Okay so I have a 16 month old and a 2 1/2 year old and they have been making BIG messes lately! The first mess was when they got into a cupboard that was "locked" and got the mineral oil out. :shock: My 2 1/2 year old got the top off and tried to pour it into another bottle while the 16 mo old played in the overflow! This was in the dining room and before I found them the mess was over at least 1/3 of the room...my ds was hilarious to watch as he tried to stand up and couldn't...it was like bambi...of course, I was quite concerned he'd actually hurt himself and tried to get him to sit down until I could get his clothes off and out of the mess!

Then the second mess came when once again my 2 1/2 year old got cups full of dirt out of my plant in the living room and dumped them all over the room while my 16 mo old spread and squished the dirt into all of my furniture...this happened TWICE in one day! :shock:

Okay, now I'd like to say that in both of these situations my kids KNOW not to touch or play with these things...I have taught my 2 1/2 year old since she was 8 months old not to touch plants...she KNOWS this!!! I just don't know what to do with them anymore...it really seems they feed off of each other and either the 16 mo old temps the 2 1/2 year old or the 2 1/2 year old just chooses to do things she KNOWS is wrong...I was SO furious when the dirt thing happened the SECOND time... :twisted: Fortunately, my dh came home at that moment and he dealt with the discipline while I cleaned it up AGAIN!

Has anyone else gone through a messy faze like this...please tell me this is just a faze and that it isn't a deliberate chose to misbehave to get attention. (though I have thought that maybe they are just trying to get attention...I don't know)

thanks for hearing me out. Melanie

I have 2 boys, so I am thinking that it may not be a phase, this may be life for me for a few years?? :lol: My two get into things everyday, it seems too like it is always at that time when you are indisposed and you just can't be watching them. Last week my 13 month old got into a cupboard that had spaghetti sauce in there and dropped it on the floor, uggghh talk about a mess! The other thing the two of them like to do is shake the powder on the carpet!
I am not sure if I have any great ideas on how to stop it, but just wanted to let you know your not alone on this one! I guess I try to keep things up and out of the way as much as possible, but I know this isn't always possible!

yeah, I think I may have over reacted a little on the dirt issue. I guess I am going to have to realize that they are toddlers and that they will make messes as they learn. Being so strick and harsh with them won't teach them it will just make mommy mean! and I don't want my kids loosing their childhood because I expect too much from them. Though I do beleive they need to behave, they are just kids!

My mil said I should just get used to it because they will feed off of each other, especially being so young. I remember stories my sister told me when her kids did things like this at the toddler stages. I guess that is my answer hugh...they are toddlers!

((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))

That's all ;).
I know how you feel!!

I know so well how you feel! My 2yo KNOWS to stay out of the laundry room, but that's where we keep the cat food and litter boxes, so we have a cat door. She just taught my 9mo how to crawl through the cat door!

So, about twice a day, I walk into the laundry room to find cat food all over the floor, the cat water dish filled with cat food and my daughters giggling over it all. So, I break out the Mommy Look and the Stern Voice, they spend time in their rooms, and I forget about it as I get involved with other aspects of my life. Until the 2nd time, when I usually leave the mess for my poor DH, lol.

[chorevacuum] My ds has got into the plant dirt a number of times, he likes to drive his cars in it. Or he buries his toy animals in the dirt. Water! He seems drawn to it! My dd has an easy-bake oven, while one day my ds & his cousin got into the cake mixes & dumped the powder all over the basement rug! What A Mess!!!

Thanks for sharing your stories, I was beginning to think maybe I was the only one with kids that made messes...I know that is not true but sometimes it is nice to know that others are cleaning messes along with you.

Melanie

My oldest son lavishly sprinkled cleanser on the wooden coffee table and then rubbed it all over. He also sprinkled baby talc all over his younger brother. :roll:

I just wanted to let you know that yesterday I was giving my youngest a bath, as I was lifting him out, I thought wow there is a really strong smell of baby powder. I walked into the living room to find my eldest ds had emptied whatever was left in the container of powder ALL OVER his grandma's carpet. I think it was about 1/2 full! :shock: :?
you just have to love this age :lol:

I can't remember any of my kidlets making any big messes, but I think it's probably because I never gave them even half a chance. :lol:

On the other hand... Madre, your story of your son sprinkling cleanser on the cofee table reminded me of something that I did when I was not even two years old. :lol: One day, my mom put me in my crib for a nap and later came back into my room to vacuum and polish my furniture. I saw her taking a rag (an old cloth diaper) and the wood oil and she polished my big cherry dresser. A day or two later, when I was supposed to be napping, I crawled out of my crib for the first and only time :wink: , dragged the rocking chair over to my taaalll cherry dresser, climbed up on the rocking chair :shock: , opened up the top drawer where my mom kept my diapers, powder, and lotion, and took out a fresh cloth diaper and the lotion. I proceeded to polish the dresser, using LOTS of baby lotion and rubbing it into the wood really well. *cringe* Aaaaah, I remember it like it was yesterday. Mommy was so pleased. [girlsmiley] I think this must have been when and where I first discovered my love for cleaning. [rotfl] [rotfl]

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Joy [welcomewave]