Naomi - posted on 12/07/2008 ( 7 moms have responded )
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My son has just turned 3 and has a bad habit of throwing all his toys and books. I find myself continually cleaning up thoughout the day and I am over it. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stop him from making such a mess?
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Andrea - posted on 12/14/2008
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You could also redirect his throwing... Make sure to have something handy you don't mind him throwing, like a small cushion or bean bag. Everytime he throws a toy or book , you say, "That's not for throwing. If you want to throw, you can throw this." as you replace whatever he was playing with. Will eventually go back to using toys and books properly when gets the idea that all he gets to throw is a boring option.
Katie - posted on 12/13/2008
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Make it his chore to have to pick up his toys and books every day. Make him help you. Make a sticker chart and reward him when he has done it a few days in row. That might help.
Nancy - posted on 12/13/2008
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My son is almost 3 and he doesnt do this much but when he does he gets a warning and I tell him if he throws it again and doesnt take care of his toys then I will give it to someone who will and he says sorry and doesnt do it anymore.
Tasha - posted on 12/10/2008
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We have clean up time at our house. If they choose not to clean up the toys go away until they can pick them up. (We rotate our toys to keep fewer out to clean up and then they are like new when they come back) Throwing toys gets a warning then the toys go away again.
Lisa - posted on 12/09/2008
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Most 3 year olds are fully capable of cleaning up their own toys (sorting in bins, shelves, etc). You could try making a rule of "you make the mess, you clean it up". Start by organizing the toys and teaching him where they go you can even make labels with pictures to help him remember. If you have too many toys, put them in storage bins and rotate them (he only gets one bin at a time). Show him how to put a toy away before taking another toy out. Pretty soon, he'll figure out that it's a lot easier to keep things picked up, than to have to clean up a huge mess. Also, setting a timer helps to keep my son focused on the job at hand, he gets 10 min, etc to clean up otherwise he gets a time out or other consequence (after finishing cleaning up of course).
Melissa - posted on 12/07/2008
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I have the same problem with my 2 year old. He throws everything he can get his hands on. I have started the time out on his toys and he isn't liking it, so I hope it works. If he has something he is not supposed to if I calmly say "Can I see that, or May I have that", he hands it to me instead of throwing it. Especially when he has something that is breakable.
Melissa - posted on 12/07/2008
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My daughter will be 3 next week and we have the same problem. Lately, I started asking her to stop after she throws 1 toy (her warining). If she doesn't then the toy goes into "time out" for an hour, until after nap, the next day, etc...This is s-l-o-w-l-y starting to work. It is very effective on favorite toys that she plays with daily.
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