DS is following in DD's energetic footsteps....ideas?

[~*Nicole*~]

I KNOW they all go through this phase. The wanting to be EVERYWHERE and get into EVERYTHING....but boy is it wearing me out!

We're smack in the middle of the phase where we've been crawling and cruising for awhile now, DS does stand for a few seconds on his own, and he's mastered crawling up the stairs in a matter of ummmmm well, on about his first attempt! Now he makes a beeline for the steps any chance he gets and screams when you take him off. We shut the door so he can not access them but as soon as someone opens it, he's heading straight there.

He is also in the not wanting to be put into any contraption stage and has been for awhile now. He can tolerate an exercauser or something like that for a few minutes. A highchair or booster seat only if he's actively being fed or eating himself. I can use cheerios or puffs to keep him occupied for a bit but he's having a hard time with digestion so I really need to limit these. I've tried other finger foods but he tends to just gag or choke on them at this point and so I need help him handle those and it doesn't give me much time to do things like cook dinner! LOL

He grabs for ANYTHING he can see and reach. Tries to climb up the TV stand to get to remotes, pulls each and every DVD down off the shelf....he is trying to "type" on the keyboard as I am typing right now and I keep trying to either hold him or relocate him but he's not having any of it. He is also, of course, in the pick up anything off the floor and eat it regardless of what it is stage. Super safe!

He likes to be held if I am standing and therefore moving. If I sit down, forget he, he wriggles to get down. He hates being put in his carseat or stroller or cart at the store right now b/c none of those options affords him MOVEMENT. If he's not moving, he is fussy.

He's otherwise a pretty mellow kid. He doesn't freak out about being hungry or needing to be changed or things like that. He tolerates OT pretty well, also. We have sleep props from reflux/tummy trouble stuff so he's a bit feisty about going to sleep if he's not rocked, but after this whole long winded post....

Any tips for being able to keep him STILL or contained long enough to accomplish a task.....like say EAT something, cook dinner, use the bathroom?? Is plopping him in a pack n' play or crib or bouncy chair strapped in and letting him scream my only choice? (Usually I don't do this, but earlier today trying to use the bathroom and have him IN the bathroom where I could keep an eye on him and keep him away from the stairs and not have him screaming was SO SO irritating as he was climbing up on me while I was on the toilet and he was grabbing at everything and scratching me and leaning into the bathtub....sigh.)

So, just looking for ideas for keeping him safe and contained and HAPPY if at all possible, in particular while we are out places....like other people's not so child proofed homes, stores, etc.

Thanks!

[*Liz*]

Would a box of 'forbibben stuff' he can have help at all? I used to have stuff like Mummies magazine, an old remote, an old mobile phone, melamine cups etc in a box that he could have and then think he was playing with our stuff. I would give the, stuff like that and then put them whe I am - like on the kitchen floor for example.

They both used to love going through the 'safe' cupboard in the kitchen as well.

[~*Nicole*~]

Liz-I had forgotten about the "forbidden" stuff....I do have an old remote and old cell phone. Will find those things and some others (keys!!! totally forgot about keys!) today

Thanks!!!!

[CCCmom27]

We're in the same stage!  DS2 is always on the move and always wants to go to the room I'm not in.  I feel like I should pretend to want to be in a room I don't want to just so he'll go where I actually want to go!  I have a safe cabnit in the kitchen with old tupperware and plastic spoons, etc. that he pulls out.  DS1 started putting small noisy balls inside the tupperware and DS2 thought it was great!  I try to save the confining things for when I absolutely need them (like making dinner!) and keep him contained at least in the room with me by using baby gates.

I'm also having the bathroom issue.  Not so long ago it seemed like I'd sit him on the floor give him a few bath toys and he was good now he's leaning into the tub and I'm afraid he's going to go head first in!

At stores I tend to give him 'safe' things out of my purse after he's had enough sitting in the cart playing with his toys.  Sometimes it works sometimes not...

[~*Nicole*~]

Compiling this issue....he is in the throwing things phase as well!!!!! So handing him anything to occupy him in his highchair or cart.....he thinks it's super fun to throw it down to the ground and see what happens. LOL Then he's fussy because I don't want to or can't hand it back to him right away all the time.

I have let him use the tupperware cabinet for fun. I also have baby gates.

Fun times!

[We Three]

I was going to say the same as Liz....how about a big rubbermaid bin...BIG...like on he can stand up at? Put all kids of stuff in there...a big plastic ladle,  a keychain with fun keychains attached iykwim, a muffin tin, empty cereal boxes, etc.  That might buy you 10 minutes?

 Another fun thing I recently saw online...someone took old vacuum hose (or just go to Home Dept and buy plastic hose) and cut it into 3 lengths of about a foot.  Then they taped the lengths to the wall using painters tape (no damage to the wall with that) and gave thier child a few ping-pong balls. Their baby loved to drop the balls into the hoses, see them come out the bottom, then crawl to retrieve them, and go back and do it over and over....! Might be worth a shot?

 Not many ideas for the shops....except to time it for lunch time and keep handing him little bits of sandwhich in the stroller...? 

[CCCmom27]

Thinking ping pong balls are a choking hazard at this age...

[We Three]

Hmmm...maybe they were golf balls?   

[~*Nicole*~]

Neat ideas!

[Mama_Mia]

Back when I had my four LO's we had a full size playpen. Not like these tiny pack and plays they make now. And it was a life saver. If I had known about the play yards you can buy now, I would have got one for M when he was young enough to get used to it......

As far as ideas go..Sorry, I really dont have any. I have been through what your going through and I tried all the tricks but in the end nothing helped. Even now at 17 months he is such a busy body that feels the need to be constantly moving. He hasnt figured out how to happily play on his own yet, so I am usually crawling around on the floors with him, or playing in his toybox or playing hide and seek.