Our nearly-two-year-old has been obsessed with the trash/recycling for at least a couple of months now...do I need to be worried?? Anytime he sees anything on the floor or ground that is trash, he insists on picking it up and putting it in the trash can. We can be anywhere...water park, playground, etc...it's not just when he's bored. When we walk around the block, he points out every trash and recycling bin and want to make sure they're all closed...if one is in the street, he wants to go up to it and put it back and gets upset when we don't let him. He insists on helping my husband put the trash and recycling bins out on the street and putting them back up when we get home. He asks to help Daddy with the trash cans all the time.
Around 16-18 months he started noticing when things were out of place (baby gates open, latches unlatched, cat food spilled, trash on the ground, etc.) and we asked his doctor about it, and she said to keep an eye on it but not to be too concerned unless other obsession/compulsive symptoms show up. He still notices those things, but the trash seems to have become more of a fixation than the other stuff. Is this normal behavior (he notices that we pay attention to those things and mimics us) or a sign of something? The first thing that comes to my mind is something on the autism spectrum, but he doesn't seem to have any of the other signs...he's very social and affectionate, makes good eye contact, doesn't seem to obsess about anything but this. He tends to repeat himself, but it seems to be more about learning words and phrases than obsessing...he was an early talker and repeats and learns new words very quickly. I definitely plan to ask about it again at his 2-year appointment, but am hoping for some thoughts from any other moms that may have been through something similar.
Laurie and Alexis, your kids sound like they'd get along with mine. =) To respond to what a few of you said: we try to discourage picking up trash especially outside for sanitary reasons, but it's often no use...he's pretty persistent. We also don't want to make a huge deal of it and make him either do it more (fun game!) or be afraid of it. We try to distract him if possible, or let him pick it up and throw it away without making a big deal of it if he insists.
Since he's our first and we don't know too many other kids his age, sometimes it's had to tell what's common and what's potentially worrisome with a limited point of comparison to other kids. The reason this particular thing worried me more than his previous fixations was just how long it's been going on and how much more he focuses on this than he has on other things. I definitely don't want to put a label on it if there's no label besides "toddlers can be weird" but also don't want to feel like I missed something that should have been a red flag. Appreciate you all for sharing your stories...definitely helps to know what other toddlers out there are doing and that we're not the only ones with a one-man clean up crew on our hands. I bet I'll miss these days when he's a messy teenager. =)
I wish more children would do this. I see lots who think nothing of littering! He's going to be the solution, not the problem! Encourage this behavior! I would get him one of those picker upper things for trash, or some gloves, just to be safe.
I suspect your baby is NOT the one who is obsessed. Should you be worried? NO. Should you let your baby pick up dirty trash with bare hands? NO. So when you see trash on the ground, unless you have gloves on hand, if he picks something up, please have some hand sanitizer to clean up. Better yet, tell him mom or dad will pick it up and let him know he's a good boy for wanting to keep things clean.
Sounds normal to me. Our daughter could be like this at this age. She would also want to pick up and throw away trash.
She was a very early talker and really understood what we were telling her, so we told her, "Yes, trash, yucky, we do not touch."
Or "yucky germs, we do not touch.."
"The trash man will pick up that trash.. "
and then attempt to distract her.
She also started to notice hot things..
She would warn people when she saw a stove, "Hot, no touch!"
EVERY stove, BBQ pit, Candle.. etc.. She would want to blow out the candles on every table at a restaurant.. So we would allow her to blow out the candle on our table.
She would get onto these obsessions.. and we just went along.
So I do not think it is a bog deal, I just think they are very observant, want to help and your son will probably grow up to be like our daughter..
She loves rules.
She follows all of the rules and it almost pains her to bend a rule unless we give her permission.. We call her grandma.. It has served her well. As long as she knows the proper behaviors, expectations and rules.. she is set to go..
Just the first of many "odd obsessions" to come! Lol
We have a resident trash/recycling enthusiast. Our son is only about 21 months old but it's been going on for several months now. The highlight of his week is trash day Thursday, especially alternating Thursdays because then it is two trucks (trash and recycling). Our nanny takes him for a walk on those days and they wax poetic over the trucks, the trash and recycle bins, the movements, etc. We distract him from picking up trash in public by saying 'yucky'. I notice he repeats words/phrases and activities until they no longer hold his interest. So far the trash thing has stayed with us, though. I wouldn't worry personally. Good luck.
