Does your 2-3 year old do this? Or is mine weird?

MelissaMc22 · December 2009

Jack always carries"things" in his hands. Always. In bed, naps, in the car, at the store, always. The "things" vary every few days, but have specifc meaning to him and last afew days until he rotates them.

For example, today he had a miniature fishing pole that goes to a game, two rocks, a piece of yellow plastic that came in the packaging to one of his gifts and a half torn Carters Tag from S's shirt.

He doesnt really "play" with them exactly, just carries them around messing with them in his hands. He knows exactly which onbes are there and flips if one is missing.

Today at Kroger, he dropped one of the rocks and i didn;t notice and he had an absolute meltdown until we found it. Surprised someone didn't throw it away!

Is this normal? I guess it is just some weird things that tw year olds do, but I don;t know- it is kndof getting out of hand. I never know what I can/can't throw away at home and keeping up witheach item while we are out is impossible.

Just curious anyone's thoughts...

Thanks!

pinkylu · December 2009

I used to baby sit a little boy who would get attached to random household objects for a day or two. He would take them everywhere. One day I even let him take a nap with the mop in his crib...whatever

riabiron · December 2009

I think it may be a boy thing. both my brothers did it.

LoriZ · December 2009

I think every kid just has their personal quirks. Allison will still shove absolutely anything into her mouth. Yesterday while I wasn't looking I heard her say, "Mmm, good." She had the heel of my shoe in her mouth.

sistrkate · December 2009

Justin does this too. He likes to take things in bed, in the car, in the tub......I usually draw the line at a few things, like taking stuff in the tub if it's going to get ruined. I don't let him take things in the store unless we are using the stroller because I'm afraid he'll lose them. He'll leave them in the car as long as I tell him it's so they will stay "safe" there. I think Jack is normal, I think it's just a phase they go through at this age.

adamsbabble · December 2009

Ava has weird habits too, similar to this, and while I wouldn't be worried about just one or two weird things, I think collectively Ava is showing me signs that she is going to be JUST like her father, who I'm not calling weird, but is just a tad on the OCD side and is very particular about things to say the least.

Ava will also carry specific things around, and will have a meltdown if something is lost or taken away. She has a lunchbox she carries her selected items of the moment in (for when we go out) but when we're at home she often just holds on to them and has to keep them with her when she's sitting at the table, watching a show, playing, etc. There are times when I don't want her to have them (like when she lays down at night) and she'll ask for them. Rather than telling her "no" I tell her "yes, you can have them after your rest" and somehow changing how I say it (not saying no) makes all the difference but yet yields the same result that I want. I also just try to keep certain things I don't want her to have out of sight and therefore out of mind. The big thing that she likes to have with her is her mimi (pacifier), but it isn't necessarily to have in her mouth, just to carry around... and sometimes she'll carry 2 or 3 of them with her. In general she's just very picky and particular about everything. Things have to be her way, arranged the way she wants and when she's happy with the order of things she'll say "There. Perfect." and if they get out of order or messed up she'll cry and say "it's messy!" and basically have a total meltdown. She even does this with her food at a meal. I have the placement of her cup, plate, etc. down to a science. Overall I'm trying not to worry about it being too "Rainman-ish." I figure a lot of this could just be her personality. There are lots of healthy adults who also happen to just be very picky (my husband, and even me to a degree but I think we still fall into the healthy range with our quirks).

I try to keep the peace by letting her have things the way she wants, and respect that these things are important to her, but as with everything there is a fine line between respecting this and not fostering bad, unhealthy habits. When enough is enough, I stand my ground with her. Afterall, I am the adult and she is the 2 year old. She may have a meltdown as a result, and to be honest, I just walk away from it (figuritively and sometimes literally). I'd comfort her and console her if she'd let me, but that's not her personality. I let her have her meltdown, and then she's over it in a minute or two.

curlypie1 · December 2009

Nora's biggest attachments are her blanket and pacifier. She has to have them nearby at all times when we're at home. Thankfully, she doesn't have to have them when we leave the house though. She goes through phases with her junk collection. She puts it all in what she calls her diaper bag which is an old camera case. She likes to put her drawings and stickers and such in there. 2 year olds are very quirky and it must give Jack some security to have those items around. I can see your frustration with finding his priceless rock at Krogers though!

AgathiP04 · December 2009

When Niko was Jack's age, he carried around a Veggie Tales book opened to the Madame Blueberry page. He took Madame Blueberry everywhere and talked to her. "Madame Blueberry, it's time to eat!" and he would feed her. I think he had at least one other object after the Madame Blueberry book wore off, but I can't think of it.

If it makes you feel better, he doesn't do it anymore

MrsMoher · December 2009

Eli doesn't do random stuff, but he always has to have a toy or stuffed animal. It's like they don't know what to do with their hands unless their is something in them constantly.

nire99 · December 2009

DS did this for several months after he turned one. My favorite was the vanilla pudding cup he ended up carrying around for two weeks. Must be some kind of phase. He eventually grew out of it.

bgsugrad · December 2009

DD does the VERY SAME thing! She always has something in her hands (usually both)....and it's always odd things - during Christmas, she always wanted to hold Mary (from our nativity set).... and it was only Mary....she was just the right size and fit in her hand. She carries around my MIL's curlers too...usually one in each hand. She always needs to hold something when she rides in the car and when she goes to bed....and yea, it's always the weirdest things! I think it's pretty normal....let's hope! LOL! :-)

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Does your 2-3 year old do this? Or is mine weird?

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