Climbing

DawnJM25

DS is 20 mo and he climbs on EVERYTHING. I can't take my eyes off him.  DD climbed but she wasn't quite the daredevil that DS has become. If you have/had a climber, when did they stop?!?!?!

momofmanyinthemitten

They never stop, they just develop more balance.

anna.ce

Ds doesn't stop but as he's getting older, he listens more. But still likes to climb on things. It'll get better when they get older.. With climbing on things anyway.

DawnJM25

I posted this in a moment of frustration after DS had been on the kitchen table 3+ times yesterday morning. I should have worded it different- given his personality, I don't expect the climbing to stop necessarily, but I'm looking forward to the point that he can follow directions. We tried a timeout a couple of weeks ago, and he stood in the timeout spot dancing for the whole minute. To no music. This one keeps me on my toes!

=Lee=B

Some kids NEED to climb.  Try to set up areas where he can safely climb to get that need fulfilled. 

My cousin was a climber...she was damn good at it.  I remember when she was about 2.5 she learned to climb the door frames...right to the top.  Just scaled the frames...she was skilled at it, it didn't harm anything so they just let her climb.

She got more skilled, found more challenges and it was never really a problem.  The main thing right now is ensuring he has safe places to climb until his skills catch up with him and he can go climb a tree on his own! 

Is he a child that has a great sense of body spatial awareness?  Some kids are just skilled and even at 20months can climb safely...other kids lack in this and end up on their heads all the time.  If he is already intune with his body and the dangers of falling etc then you can worry less while trying to teach what is and isn't appropriate to climb.

My 17month old is very intune with her body and her surroundings.  She quickly thinks things through and figures out how to use her body to master what she wants to scale.  We don't worry about her too much...but we do enforce what is and isn't acceptable (which as you know is not easy).  We just signed her up for toddler gymnastics with the expectation she will enjoy it, excel at it as it has challenges for her AND that she'll learn to master her body even more...and get the need to climb out of her system.  Any chance your son could join such a class?

 

shipsshoessealingwax

My son is & always has been extremely active. We let him climb w/in reason, but he also knows to listen when we correct him (whether or not he CHOOSES to is another story). We get outside a lot & have both indoor & outdoor trampolines. He has an outdoor climber & slide. We go to the park. On extra-busy days we go to a bounce house play center & stay ALL DAY LONG just so he can get it out of his system!