Am I too chilled about 2 yo falling

amother

OP ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:20 am

My 2 yo likes to climb furniture. Couches chairs etc. People are always telling me that it's unsafe but I'm not sure why. Don't kids fall and it's normal? What's the worst injury you could get from falling onto laminate wood or carpet from about 4 ft high? Or from a chair tipping from a kid climbing on it, won't he learn that you can get hurt and then be more careful?

(Any heavy furniture is bolted to the wall so no danger of those falling on him)

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:25 am

imaima wrote:

Why would anyone want their child to get hurt?
It is mostly fine but people still try to prevent it

Of course I don't want him to get hurt. I just don't see the point in micromanaging everything he does

amother

Charcoal ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:26 am

A 4 foot fall is a pretty high fall for a toddler. It can cause a head injury ch'v. Even if he gets a minor injury and needs treatment, you can get in trouble because of your negligence. Yes, toddlers like to climb. But you shouldn't allow them to get in to unsafe situations.

amother

↑ Charcoal

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:27 am

amother OP wrote:

Of course I don't want him to get hurt. I just don't see the point in micromanaging everything he does

You don't have to micromanage. But climbing furniture can be really dangerous.
Maybe look in to getting him climbing equipment & putting thick mats around.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:29 am

amother Charcoal wrote:

You don't have to micromanage. But climbing furniture can be really dangerous.
Maybe look in to getting him climbing equipment & putting thick mats around.

Why is climbing equipment more safe than climbing on furniture?

watergirl ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:31 am

You allow him to climb in your house - that's your call and you know your bookshelves are bolted, etc. But he's two. He has no grasp of your house vs. any other house. My nephews are like your son, and my house is not set up for it. But they have no understanding of the concept that chairs and bookcases are not for climbing everywhere. All that aside, I am still frustrated by a couch that is completely ruined due to one guest who allows her child to use it as a trampoline and I'm not kidding.

The thing is, you have to teach that each item has it's purpose. He has a need to climb - that's developmentally appropriate. The Reggio school of thought would be to bring the child to a place that is meant for climbing and to teach why that is not the couch. "Oh, Shmuly, I see you want to climb. Lets put on shoes right now and go to the backyard".

amother

Snow

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:35 am

For me it’s also about decorum and following rules. I tell my kids we don’t live in a playground and our furniture is not a jungle gym. Sounds like your is. How does your 2 year behave in someone else’s home who may have different rule? Like grandma or a play date? Or if/when he goes to school, does he climb on the desk there too? I know my daycare doesn’t allow furniture climbing and neither does my mom or Anyone we know. There are playgrounds
And soft play centers for climbing. My home and furniture is not for that

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:37 am

Thanks for explaining.

I do tell him in other places we can't climb on the couch unless the mommy lets etc.

I was coming less from the manners perspective and more from the safety perspective

↑ watergirl ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:37 am

amother OP wrote:

Why is climbing equipment more safe than climbing on furniture?

Chairs flip over and knock them on the heads. Ottomans pinch fingers. Books tumble out. These things are not dangerous in theory. But let the barefoot child pull a huge volume of gemara onto his toe and he could break it (the gemara and the toe).

It's also a matter of teaching to respect the items in our house. You are teaching him that the world is his play area, but that is not the way to be a global citizen. He won't be able to go into anyone else's house if he thinks he can glide the ottoman over to the couch and do a tumbling pass - this has it's time and place. Because then you will have to explain to him why he can't bring the ottoman to the table, climb on the chair, then onto the table, and then tumble there.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:42 am

watergirl wrote:

I hear.

But why is two too young to know that there are different rules in different places? In our house you can take things off the shelf and play with them as long as you put them back after.

In the grocery store you can't. At bubby's house we have to ask her first etc.

amother

Ginger

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:47 am

Chairs that get flipped over could lead to stitches and more serious injuries. Climbing on couches seems fine as long as theu understand to only do it at home.

It's really frustrating when my furniture gets trashed because kids think it's a playground/trampoline.

↑ watergirl ↓

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:49 am

amother OP wrote:

Because this is higher level thinking. A two year old's concept of object permanence is only just starting to form. The concept that there is one rule for here and one rule for there is too abstract. That's why you don't let your child walk through the grocery store, you keep them in the shopping cart of hold their hand - so they won't grab.

Because we can't always be there to keep our kids safe, they have to learn now that the table is not safe to climb on.

I have a very sharp challah knife. It belongs in the case. Is it always in the case? No. Lets say I had a rule that my two year old can climb on the chairs and couch but not the table and counter. One day I'm in the bathroom, my kid then pulls the chair to the table and sees the shiny challah knife. Can you imagine?

Rules are too abstract for kids for the most part until they are older still. This is one main reason we have one set of rules - it makes it easier to understand.

amother

↑ OP

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:51 am

watergirl wrote:

I let my two year old walk through the grocery store and help me. He loves picking out fruit and vegetables and putting groceries in our cart...

So far it's worked great and he's never gotten hurt or ruined anything on the shelf

amother

Peru

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:53 am

My son got very badly cut falling off a chair that he was climbing on and he hit the corner of a piece of furniture. It needed lots of stiches and left a major scar.
There’s just no climbing on furniture in my house. It’s also hard to get a kid to understand that it’s ok at home and not ok at friends and family and most people won’t want him climbing on their furniture.

↑ watergirl

Tue, Aug 27 2024, 11:58 am

amother OP wrote:

BH it's working out well for you so far. I hope this continues with multiple children (I mean this seriously, not being sarcastic).