Ella the furniture mover
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: Toddler Times
Forum Description: Is bubs growing up and getting into everything? How do you train them to use the potty? When do you start feeding solids? Share your tips and advice here!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=18703
Printed Date: 23 July 2025 at 5:50am
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Topic: Ella the furniture mover
Posted By: Andie
Subject: Ella the furniture mover
Date Posted: 30 June 2008 at 9:25am
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Clearly Ella is considering a future in furniture removals, possibly some demolition as well. She spent weeks shifting her little chairs and table around the house constantly, to climb up on them and reach any surface in the house she liked - it drove me nuts and eventually I put the chairs away...
So now she's taken to shifting our dining chairs, making this horrendous grating screeching noise with them as they're dragged across the hard floor - I have had a headache for the last three days!! I kid you not. Not only is the noise driving me insane, but she can now reach everything she shouldn't touch - knives, any food that wasn't immediately put in the fridge or dishes not in the dishwasher (the dairy allergy is the issue here), makeup, kettle, sewing machine, any shelf or desk she likes, even the freakin oven top! Oh, and jewellery - which means that so far I'm missing a pearl earring and a diamond ring, and keep finding earrings inside my shoes. I'm at my wit's end with how to stop this, and I'm constantly telling her off and shifting chairs back, only to have her grab it again straight away - very grumpy mummy here. I'm being consistent about not letting her do it, so it seems she's always in trouble, which I hate. I'm tempted to get a set of tie-downs and strap the dining chairs to the table, but DH feels that she needs to learn (I kinda agree) - it all just means constant frustration. Did any of you have little climbers who did this? What did you do ? (or do I throw the chairs in the fire, as I'm currently tempted to do) ------------- Andie |
Replies:
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 30 June 2008 at 10:01am
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Benjy still does this, it drives me batty!
I'm firm with him and when I see him starting to move the chairs I will put it back and say "No, leave it there", and then he has a tanty and tries all of the other chairs! I don't have any magical solutions sorry, I'm at a bit of a loss myself. The only thing that kind of helps here isn't really a solution at all, which is putting him up to sit on the bench next to where I'm working. So now whenever I go into the kitchen or bathroom he comes running in shouting "alll-up! peeeese!" (up please) ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 30 June 2008 at 10:11am
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at least you can hear when she is moving the furniture and can put a stop to it immediately... nothing worse than not hearing the chair being put next to the bench and discovering later they have eaten your treat!!!! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 30 June 2008 at 11:13am
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I'm for teaching them about what they can and can't touch but then letting them have some independence. Really it's because I can't handle the tantrums. ha.
Unfortunately that means putting anything you don't want them to touch very far out of reach! (Yes that means being tidy  )
I have generally let Hannah pull her chair where she wants (it drives me mad but she just wants to learn!) so I would never let her pull her chair up to the oven. That is not OK. But she can pull her chair up to the bench etc and play around. Add some gloves and a scrubbing brush and you'd got yourself a dishwasher! But seriously... maybe give her some safe things to play with (like the scrubbing brush) and make it clear that the oven/stove is off limits, and put your makeup in a lockable box. Hrmmm... it's hard to think back to what I did and didn't let Hannah do at that age. But rest assured, they learn pretty fast and the touchy touchy stage only lasts a few months. I can now leave knives etc out (within reason) and Hannah understands that they are sharp and she shouldn't use them without me. (Damnit.. I need some wood to touch!) |
Posted By: LeahandJoel
Date Posted: 30 June 2008 at 2:18pm
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Leah likes climbing on the chairs too so we have ended up lying them down under the table so she cant do anything with them, its a bit annoying lifting them up when we want them and she makes a beeline for them when they are up, but has stopped the climbing on everything (well most things!!) If I wasn't getting towards the end of this pregnancy I might do things differently but some days its better for my sanity if she is better contained!! -------------  
 
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Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 30 June 2008 at 2:49pm
If Daniel does that I'll get bungy cords or something similar and tie the chairs to the table until I wanted to use them lol
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 30 June 2008 at 8:16pm
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Sorry, it's a phase but it's a fun phase so it will probably stick around for a while!! You'll probably just have to watch her in the kitchen, and shut your bedroom (and bathroom and toilet) door. And teach Jono to eat anything containing dairy that looks like it's left within Ella's reach.... oh yea he already does that! -------------  |