of our bathrooms because she was constantly using them to climb up on, my kitchen step-stool is in storage and a few other tempting but dangerous climbing things are out of the house right now.

My daycare provider calls my daughter the "crazy climber" and tells me that she's the scariest toddler she's ever met because of the situations she can get herself into. We live in a small town, and her antics (and falls and bruises) are often the talk of the other parents on the playground...

[2boyzmama]

How do you stop it? You don't

I have monkeys. I remember re-arranging furniture when my oldest was 9 months old because he was climbing everything. My middle was a little delayed, but still a huge climber. Third? I don't know yet.

My older two are fearless, strong, limber, and incredibly balanced. They climb trees, playground equipment, fences, walls, etc. Recently we discovered that the gutter drain spout was pulled away from the side of our house, we suspect that one of them was climbing it and broke it.

I have never shown any reaction, I just let them do it. They develop their own fears and cautions through trial and error, and I certainly don't want to "teach" them fear if they don't have it. So far we haven't had any major injuries, lots of bruises, scrapes, a few good cuts that have required some attention, some tears when something hurt more than they expected, but always I encourage them to go right back at it, just to find a safer way to do it.

So I say...let her do it! Just know that you'll have to be constantly vigilant about where you put glass, medicine (take my word for it, the top of the refrigerator is NOT safe from monkeys!), chokables, etc.

[DevaMajka]

I went the Continuum Concept route with my little climber. Once I realized that he was going to want to climb everything, I just let him. I didn't hover or warn him. He's actually pretty good at knowing his limitations, and is careful. I started this when he was younger (I dunno, 12-13 mos?), before he could get himself very far, so he learned as he went. He's actually more likely to fall if someone is close by, trying to help him.
I do follow him at the playground or other places where he'll be quite high up.

For climbing over the back of the couch, we put a kids' desk back there, so he can use that to get up the couch back. We do discourage standing on wheeled objects, but we mostly do that by removing them after he's lost interest.

There are a few places he's not allowed to climb (on the computer, and on the table while we are eating). That just takes lots and lots of repetition. After about 4 months, it seems to be sort of sinking in