[Summer95]

First time mother to a wonderful 19 month boy, whom we just brought home two weeks ago. When he (Andrew) was brought to us at the hotel he could not walk without assistance and now it is run, run, run, run, run...

Trust me I am not complaining, my dh and I are very happy with his progress, however, I can't seem to offer him anything that will hold his attention for longer then five minutes. Not even television! My mother tells me that this is normal for a child his age. She said that when he is around two years old, he will begin to focus more on games, puzzles, books, etc... I can't even get past the first page of a book without him taking it out of my hands, placing it on his head, throwing it to the floor and using it as a step stool in order to reach something he shouldn't be touching.

He is a happy, fun, and intelligent young boy. He learns quickly and has already picked up about twenty English words. However, it seems as if he is bored at home. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can get him or do with him that will keep his attention? We are involved in actitives outside the home, this questions focuses more on activites at home. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

[Chop]

My dd was the same way we laugh that she went from crawling to sprinting! Take it in stride, everything is still very new to him and he will begin to mature and calm down soon. Some great advice we were given with reading is just continue to read to him even if he is running around or playing not paying attention to the book. He is still getting to hear English, intonation and sentance structure.

[Chop]

Oh one more thing. Also with our dd everything about her is learned like walking. She seems delayed for the longest time and then bam she gets it! She didn't talk until she was 3 but when she did we couldn't shut her up! She wouldn't say her abc's then over night she got it! She didn't get reading then the light went on. Now if I could just get her to tie her shoes...I am still learning too.

[wvamom]

I think it's just the toddler stage--quick, get rid of everything breakable before he does it for you! (Can you tell I'm at the same stage?) One thing our toddler will sit still for is playdough. I can buckle him into his booster seat, give him playdough and a few "tools" to go with it (toy plastic pizza cutter, cookie cutter, etc) and he will last for almost a half hour. This for a kid who NEVER sits still!

Good luck--even if the running doesn't actually end, at least the listening gets better.

Carolyn

[pmgor]

I have an almost 18 month old and understand *completely* waht you are talking about. ONe thing that is really important for my little tornado is outside time. He needs to play out in the sun and wear himself out.

He is also just gotten home so he's really experimenting a lot and understanding his new enviroement.

My son also does not watch tv for any more than a few minutes and he has been home since 4.5 months.

[Kesti]

Oh it is normal, my second Guatemala princess could barely move at 7 months due to rare interaction from her foster family and now WORLD LOOK OUT she is all over the place. My princess No. 1 is a handful in a diff. way and Princess No. 2 is on the run lol
Just wait for the terrible twos lol

One thing we do have is a playhouse inside of the house which she loves and we have a slide set that really belongs outdoors. These items take up a lot of room BUT they really help them as far as all of the energy they have to exert when we are not outside running around.

[Summer95]

Thank you all for the advice! We spend a lot of time outside, learning how to walk in the grass. I am amazed at what is new to him. We also visit the zoo twice a week, take walks, and spend time at the local park. Who needs Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig or a membership to the local gym when you have an over-active 19 month old. Fifteen pounds in two weeks!

I will try the playdough, and if I am feeling really adventurous I will bring out the finger paints. I do read to him even though he is busy running into the walls with his eyes closed. Somehow this is funny to him. My dh and I expect there to be possible educational delays in his future if this behavior continues. LOL Kidding...he doesn't hurt himself, just falls down and laughes.
This morning I was shocked he actually sat through five pages of a book before he was off to pull the dogs tail. Oh Me.... Told my dh that I want another one as soon as possible. I Love Being a Mother! Thanks again for the advice.

[BrandiS]

Sounds like a fun stage to me! I can just 'see' his little mind at work absorbing all of the knowledge in his surrounding environment.

[mcq]

newmom2be-

boy do I remember that stage! never a moments peace and having to have eyes in the back of your head. I found 18 mos the hardest stage yet. you are lucky you have spousal support! wait until your darling is 3...
xoxo

[foxl]

YEP! Both of mine.

Our SLP had to offer our daughter structured breaks, in oirder to get her attention between them. A physical song/dance thing, like "shake your wiggles out," really helps. And of course it also gets them used to structure ...

If you are watching movies, breaks for a dance or game like that can really help!

Now, my son's classroom gets "squeezy balls" or other balls to fidget with during their structured group time, and it really helps them settle down and attend to business!

[Pudding]

I can feel for you! We are in the same boat. Lilly is an endless supply of energy. Cute as a button but the only time she holds still is when she is sleeping. I will give you the same advice my dh gave me "Just try to keep up." Believe me he and I are not spring chickens!

[mnmom2four]

My 17 month old twin boys are the same way... we have a small slide in our house that they love to climb and slide down again and again. Also we have small inflatable pool filled with ball pit balls that they love to play in. I have found that just keeping a handful of toys out and every other day rotating to hte bunch really helps keep their attention because the toys are always new! I am not looking forward to a long MN winter I think they might climb the grandfather clock by winters end...

Blessings and have fun chasing your guy around.

[laura-jean]

to put them in a pack and play and have them play alone in the next room without anyone in the room, but you can be close by.

why do that? it is supposed to help their attention span.

our dd did whine and cry a bit at first but got used to it and enjoyed it.

she didn't have as many distractions in the pack and play and we did it 2 times a day for at least 20 minutes.

she was 6 and 1/2 mos old when we started.

it's just a thought and it will help him not be distracted, concentrate, and learn to problem solve with toys, as well as learn to play by himself too.

sounds like a healthy little bugger with lots of energy!

if you have any questions about my suggestion feel free to pm me.

regards,

lj

[Annee]

Somebody asked this exact question at our son's Montessori daycare the other day. They said that the younger toddlers engage in multiple activities per hour (30+ in a school day!) while the preschoolers and 4 y.o.'s can work on as few as one or two activities an hour.