Forum From toddler to preschooler

Toddler throws everything off the table, window sills, etc.

2 replies

HildaGuest ·
Hi, we're really at our wits' end here. Our 2.5-year-old daughter is currently throwing all our stuff. The plants are getting knocked off the table, the flower pots and decorations are being pulled off the window sills, and the fairy lights (which obviously don't even light up) are getting broken. I'm going completely crazy. We're trying everything from ignoring it to firmly grabbing her arm, to sending her to timeout, but nothing works. If you ignore it, she just keeps throwing things. If you punish her, she just walks over and does it again. The annoying thing is that she just does it out of nowhere, whether we're playing together or she's playing on her own, whatever. Is this a phase? Does anyone recognize this? How did you handle it? I understand that she's testing boundaries, but I don't want to put all the stuff away. She needs to learn to leave it alone, right? It's such a shame because so much has already been broken, even a piece of furniture that was already damaged.

Replies

  1. Hilda started this #2

    Oops, I see a lot of typos but I'm not so experienced here and can't get rid of them, hopefully you'll overlook them :-)
  2. Saar Guest #3

    Phew, that sounds tough!

    Does she seem really impressed when you give her a timeout? Like, does she cry when you put her in the hallway? Maybe your punishment isn't 'harsh' enough? I'd stay consistent with punishments, for example, if she goes to the windowsill, clearly say "no" or "eh eh" in a stern voice. If she continues, immediately put her in the high chair, or on the stairs if she keeps sitting there. Maybe let her sit there for 10 minutes or so? And if she goes back to the windowsill, do it again immediately, so she definitely makes the connection between naughty behavior and punishment?

    If this doesn't work, I'd give her a little smack on the hand. Opinions on this are naturally very divided, and I'm not saying you should hit your child hard, but if other punishments don't work or aren't understood, I don't see anything wrong with a pedagogical smack (not on the head!).

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