Stranger Danger for 2Yr Old?

my sister had that problem. Her 3yo DS walked out of an apt, down a busy street, and to a gas station. A police officer found him and he told them where he lived. The officer took him home only to find my sister's now ex sleeping. He was suppost to wake up enought to lock the very high lock on the door but chose not to.
my DD is 27mo and is not afraid either. She loves people and doesn't understand what can happen. I watch her like a hawk at other people's houses and at home I have extra locks and have put the baby proof handles on the doors I don't want her to open. You might want to buy a couple extra baby proof handles (the plastic things you have to squeeze to open doors) but buy both kinds for round handles and for the lever doors.
keep explaining that something can happen to him and he might listen one day. At least that's what I hope will happen with my DD.

There's a video that was put out by John Walsh (America's Most Wanted) and Julie Ainger Clark (Baby Einstein) that is called Stranger Safety that I think is okay for a 2-year old to watch. I would suggest being there with your son to watch it, so that you can pick up on the lingo and how it is taught, and then play on that whole lesson/theme when you are out and about with your son so that he can generalize the contents of that video into his everyday world.

Hope this helps.

You say that you can't have your eyes on him 24/7 but it sounds like you HAVE to! Not just you, of course, but you have to make sure a grown-up is always watching him! I know that's not easy. When my little boy was that age, he would still sit quietly in the pack and play and read books while I showered. It sounds like you do not really have a safe option except to always be watching.

ok, i am freaking out just reading this. I can see it happening once, but multiple times, wow. At 25 mo., it is YOUR Job to watch him 24/7 seriously. You just can't assume he is going to stay where you left him. Look at it this way, when visiting or somewhere other than home, get down on your knees and think like this little escape artist and find every concievable way he could get out or get hurt.

Are there a lot of kids out there that would rather be off by themselves than with other people?? At that age it surprises me that he would want to be alone.

I"m sure this phase will pass but be consistent and let him know this behavior is not ok.

My daughter does this (28 months) She figured out how to open doors are 18 months. It is not about being alone, it is about being outside. Outside is where everything is. If she gives me a hard time about changing her clothes or whatever, mentioning outside gets her moving. We are going on vacation in a few weeks and I am going to put a sign on the inside of the room about putting the chain on the door. She can escape everywhere and I really do NOT want to search a hotel for her. If she is not in my sight, I am checking on her every minute. I try to remind my daughter about not going outside alone but really, at age 2, it is not going to sink in yet. For stranger danger itself, I have always just told my kids about keeping themselves safe at all times, not just strangers because sometimes people we know can be a danger as well.
BTW, one day my doorbell rang and it was the woman from across the street. My d had gotten out the front door because my older kids left the hall door open (too heavy for her to pull open, thank God). I thought she was in the front room with my older kids, they thought she was with me. She was walking along the fence to our yard and the neighbor thought she looked familiar but did not see any adults with her. I have more fear of her seeing a dog across the street and her getting hit.

Wow, sounds like you have your hands full. The great escape artist!
You are right you can't keep eyes on him 24/7, but two is also very young to fully understand and grasp consequenses in the way and adult would.
I wonder if having a sit down, not about strangers, but safety could help. Use concepts he already knows - liken it to hot stoves, car seats, helmets - whatever safety lessons he understands (he sounds very bright!) and that leaving the house is fun and mommy and daddy can go with him, but leaving alone is like. . . touching a stove.
May also be helpful to remind all adults in group settings of your son's unique talents and enlist them to not only be more aware, but help be an extra set of eyes for you.
Best of luck!

i would be sure to teach him his address or put a bracelet or something on him with your phone number and address. a lot of people don't consider this, but it is important to teach stranger danger without making kids fear people who can help them, like the police. otherwise, maybe also teaching him to always ask to leave the house. maybe a 2 minute time out if he leaves by himself. he cannot truly understand why it's a big huge deal but telling him you would be so sad if he went outside and got lost may be a start.

Unfortunately, at 2 years old, they cannot be trusted or be expected to remember this rule. My son did this to us when he was almost 3 and just about gave me a heart attack. These things happen, and we just need to make sure our houses are child proofed.

Good for you for getting your house doors latched so he cannot undo them. Now, when you are traveling or at a friends'/relative's house, you will just have to be super vigilant. At least now you know what he is capable of. I still worry about this with my little one when we are traveling especially if there is a pool nearby. That terrifies me!

It's a good idea to keep reinforcing the rule about leaving through doors, etc. but do not rely on it as a safety measure in itself. Only now, my son who is now 5 can fully understand the dangers of leaving through a door and wandering off without me. Until then, vigilance is key.

Hope that helps and good luck with your little explorer!

I am not sure how to teach a 25 month old not to go out side by himself.

While you are in the process of this however-----have you considered safety door knob covers for the insides of your house doors and also the insides of his bedroom door? That did the trick at our house. Also a short shower curtain rod works great when you wedge it at the top of a sliding glass door track. The springed rod can be adjusted to just the right length (by twisting the two ends in opposite directions) to fit snuggly. You might consider buying extra baby safe door knob covers for hotel rooms, grandparents house etc.

I hope things get better. I can only suggest videos and books from the library. I never had a problem with both my sons. My friend's daughter is a different story. She wasn't even 2 and went out the sliding glass door and was in the street while mom was cooking dinner. Since then she has always been trying to get out. The locks on the door worked for a couple months. The lock at the top of the sliding glass door is still working great. She'll be four this Halloween and can comprehend staying inside much better now. I hope your son can out grow this soon!

See if you can find some sort of movie that shows what can happen. My 6 year old daughter couldn't understand why she couldn't wander off by herself or ride around the neighborhood by herself.I had her watch "Ambers Story" on Lifetime (the story about the girl that was taken off of her bike - why we now have the Amber Alert). She saw what could really happen and it scared her. Now she no longer takes off on me in stores or wants to wander off. Not sure what movie to watch though, but maybe there is some sort of DVD out there. Hope this helps and good luck!

What if you get one (or more) of those motion activated alert things? Then if he crosses the threshold, you'll hear it. They're small enough that you could take it with you. Maybe there's a portable door stop as well?

He should grow out of it within a few months, but I don't think there's any way he can "get" the danger involved. Toddlers have limited capacity to understand things and stranger danger is one of them, along with car filled streets.

Maybe use reverse psychology and encourage him to get out then he'll grow bored with it, satisfy his curiosity or since you are asking him, he'll do the opposite. :)