15 month old baby octopus!

Advice please... Sorry - long post!

I have a LO of 15 months who is MUCH harder work than the other LOs (others are 15 m, 20 m and 22 m old - so comparable age-wise). It's driving me a bit potty :-0

As follows...

Generally trashes all the toys - tips all baskets out, throws toys around the room and down the stairs (lobbing them over the stair gate), tips puzzles and games out of boxes, rips up books, tears displays off the walls etc. Loads of stuff has been broken or damaged by him. Cannot do any art/craft activities as he just trashes all the bits/equipment before I can start showing him what to do.

He is a 'baby octopus' - when out in the buggy everything within reach is grabbed - plants, bags, other people, stuff off shelves in shops, the other LO next to him. When held he will grab my hair/earrings/clothes and pulls really hard (it HURTS!).

Takes off own shoes and socks and throws them out of the buggy (I have given up putting them back on and now he just goes barefoot).

At snack and lunchtimes he cannot sit still and keeps attempting to tip himself off the chair (in a booster seat), kicks the table and launches himself backwards. Any food given on plate or bowl is immediately tipped onto the floor and plate/bowl then thrown on the floor. So I now give him finger food placed directly onto clean oilcloth tablecloth (attached to table). He eats a few bits and then just chucks the rest... then cries because he's hungry... I give him more... he chucks it.

He is a HUGE boy - very heavy and strong/physical. With the other LOs he's always pushing, shoving, grabbing stuff off them. I'd say two LOs are scared of him :-(

Anyway... I could easily spend my day saying 'NO' and I did start doing this... but it has absolutely no meaning to him. Makes no difference, just ignores me. Even if I say it loud, with eye contact. So instead I just distract him or 'adapt and overcome'. It's just so frustrating, because I find I focus so much on him that the others get less attention.

Would really appreciate advice and ideas about how to deal with him. Ta.

Golly! Sounds like a handful! My first reaction is to suggest you tackle each thing individually, some of the problems may be more easily fixed than others, but overall you may feel better!

For example, pop him in a high chair... Stops the pushing off the table, five point harness so he can't wriggle around so much or try to climb out, or, put the booster on the floor on a messy mat... What he drops he can now pick up!

Does he focus at all? Could you secure a toy to the pushchair that gives him focus, or, give him a biscuit in each hand? This stops my little octopus!!

Socks I solved by getting ok from Mum to put him in tights for a while, very frustrated child but he's much better about socks now!

Does any of that help at all?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MessybutHappy

Golly! Sounds like a handful! My first reaction is to suggest you tackle each thing individually, some of the problems may be more easily fixed than others, but overall you may feel better!

For example, pop him in a high chair... Stops the pushing off the table, five point harness so he can't wriggle around so much or try to climb out, or, put the booster on the floor on a messy mat... What he drops he can now pick up!

Does he focus at all? Could you secure a toy to the pushchair that gives him focus, or, give him a biscuit in each hand? This stops my little octopus!!

Socks I solved by getting ok from Mum to put him in tights for a while, very frustrated child but he's much better about socks now!

Does any of that help at all?

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Yes - will try some of those ideas. You are right, need to tackle individually instead of getting overwhelmed and exasperated!

Unfortunately just got rid of highchairs to save on space in my kitchen. But will try the floor for him :-)
Just feel like 80% of my energy goes into one child out of four, which isn't right... And, no, he doesn't focus much, not for very long :-/

I have one of these! I have had her since 7 months old and now 17 months and still at it with no sign of changing the way she plays. This is what I am doing at the moment:

I have bought a munchie bowl which sticks on the table booster seat tray. I only give her two bits of food at a time. When she has eaten one piece, I feed her another piece, then she eats the second piece in the bowl and so on. If I give her lots of food, it goes on the floor and ends up in the cat's tummy!

I have concentrated on showing her how to put objects in/out of a box with holes in it. Plastic balls and bean bags are a favourite. Its taken a few weeks but we are getting there.

Messy activities are done on the table booster seat with the tray. She can then participate with the others. I sometimes put the booster seat on the floor.

In the pushchair is still a problem as she will grab anything and anyone. A firm No is the only way, she now hides her face in her hands!

I have to watch her closely lately as is now snatching toys from the others.

Good job that I have lots of patience!

Nina :-)

I had a two and a half year old who was the same- she would dump her dinner on the floor, rip books, scratch the other kids, snatch toys, wriggle out of the car seat straps, pull the hair of the child next to her in the car, attempt to climb from the buggy, empty all the shoes from the shoe basket, the list goes on!
Eventually the other children didn't want to play with her!
I think some children are naturally placid and others..are not!