Teaching 1 year old not to throw

jesuisfatiguee

I am sorry in advance if this question is stupid, but I am kind of stumped. DS has several small wooden shapes that he loooves to play with, but playing often involves throwing, like 1 year olds are apt to do. He usually only throws one or two at a time, and I'm almost never fast enough to catch him. I feel like it would be easier to show him which toys can be thrown and which can't if he were throwing more consecutively, but it just happens in brief spurts.

I end up telling him things like, "Let's not throw these," or "Ooh, be careful; don't throw," but he's 1. Those words don't mean a whole lot to him. Any suggestions?

Emerald27

I would suggest having a "no toys can be thrown at all" policy for now...except balls...because it is so hard for kids to distinguish at that age. If nothing can be thrown, that's a much easier rule to follow than "throw this, not that."

With DS, I would always go down to his level, take both of his hands in mine and say "we do not throw toys/books/things", and then I would gently lead him over to the toy to have him pick it up or to see me pick it up. He could have it back, but if he threw it again, I would say the same thing and tell him that he needs a break from playing with x, since he can't play gently. Then I would put the toy out of his reach and suggest that he engage in another activity.

I always gave him credit for understanding much more than he could, but it worked after a while!

nosoup4u

I would put them away for a few months, get them back out when he's a little older. In the meantime, invest in some (soft) balls!

jesuisfatiguee

I think I'll just put them away for now, like @nosoup4u suggested. All his other throwable toys are soft - stuffed animals, rubber Sophie blocks - and won't be a problem. Plus, he sometimes likes to toss a stuffed animal or something back and forth with me on the floor. Baby version of "catch"  I would hate to impose a no-throwing-toys rule because of that. 

Thanks for the advice, ladies!