Help!!!! - Mountain View,CA

Limit his access. Childproof a playroom and put up a gate. Take him to the playground. Don't leave him in the kitchen or bathroom alone.

He's a two year old boy: Destroying everything is what they do. You can't stop them, only contain the destruction.

Welcome to mamapedia!!

where are his parents? why is he not in day care if you can't take care of him?

Why not give him things he CAN do? Coloring. Magnetic alphabet and numbers. colors and shapes. He's two - he needs to LEARN and GROW - being told NO all the time is NOT going to help him learn about what he CAN do.

Get down on his level and PLAY with him. Sing to him. Sing WITH him. Go to the library with him for reading time. Mountain View is an exclusive area in California. I'm sure the libraries have a LOT of neat things for kids to do!

Good luck!

Um... You're a grandmother. So you've been down this road before. How did you do it the first time?

Give him something he CAN get into.
Try getting a large cardboard box from an appliance store and then he can help you make a fort out of it.
You/he can use sheets, pillows, blankets, you can cut out windows, he can decorate by drawing on it, etc.
When it's finished, you can read him a story inside it using flashlights (it makes any story time more fun!) and he can even nap inside it.
When it gets worn out you can recycle it.
Building forts is great fun - kids are very creative when building one!

Childproof your home & watch him?
Have age appropriate toys & activities available?

I don't understand. How is it that he's getting into some of these things?

Houses have to be childproofed, with breakables and dangerous things put up high, and cabinet locks installed. You can buy these in any hardware or discount department store, or on line. A 2 year old can't open a refrigerator - if somehow yours is defective and the seal isn't strong enough, replace the seal or get a fridge lock or special velcro strap he can't reach and undo. What is he drinking that's a problem? All cleaning fluids have childproof caps. So do medicine bottles which can easily be put up high.

You put the tupperware in the bottom cabinets and you let him play with them. You have another cabinet or a lower shelf of a bookshelf or a toy chest (with a safe hinge) that hold age-appropriate toys. You can pick up lots of things at yard sales from people who are happy to unload the stuff their kids have outgrown.

You go to the library to story hour for toddlers, and you ask the children's librarian to help you find books to borrow. You sit and read to this child.

You go outside with a little bucket and encourage him to pick out rocks and leaves to bring home. You get a used stroller and a couple of wheelie toys so he gets exhausted and exercise.

You sit on the floor and do those puzzles with the big pieces, and you get a set of wooden blocks.

With a 2 year old, you don't lecture about what not to touch or wring your hands because he's curious. You redirect and distract him with something he CAN play with. You recognize that he has a 15 minute attention span and you need to have other things for him to do when he tires of the first thing.

You raised this child's parent, right? You did it without as many conveniences and safeguards as they have today.

I think you have to decide what your plan is. Is he now living with you? Just visiting, staying there while mom and dad go somewhere like a long weekend trip? Are you babysitting him while his parents work now?

Once you define your role in it all you can decide which way to go.

*****************************
If I was babysitting my 2 year old grandson and he was going to be at my house 5 full days per week until he starts school I'd clean my house and put things up he isn't supposed to have contact with.

Remember that anything that can fit through a toilet paper roll center is a choke hazard for this age child. A toy that has small wheels like Hot Wheels are choke hazards, puzzle pieces, raisins, marshmallows, gummies, Legos, and more.

A 2 year old can drown in the toilet too so keep the bathroom doors locked/secured with devices you can get at hardware stores and even Walmart. Cleaners and laundry stuff goes up over the washer and dryer now, over the sink, out of sight and out of reach. Period. They drink they die. They put their hands in Drano they lose their hands. Etc....

Then work on teaching him what he can and cannot touch and what boundaries you have. A gate in each doorway where he can't go is a lifesaver. Putting stuff up out of his reach is wonderful for him and you.

***************************

If I was taking in one of my grand kids and they were 2 I'd set their room up and teach them that toys that come out of their room go in time out. I do not allow toys all over the house. Their toys are theirs and they need to keep them out of the general space everyone uses.

I would give them plenty of age appropriate toys BUT I'd put some up so we could rotate the toys every couple of months. This way it's like having new toys to play with. I'd also make sure that there weren't a LOT of toys on the shelves or in the toy box because when they see chaos they feel chaos and they don't deal with it well and won't play with toys at all.

So put out about 12 toys and put the rest up and keep them fresh by changing them out. Teaching him the rules at your house should be done with a lot of patience if he's living there now. He's probably going through a lot of fear and missing his parents.

*******************************************

If he's just there on vacation and mom and dad are there you need to have a talk with them. Ask them how to proceed and keep him out of stuff without you having to move every single thing in your house that is in his reach. They should be watching him too.

**************************************

If he is just over he needs to learn to mind you. It's your home and he's not supposed to act like this.

Playpen, child/dog fence or get rid of anything within his reach. Good luck.

schedule activities for him to do... craft time, story time, have age appropriate things for him to play with (blocks, lego duplos, and other toys that he enjoys)
childproof your home so that he cannot access the things tht could harm him (cover outlets, lock up chemicals, baby gates to prevent falls down stairs etc)
watch him and play with him.

I babysit my 3 yo and 17 month old granddaughters. San Quentin has nothing on my house. Gates up, locks on cabinets with cleaning products etc. they are very safe but have a blast. Of course, my eyes are always on them. If however, I cannot watch them every moment, I know there is nothing they could get into. Caring for your grandchildren is different. This is my full time job that I take very seriously. Yes I do some things around the house while they are there, but for the most part things wait until they leave.

If he is there often you need to invest in babyproofing gadgets. Babyproof the sockets, the wires, the cabinets, the toilet, the doors. Buy child gates to stop him from going into certain rooms or up stairs if needed. Put the things you do not want him to get into up high or away in a closet. Give him interesting things to play with and keep an eye on him...don't let him go around getting into things alone! Give him something super cool to do...make edible play doh, set up a water table on your back patio and sit and watch him play with little water toys like a watering can. Google fun sensory activities for a 2 year old for ideas.

control the environment not the kid - set up gates to block him from where you don't want him to be, install child locks, rearrange things as needed - it's not the kids' fault when an environment is not set up for them