I figured the question would be about "should I intervene when he picks stuff up in case it's dirty/unsafe etc." but it turned into a query about whether this might be a sign of autism. Please don't take that big leap. Children this age get, for lack of a better word though we all really need one, "obsessed" with things. For some it's pointing out every earth-mover or dump truck or large truck they see and talking incessantly about trucks and playing only with toy trucks (or same with cars, or horses, or whatever). For some it could be pretending to be a zebra for what seems - to an adult only -- to be forever, and wanting to eat from the floor because the zebra eats off the ground, or whatever. In your son's case it's wanting trash cans closed and trash up off the ground. It's very normal at age two to go on and on about one thing for a period of time that SEEMS like eternity to the parents, who then worry that it will indeed go on for eternity. But it's not eternal, and the doctor is right -- unless there are other very clear signs, this is not autism. Please let him explore the world this way for now because he will find other "obsessions" that replace it until he's a bit older and can balance "interests" in his mind instead of all-consuming fixations.
Normal.
So is repeating himself; it's a way to learn language and shows he is interested in words. My daughter did it and is fine and very verbal (age 11). Many, many kids do this.
The fact he is social and affectionate and makes eye contact -- all good.
I would be far, far more concerned about his possibly grabbing something sharp and/or rusty or dirty. I'd stick close to him when he's out and ensure that rather than grabbing things himself, he "show them to mommy" or daddy first and learn to wait for the OK to pick things up, and I'd be sure he had his tetanus shot. Get him one of those "grabber arms" you can get (to help reach things at a distance or grab trash off the ground with a "claw") and let him use that -- he will love it!
Your child is just obsessed because it's something he knows and understands in a world full of things he doesn't know and doesn't understand. That's normal for your 2-year old, or children of any age. Even adults! Have you ever learned about something and then suddenly you're noticing it everywhere you go? Your 2-year old is just a little more vocal and action-oriented than you.
My daughter goes through obsessions. With songs, colors, projects, TV shows, etc. And I do as well. Currently I'm "obsessed" with X-factor :)
I wouldn't worry - it sounds like he has found something that makes him feel helpful. You may be one of the lucky ones and have a tidy child!
My eldest who is 4 has gone through similar phases of making sure things are just right. It is like she is trying to exert some control over her environment and we always encourage her. It lasts for a month or so and then she moves on to something else. She went through a phase of picking up every single hair or piece of lint off the carpet. I vacuum every weekend but was amazed at what she would find. She could never leave it - had to put it in the trash. That phase lasted about 3 months and then slowly stopped.
Over the summer I was very sick with Lyme disease and mono. I eexplained to my girls that I could not share food or give big kisses for awhile because I had bad germs in my spit. I had to spend about two weeks in bed I was so ill. During that period my daughter became obsessed with spit. If she touched her mouth or nose or eye with ANYTHING she would freak out. She would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic because there was spit on her pillow. I got really worried that it was a sign of something but as I got better her fear of spit gradually subsided and now she is back to normal. She just didn't handle my illness well and I guess my explaination of germs did not do what I had intended. Anyway, I think your son is just going through a regular phase and I would not worry about it. Perhaps you can redirect his energy to keeping his toys organized or find other daily tasks he can perform to help you and your husband.
Well you have described my son to a T. He has been obsessed with garbage, garbage men, garbage trucks, recycling, etc. since he was just over a year old. He still runs to the door if we are home when the garbage trucks come - the men look for him and wave/honk the horn! We have MANY toy garbage trucks and books. He can tell you every darn part of a garbage truck! If one of us throws something in the trash can that can be recycled, he will find the recycling symbol, show it to us and give us a lecture. He even lectured our neighbor about recycling and she started recycling - gets a big kick out of pointing it out to him when she puts the bins on the curb! I too was worried about him picking up gross stuff on the ground - we have discouraged that but he still does it. Just keep some hand sanitizer in your purse, car, everywhere... He even had a garbage truck show up for his 3rd birthday (Toy Story 3 theme but really just so we could have a garbage truck come). He rode around the neighborhood in it. You've never seen a happier kid! I think this is just something they can understand - we create trash - they see it everyday. I also think the big, loud, stinky garbage truck is fascinating to a little boy. My thought has always been this - there are books and toys, movies and YouTube videos, etc. - all dedicated to garbage and/or recycling for little kids - CLEARLY he's not the only one. It's just like a little one being obsessed with trains for a few years. It will most likely pass.
