I have an 18 month old who loves to empty out drawers of clothes and bring them to another room in the house. She has even got into drawers of my underwear and walks around with my bras and knickers around her neck. I'm afraid that she will do it when we have visitors.
Unfortunately, we have no locks on internal doors in the house and she has been able to open doors in the last week. How do we get to get her out of this habit?
Thank you all for such wonderful replies, some of which I've laughed at..
It's funny because she has a dedicated press in the kitchen full of plastics and all other presses are off bounds; they have child-proof latches but she can still open them, the little maggot.. however she doesn't go near them much and for the seldom time she does, if I tell her "no, close it" she will close it and walk away. She also comes over to me if I open a press door and say "no" to me as well and closes the door on me. lol (she is never unsupervised in the kitchen for obvious reasons). We have a stove and she watches it being filled but NEVER has attempted to touch it. (HOT area is out for her)
Regarding the bedroom, we hadn't restricted it to her, but had other rooms restricted and she hasn't once gone into any of them unless following one of us into one, and once we say "out you go", she will leave. I like the idea of the bolt on the top of the outside doors though.. so will definitely get my husband to do that. We usually have the outside doors locked, but on the off-chance that they are not one day, we won't take that risk. We are lucky we live in a quiet country area. Our house is newly built so it's quite bare in the sense of her harming herself, but she has had her falls like they all do..
In general, she is such a good girl and responds very well to correction regarding out of bound areas. And considering we have no locks, she really knows what's out of bounds as we are both very consistent with her. There really isn't anything unsafe in our bedroom that she can get her hands on.. But having said that, maybe it's time to keep it off bounds unless we are with her. It'll be hard to backtrack on this since we have already allowed it.
I have since posting, redirected her to her own room and her own drawers of socks, hats and scarves so now she is putting on her hat and gloves and going to the front door.. lol then she throws a tantrum when ll her it's "stuck". Despite all this, she will help me to take off the "underwear" and put them back. She tidies when asked. I guess she watched me dressing and is trying to copy me. She copies me with everything... lol
BTW I'm Irish and don't know how to change the postcode to show where I live.
At 18 months, I agree blocking and locking everything is not practical or teaching her much. But also at 18 mos. she shouldn't be unsupervised long enough to get drawer after drawer emptied! Just keep an eye on what she's doing and redirect her.
You don't. Either move the things out of reach, put doorknob guards on the doors or just let her get it out of her system.
Love what Nancy said. And I would redirect to an acceptable activity when she is doing it. She will eventually lose interest. Her job at this age is to explore her world. I would restrict a real 'no' to things she really shouldn't touch like the stove.
Yep, completely developmentally appropriate. In our toddler group we called it a "dump and fill" phase. If you are concerned about your daughter getting into more mischief or danger, try using plastic doorknob covers. They slip over doorknobs and have plastic grips to grab the doorknob when pressure is applied. We used these when my brother was little and getting into everything.
In our home, we have used spring-closing hook-and-eye bolts, high up on the doors of rooms we want to keep closed. We even have one at the top of the front door, now that our 3.5 y.o. son can reach up and flip the deadbolt. Toddler-proofing is your the best bet by far. And be sure to give her other safe options for dump and fill-- even a box of toilet paper tubes will be interesting and cost you nothing. Or the container drawer in the kitchen too... very, very fun for a toddler.
For what it's worth, I don't agree with putting children this age in time out for this sort of 'dumping' behavior. It's *our* job to keep them safe; they can barely remember where they put the toy they played with two minutes ago; expecting toddlers to keep track of which areas are 'okay' and are 'off limits' is an unfair expectation of their development/cognitive abilities. Kids are smart, but shouldn't be held accountable for this at this age. It is their job to explore their world... that's how they learn.
It won't last forever, and is one of the funniest things your child can do right now. This is something she is able to accomplish at her current level of motor ability, and it must be wildly satisfying – a whole drawer of clothes!!! It is developmentally appropriate for her age. I would be inclined to allow this, or even encourage it! (But not TOO much encouragement, or you'll strip part of the pleasure out of it for her – this is something SHE is able to accomplish by herself, and is an early attempt to dress herself.)
My grandson, when somewhat younger, did this off and on over maybe four months. My daughter just smiled and let him do it when she saw how dedicated he was to both the dumping out and putting on, and we have a video we all love to watch, with him wiggling into his mommy's silky things. In fact, I'm gonna go watch that now.
This is a developmentally appropriate activity for her age, helping her build motor skills large and small, and kids love interacting with "big people" things – so much more enticing than baby toys. Is it too disruptive for you to allow this, or even encourage it? You could move your unmentionables to a higher location for the next month or two, and let her have silky scarves, ruffled blouses, and textured hats for her joy?
