How do you handle a 16 month old baby climbing up on everything???

Tara - posted on 01/08/2010

I too am out of ideas, my 17 month old moves the chairs around the house to climb up on things, pulls her step stool from the sink to climb up on the rocking chair and attempts to scale the counters by climbing up our shelf with cookbooks. I continue to tell her no that climbing is not safe but have found the most success with redirection to a toy or book that she likes, granted it works for only about ten minutes and then she is back to climbing again but at least it gives me ten minutes of sanity at a time.

Nubia - posted on 01/07/2010

my son does that and well i have just about tried everything and it doesn't seem to work so i just watch him to make sure he doesn't get hurt

Donna - posted on 01/07/2010

After my son fell off the couch in my sitting room and split his head I put safe climbing toys in the corner of my and showed him they were the onli things

he was allowed to climb on. If I saw him climbing on dangerous things I just took him to the 'climbing corner'. He got the idea that he could d anything in that corner and forgot about the rest. My husband hated it and kept asking me to get rid of them but I persisted and it worked out good.

Shelby - posted on 01/06/2010

removing them from the dangerous climbing spots again, and again, and again, and again... after a while they start behaving, or at least pause and look at you to stop them (which give you extra time to get to them! lol)

i gave up on a few things with my daughter, and she fell. and she did it again. and fell again. after that she stopped. (this wasn't anything terribly high, and it was over carpet, she didn't even get hurt but it scared her)

Chrissy - posted on 01/06/2010

Just babyproof what you can. Make sure all the dressers are secured to the walls with straps. Keep the windows closed and never leave the stove even for a second when cooking. Most kids are trying out all the new skills they have and are testing there limits. They are going to fall down sometimes and get hurt, you just have to do everything you can to protect them until they understand not to climb on everything they see.

Claire - posted on 01/06/2010

I'm glad my little guy isn't the only one laughing once he's up on the table. Our latest fix is to remove all the chairs from the table so he can't get on it. True, he can get up on the chairs, but that's closer to the floor. Today I caught him on the rocking chair, tipped all the way back so it rested on the end table. Maybe we should all just make parachutes and invest in ice packs.

Anita - posted on 01/06/2010

Quoting Temeka:

 slide down the front of the couch, both giggling and saying "Wee"! Their necks are twisting, bodies flipping, feet flying!! ...it is a wonder how they survive...

how funny!

Temeka - posted on 01/06/2010

Oh my gosh, Anita! I know!! I cannot figure out how children make it through childhood?! My children think our house is a giant playground! The climb onto the computer chair. From there they cross to the couch and slide down the front of the couch, both giggling and saying "Wee"! Their necks are twisting, bodies flipping, feet flying!! ...it is a wonder how they survive...

Anita - posted on 01/06/2010

Glad I am not the only one worrying about climbing issues here. My 16 month old son looooves to climb up on the kitchen table but he will be standing on the chair for God knows how long and will wait until I look at him then he gets this cheeky look about him and climbs the table, it's as if he knows it's a naughty thing but won't do it until I am watching, as if he is proud of it! He also climbs the lounge and flicks the light switches. I wouldn't normally worry except we don't have carpet and he has fallen of the lounge a few times. His favourite thing at the moment is finding leverage to climb up on and seeing what he can get into in the bookcase etc....

Temeka - posted on 01/05/2010

I like the bungee cord idea!! Mine pull the chairs all over the kitchen!! One day I found my two year old in the kitchen "making a bottle" for his baby sister...when I say making the bottle, he got about 2 scoops in the bottle and the rest of the container all over! :-) hahahaha! Yeah, he thinks he's a big boy...I tried not to get mad cuz he was really trying to do something good...sigh

I have given up the not climbing on furniture etc...and I pray we get no broken necks...:-) My husband hates it - but there's only one of me and the dishes aren't going to do themselves...

Brynn - posted on 01/05/2010

my daughter is the same way.she started climbing the table at 12 monthsold... she loves to climb on the table. something my oldest never did. i found out that bungy cording my table chairs together under the table has worked. she cant get the bungy off and she cant pull the chairs out or get under the table to climb...shes now 20 months old and understands that the table chairs are not for climbing unless i'm at teh table. i hope this works for you too just like it has for me. good luck.

Adrienne - posted on 01/05/2010

I had the same problem with both my boys. They are now 2 1/2 and 1 1/2 years old. I kept on them saying no and a pat on the bum. I would do this over and over again. Once in a while they'll climb things now but the more you keep after them they learn that they shouldn't do it. Trust me it took a long time and stressed me out a lot. Especially when my little one would climb the 6ft ladder in a few seconds of me turning my head. And even though they would fall and cry they would get right back up and do it again.

Dianne - posted on 01/05/2010

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one struggling with this! Samantha, we keep all the chairs pushed in, but she pulls it out herself...

Tania - posted on 01/05/2010

Mine does it and he is 2 1/2 and he doesn't learn if you get any answers let me know. Thank goodness we haven't had any really bad accidents.

Samantha - posted on 01/05/2010

My 15 month old son does the same thing! And you can yell until your blue in the face and he doens't listen, he has fallen busted his mouth, bump on the head or even stood up and laughed.....now almost falling out the window thats scarey! however, just let your little one learn on his/her own and keep a close eye for the really high or dangerous falls. Maybe show items he/she could climb on, ex. my windows are low to the ground and Dylan loves to look out them but he has to climb to see out them, so I got him one of those foam chairs, he now knows he can climb on that to look out the window. No one wants their child to get hurt, but I've found trying to stop climbing is immpossible, so I try to work with it. As far as the dinning room table, keep those chairs pushed in!