Reasons Why Your Toddler is Climbing on Everything

Seeing a baby try to climb onto the couch for the first time is lovely. A video of their battle with the La-Z-Boy might be the only way you’ll be able to relive the adorableness of it all. In this article, you will learn some of the reasons why your toddler is climbing everything.

Observe your toddler as they attempt to scale every piece of furniture and vertical structure in their path; that wonderful sensation may be gone in a matter of weeks or months. Welcome to the crazy world of raising a toddler, no matter how hectic.

Parents may find it difficult to control their children’s climbing habits, but it is essential to their child’s gross motor skill development. A couch cushion or bookcase can also be destroyed by it. However, safety is the most pressing issue for the majority of parents. It is possible for your child to be injured if they fall.

Attempting to stop a toddler from climbing is sure to fail. To prevent your child from injuring themselves, you need first identify what motivates them to climb in the first place and then look for ways to divert that desire.

Reasons Children Climb

Climbers do it because they can (or at least can try to). At roughly 18 months of age, children begin to develop better control over their body motions. It dawns on them that throwing the ball, sprinting across the park, and pulling themselves up onto furniture are all things they are capable of.

At first glance, your toddler’s desire to sit on the couch like their parents is benign. However, once your child discovers the power in their body, they may want to test the limits of their abilities just like they do with anything else.

For some children, the inevitable falls and understandable apprehension of the high places are enough to discourage them from going too far over their limitations. Children are readily deterred from climbing if they are reminded that chairs are for sitting and bookcases are not steps.

However, there is another type of personality that will not be deterred. Climbing is an exciting experience for these 2-year-olds and toddlers. They desire to exercise their muscles and satiate their curiosity about what’s on the upper shelf. For this reason, toddlers with older siblings maybe even more determined climbers.

Stopping a Climber: A Simple Guide

You can’t stop a climber until you remove anything that can be piled vertically from your home. In all honesty, you don’t want to (at least not in the long run).

For young children, climbing is a fantastic approach to acquiring strength, flexibility, and stability. It’s also a good approach for kids to get to know their surroundings and build self-esteem.

Climbing isn’t permitted in some places and situations, even if you waive your no-climbing rule at home (such as a church or a relative’s unchildproofed home). Avoid making it appear that climbing is outlawed by using punishment tactics to curb the habit.

It’s best to avoid climbing if your reaction to it is overtly dramatic and loud. One of the most dangerous toddler behavior traps is turning the banned into a game that attracts a parent’s attention.

Encourage and Motivate a Toddler to Try New Things

However, just because your youngster enjoys mounting tall (and not-so-tall) things doesn’t indicate they’ll just be pleased doing so. The drive to climb is rooted in a child’s need to be physically active. Keeping your toddler’s feet on the ground is a great way to avoid the stress and confusion that comes with climbing.

The first step is to realize that toddlers are not meant to remain still. It can be helpful to accept that reality when confronted with an unruly child.

Next, allow your youngster plenty of time and room to walk about in their room. A couple of hours in the backyard or on the playground is ideal, and a child may feel the need to nap or relax afterward due to exhaustion. But as soon as they wake up, they’ll be raring to go.

Keeping your child in a small area, or providing just “sit-and-be-calm” toys, is a surefire way to cause your toddler to start climbing the walls. Instead, create spaces where children can safely climb. Look for a place, whether it’s indoors or outside, that allows your youngster to be a little more independent.

That space should be filled with toys that inspire children to be active and soft things youngsters can stack up and climb on, like pillows, couch cushions, and blankets. Your child’s desire to climb can be lessened if they have a playmate nearby. Even if they’re merely playing in parallel, a climbing buddy can take away the desire for some climbers to seek out something more exhilarating.

Help Protect Young Climbers!

Of course, you’ll still leap in terror every time you see your baby perched precariously on a window ledge or dangling from a chandelier despite your best efforts at acceptance and distraction. Focus on creating a safe atmosphere for tiny ones who will (inevitably) fall when you know you can’t stop them from climbing.

Keeping an eye on the security of a child’s crib is an important consideration. In most cases, it doesn’t take long for climbers to master the crib’s sides. Crib tents are one method some parents use to keep their infants secure in their cribs.

If your toddler spends a lot of time outside of the nursery, look for ways to make the space more kid-friendly, such as:

• You can help your child access bookshelves and other high places by placing a safe step stool for toddlers near them.

• Preparing for your child’s preschool years by putting away items that will pique the interest of curious toddlers. This is only a temporary solution.
• As a precaution, move furniture away from the windows and double-check that all of the windows are securely fastened.

It is always a good idea to anchor heavy furniture to the wall using affordable, easy-to-install anchors (sold at hardware and home improvement stores). You can also strap down your TV if it is not already placed on the wall. If a television falls on a youngster, they can be seriously wounded or even killed.

From the Mouths of Verywell

Climbing is a developmental stage that all toddlers go through. The stress you’re feeling right now won’t last forever. You’ll be relieved when your child stops climbing on everything, but you’ll be worried when they discover something new.