At some point, you can also encourage her, playfully, to put everything back. If you're willing to make the consistent effort, you can always direct her to "her" one drawer if you wish, but I guarantee this will reduce the pleasure she gets from this harmless activity. And be sure to take some pictures.
It is a phase.
They all do this....
It is developmental based. NORMAL.
Many more phases to come up.
Next will also be, emptying out the kitchen cupboards and banging on pots.
Or, dragging a stool around the house to then stand up on it, to then REACH up for things.... both my kids, went through that phase too.
Just use, baby gates, to gate off a certain room or unsafe areas.
OR, just get an eye & hook latch... and screw it in on your doors... up high, at least 6 feet up the door.
Because as you see, .... some Toddlers just LOVE LOVE LOVE opening doors, any door, and they go outside.
SO, you MUST screw in a latch, on the door. An additional latch... up HIGH on the door. So only adults, can operate it.
Just put it on any door, interior or exterior... that it is needed.
But be careful as well... that if locks cannot be operated.... and there is a fire... then a person can be trapped in the room.
My friend has THREE boys. They ALL would open the doors and escape outside. So she and her Husband, screwed in eye/hook latches on ALL their door that lead outside... up HIGH... so their acrobatic boys... could not reach up for it.
Then my other friend, her boy, while Grandma was watching him.... got outside.... by opening a door as well. Grandma didn't even know... he had gotten outside.... good thing, he was just in their driveway. Not who knows where else, in the neighborhood.
all the best,
Susan
Hi S.,
When my daughter was this age, we had a similar problem mostly with unloading bookshelves but also getting into cupboards and drawers. It's all a part of exploration and learning at that age. We didn't always want to be saying "NO! Don't do that!" because we knew it was a part of her development. So we made changes to our house so that when it came to this kind of thing we could let her "be." We put child safety locks on some cupboards and drawers, as well as on doors (the kind that were easy for us to open but not her). And we kept some drawers and cabinets open with stuff she could get into so that she could still explore and do what she liked to do. For our bookshelves, we put safety gates on them so that the books on the bottom were not accessible -- this really worked great!
Good luck!
LOL. All little ones do this. It can be so frustrating though! When my younger son was that age, he loved anything with bright colors or soft silky textures. It got to be where if I couldn't find some of my evening wear, nightgowns or accessories to my East Indian outfits, all I had to do was check his bed. He loved making nests with the stuff.
As to helping your little one, make boundaries. When my girls were this age, other than keeping them out of their room (not an option in such a tiny apartment) there was nothing I could do. There were no doors on their closet. So I set out baskets for them to put their clothes into and made my room totally out of bounds. Since you mention she can open doors, see about buying the child safe doorknob locks. You place it on the knob and you can still open it but she won't be able to. You'll be able to find them in most child care & child safety section of stores or order them offline. Every so often I'd make a sweep of the house and the girls would help me put their stuff away. It also helps if she doesn't have a lot (my girls only have about 10 outfits between them) so that makes it easier. You could also try designating one drawer she can do that with. Let her decorate it and make it her "special" drawer. My girls loved that one. There are also drawer locks to be found on baby safety sites so you could try that as well. Good luck!
Thanks for bringing a smile to my face, our 15mo old has been doing the same thing. : ) As annoying as it is at the time it is so encouraging to know that she is not the only one who likes to "reorganize" her clothes. We had room in her closet to move the dresser which solved 1/2 of the problem, as our changing table also has drawers. Fun times!
I never really liked the idea of blocking my daughter off to things (not including dangerous things, of course), because I don't feel like it teaches her anything. People used to say, "how can you have a potted plant, or that wine rack with a baby/toddler? It takes a little work but it's worth it. When your daughter takes things out of the drawer, tell her "no" firmly and have her put them back. then put her in a time out/naughty chair, whatever. teach her that this is not ok. do this EVERY time if possible.
now is great time to teach her about "off limits" areas. if you want, you can make your room off limits to her all together or when you're not in there. kids can learn things easily. they will meet our expectations, so keep them high!
time to be "mom" & teach your child rules, limitations, & boundaries.....BUT at the same time, allow her the freedom to express herself, to discover the world around her, & to be inventive with her time. Tough road to walk!!!
YOUR stuff is off-limits......& then redirect her to HER stuff. If she likes emptying drawers....then let her help you set up a 3-drawer storage unit & let her help pick out pieces of clothing from your stuff, her stuff, & all of her doll clothes. By allowing her this "ownership" of the project, she will feel some degree of autonomy & will take pride in her efforts. The 3-drawer storage unit is a perfect setup for dress-up clothes, doll clothes, & all of those all-important accessories. AND most importantly, everything has to be put back into the drawers BEFORE moving on to the next activity!!!
Make it fun & she'll run with the idea! Good Luck!
she will outgrow it my oldest used to put my underwear on his head for months before he outgrew it. mine is 6 months older than yours and outgrew it about 3months ago.
