Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Feeling Dumped On

Is pouring a developmental stage? Seriously.

I didn't really go through this with B, not to this degree.

In the past month, I've swept up:
  • a cannister of flour from the kitchen floor
  • a cannister of sugar from the kitchen floor
  • countless cups of milk from the table and/or floor
  • the container of salt
  • the contents of my pampered chef dill seasoning
  • the contents of my ground red pepper
  • more milk
  • jugs of juice, cups of juice, pitchers of juice
  • pool water, carried in from outside
  • baskets of toys, over and over and over
  • every box of baby wipes, over and over and over

The kid does not go unattended, but I don't hover either. Left to his own devices for more than 1 minute, he will pour something out onto the floor. I realize he's curious, I know I need to give him opportunities (which he gets in the tub, at the pool, playing with toys, etc...) to pour because he obviously loves it.

The messes. The constant messes. Are enough to make this mama a bit grumpy. Just a bit.

14 comments:

mama edge said...

I imagine your child's internal voice as follows: "What if I lift this? And turn it over? Ooh! Stuff comes out! Weee! What? Oh. No more stuff falling out. ... But what if I lift this? And turn it over? Oooh!..." This could be great fun for many months to come, so you may want to get a quality hand vac, and perhaps some valium.

Jenifer said...

I did not have any dumping from my girls, but my friends son did his fair share at around 2. He would systematically go around my house dumping everything he could find in a basket or bin. I quickly learned to move them before he came over.

My guess is they are just fascinated with the process. Maybe make him a dumping area and tell him that everything here can be dumped and nothing else? I realize he might not get it right away...but eventually.

Midwest Beach Girl said...

Alaina did it to KT for awhile. So, Katie got a tuperware container and filled it with kidney beans. She gave her a little scoop and now she can dump and scoop those little suckers all she wants!!

It's either that or a sandbox I suppose.

nikkis30by30 said...

My Z went through this, as I told you on the phone. I know it's awful and hard.... but TRY and relax. Some day you will look back and laugh at this. I promise you will. I know it's hard. I really do. But once again I can't lie.... this made me giggle!!!!

nikkis30by30 said...

My Z went through this, as I told you on the phone. I know it's awful and hard.... but TRY and relax. Some day you will look back and laugh at this. I promise you will. I know it's hard. I really do. But once again I can't lie.... this made me giggle!!!!

nikkis30by30 said...

My Z went through this, as I told you on the phone. I know it's awful and hard.... but TRY and relax. Some day you will look back and laugh at this. I promise you will. I know it's hard. I really do. But once again I can't lie.... this made me giggle!!!!

Mimi in the Midwest said...

I was going to say, be happy he could be twins , but nik30 has that covered with triplet comments! Dump & pour is a stage. Our #2 son was the one I noticed it with, the others, not so much. I think it was because with son #1 he had all of our attention and #3-4 were girls.

Mimi in the Midwest said...

Have to add- Kids in shower, take two out and dress them in bedroom 3 feet from shower, what's that sound?, walk into bathroom, step in water, son #2 had put the wash cloth over the shower drain and the water was overflowing onto the floor, down the heat register, into the basement, onto the spare bed, over the side into the under-the-bed tub full of Christmas wrapping paper- I froze! Didn't it only take me 5 minutes to dry & dress two babies right next to the shower? I left that mess until Daddy got home and he could help me clean up. Sure glad he wasn't playing with matches.

Anonymous said...

The Kidney beans work great. I let her pick out what ever containers she wants to dump in from the tupperware cupboard.
But before I got that great idea, I had to clean up the dried cereal that she dumped out to pick out the marshmallows. The final straw was when I was unloading groceries from the car one day and didn't notice the lid was off the catfood until after she had used the scoop to create a little mountain of cat food over the entire food dish AND she filled the water dish (full of water as well) with food.
I sat down and laughed for a while, and then showed her how to scoop the dry food back into the bowl while I dumped soggy cat food into the trash. Thus the beans idea was born.

Mimi said...

Oh geez, I feel for you!

A sandbox maybe? That way when he inappropriately dumps something, you can redirect outside, to the sandbox.

Maybe?

Aliki2006 said...

I think it's definitely a developmental stage! Stick him in the tub with a bunch of cups of water and let him do his damage there!

Mimi in the Midwest said...

OM, that stage will be over before Halloween. Maybe sooner since he's at a group daycare and they don't let that happen. A friend of mine died of kidney disease in her late 50's. Her son eulogized her by telling the story of when he filled the entry way (inside the house) with the garden hose from outside. His mom went and got a cardboard box for a boat and they sailed in the entryway. Now that's a memory!!!!!!!

Melanie D. said...

We have cups and sandbox toys of all sorts to dump and pour in the tub. Problem being, the water usually ends up poured outside of the tub! I should just be grateful that I have a healthy and curious son who does these active things and stop whining!

Michelle said...

I think it actually is a developmental stage! Hope he satifies his curiosity soon enough!