It's a perfectly normal phase and shouldn't bother family or friends if they see it. The bigger concern to me is that she's being allowed to roam around the house maybe too much. There are so many climbing and fall hazards, choking hazards, and even strangling hazards if she's putting things around her neck. You need to keep her near you or you need to use baby gates. I do believe at this age the gates should only be used when absolutely necessary because they need to learn to listen and obey.
You may need to put up a portable crib in the living room or wherever it fits. Then when she gets into anything you don't want her to, put her in there for 20 minutes or so with toys. She's not in trouble and she's not in time out. You are only using the crib as a way to teach her what you will allow and what you won't. Eventually, she'll figure out that the better behaved she is, the longer she gets to stay out of the crib.
I tell my child "no touch" when he starts to empty my drawers. He now points at the clothes in the drawers and says "no no". He occasionally still needs reminding. The other day he was emptying his drawers of some random sheets that we no longer use and throwing them down the stairs. He was being so cute about it, that I figured, why not - let him have a little fun.
How wonderful and clever of your 18 month old and don't worry about visitors.
Sounds to me as though she is copying your folding and putting away clothes. does she see you doing that? Let her help at the actual putting away of her clothes and her toys, etc. "This is where they go" "Thank you for helping mommy!" Also give her sorting toys so she can practice that skill...not to mention the fun of dressing up by giving her dress up clothes. your old ones or made over ones or costumes. She sounds very advanced to me. Just needs a bit of direction to be helpful rather than just creative. Blessing on you all and have a great a wonderful new year !! Great grandma N.
So frustrating!
We put cabinet locks on the inside of our kids dresser because I was so tired of picking up and re-folding clothes. We also do not allow the kids in our room without us there - safety issues and we do not budge! That way we also know if they are getting into the dressers.
Replace the doorknob on your bedroom with one that locks. It's not too hard to do and may just save your sanity. She does not need access to every part of the house.
I agree with Laurie G. It is time to set limits. In this instance, your things should be off limits. Let her rearrange her own things, but she needs to stay out of other people's drawers. My youngest did this, but it only took a couple of days of 'mommy's not kidding' voice everytime she went into my room to solve the problem. Then of course she started changing her clothes 5-6 times a day, but that is another story! :)
Dear Proudmama,
Don't feel bad, my daughter did it when she was less than one year. Not only that, she climbed on a drawer knob in order to get more things out of another drawer. I really got upset thinking that she could fall.
She was my precocious one. Look out, she's bored with life and has an inquisitive mind. Best thing to do is start her reading, stimulate the mind in the way you want it to grow. Thereare many materials that teach your baby to read, etc. One of the organizations that shines in this is: www.iahp.org. The Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential. It has wonderful books, materials, music math, everything to stimulate the mind in positive ways. Glenn Doman, "How to Teach Your Baby to Read", How to Teach your baby to do Math, How to teach your baby to Swim, etc. It is a worthwhile investment Good luck. Happy New Year!
You can put a baby gate across the entrance to your room. Also, you can put some of those safety latches on the drawers. Or, when you see she has your stuff, guide her in carrying it back to your room and putting it away. I would do that and then during the times you have guests, maybe use the baby gate across the doorway for added "security."
If your drawers have handles, instead of knobs, put a yard stick through them from top to bottom. With the added weight of all the drawers, she will not be able to open them any more. This worked for us. Eventually, we used a steele rod to keep ours out of them.
M.
It is just a phase that will last 6-12 months or so. My two year old is still pulling her clothes out of her drawers! And she pulls books off shelves constantly. With my son it was the tupperware. I finally put the least important tupperware in the bottom drawer where he could get at it easily and moved the rest elsewhere. I just stopped using the tupperware he played with. It gets very tiresome constantly picking these things up but it is important to their intellectual and motor development. Between 2.5-3 yrs you can start teaching them help you pick the things up and put them away. Besides, if she does manage to get into your underwear while guests are around, it will be hilarious and make for good story telling later.
Oh you made my heart full of 5 children's antics go down memory lane! We had several of our children do this and finally put things in front of the dresser so it couldn't be opened by the children and then we just moved our personal items into boxes and put them up until the stage passed. I know that if there is a will there is a way for the child to come out dressed with all your personal items just as the Bishop or Grandparents arrive!
As for her own clothes we just got cute book case for my granddaughter to hld her things and then she gets her things easier and her mom and dad don't have to worry about her climbing to the top of the dresser and jumping off-- YES she really did it but why are we surprised as her father had done the same thing! Good Luck, just remember that parenthood is just like a theme park ride with lots of excitement around every cornor and a surprise at every turn.
I agree with Denise. This is definitely a phase, and she will most likely eventually lose interest. My daughter was the same way. She will become curious with other things as time passes. Right now, it's your underwear drawers! :)
