Please Help!! strange behavior...?

Question

I asked this question a while ago, and totally phrased it wrong and got very rude answers, so rephrased:

My son is 17 months old. He is very active, happy, and healthy. He eats well, plays well alone and with others, etc. Lately, he has been getting into things he already knew not to, such as trying to stick things in electrical sockets after finding out how to remove the safety covers, which is scary and i do not want him to be electrocuted. He is persistent on playing with them, and has gotten far enough as to be able to unplug and plug in lamps, etc. We have tried every discipline, such as time out on the couch, slap on the hand, talking, etc. everything! Finally when i saw a spark one time, i put him in time out, but in his room and shut the door for 1-2 minutes because he just talks and laughs if the door is open, and forgets what he did wrong. So after a couple minutes, I bring him out, give him lots of love and repoint out what he did wrong. Since i did that 2 times,

he no longer plays with the outlets, and it was very effective. HOWEVER, now he likes to go into his room and shut the door. he'll play a bit alone in there, and then he'll decide he wants to come out, and then knocks on the door to come out. Sometimes he cries if i don't get there right away, but my question is- why is he having to shut the door everytime he goes in any room to play? I am constantly going around letting him out of rooms and he laughs and runs out.

Answer 1

This must be your first child. :D He seems very precocious too as he is entering his "terrible twos" early. This is just a variation of the old game of "pick up". Do you remember when he was little and would sit in a high chair and then drop his toy and cry and you would pick it up and then he'd drop it again and cry until you picked it up over and over again? That is what he is doing now. He is discovering his world and his boundaries. He's discovering just how far he can push you. He's also learning that just because he doesn't see you, doesn't mean you have disappeared.

Don't worry so much. I think we all get a little "neurotic" with our first children. It's so much easier with the 2nd one. You will relax more. My best advice is just take a deep breath and keep him safe. Show him boundaries and consequences. They are important because in the overall scheme of things, they are what make his world make sense. In his teen years, it will be very important.

Parents don't always understand that they are laying foundations now. Be firm but loving and understanding and everything will go well. Best of luck.

Answer 2

I'm glad his over the outlets!
But, the closing the door thing is absolutely normal. He is acting out something you did to him. He loves the fact that he is big enough and understands that he can shut the door behind himself. He laughs because he thinks it's a game you have started with him. If it worries you get little rubber door stops that fit under the doors tightly. Be sure that they fit tightly so he can't wiggle them out and block the door closed with them. Don't let him see you use them when you put them under the door because believe me, they will try to do just that.
Babies are smart so don't think otherwise, and aside from that, they are quick! I would suggest doing what one of the other answerer's said to do. Be sure that his room is completely child proof. This way if he does get his door shut, you can still get in, but in the mean time you are not afraid he will be injured.
Sounds like you are a wonderful Mommy, so don't worry so much! You are doing fine! All babies and all Mommies find out what it's all about through trial and error. As long as you are on top of things you'll be great!
Good Luck Little One
Blessed Be

Answer 3

His behavior is not strange. It's a sign he's curious and intelligent. My son out smarted half my child safety devices at your sons age. He's a gifted math and computer person now! At your son's age his curiosity is outweighing discipline tactics. At his age he's forgotten why he's being disciplined by the time it's over! He's also learning cause and effect. He might be fascinated with the reaction he's getting out of you!

My suggestions:
Keep firmly but calmly telling him no and redirecting him to approved activities. Find fascinating things for him to play with. My son loved opening and closing a box we had with interesting fasteners and pushing buttons on an old answering machine. For safety I'd go out and buy the kind of child safety covers that cover outlets with items plugged into them or move furniture to make them inaccessible. We resorted to duct tape on some things.

When he gets older he'll be able to be trained not to touch these things, for now keep him safe and interested in other things.

IMPORTANT: A child can get seriously even fatally harmed from an electric outlet! A friend's child shoved a bobbypin in an outlet (one prong on each side) the pin turned into a hot electric knife and cut his fingers half off, (tendons never right again). This is why they make all these safety devices..

Answer 4

It's just a habit. I think they love the act of opening and shutting doors. My son has done that since he was 12 months - he'll go in his room and shut the door. I just joke that he wants some privacy. (His whole room is childproofed, so I don't worry too much. - He hasn't shown interest in the outlets...YET.) I read this hilarious book once - It's called Autobiography of a One-Year-Old - it's written from the perspective of a one year old and it is seriously hysterical. Anyone who has a child that age should read it. I think in that book, he says he loves opening and closing doors so much because he can create a whole new world simply by opening a door, and make it go away just by closing it.

Answer 5

Its not strange behavior. Its something he's found that he enjoys doing. Toddlers have all sorts of things that they decide to start doing, and no one really knows why. So long as he is safe, and you are monitoring him while he's alone in there, its fine.

Playing with the electric outlets is also normal. Not the fact that its the outlets, but the fact that he's expressing his own human will to play with them regardless of what you say. Its part of being a toddler and growing up. You did right to still train him though.

Some children just have one thing that they refuse to give up. My brother refused to stop drawing on the walls... until he was about 6. We dont know why, he knew it was wrong he got in trouble every time, but he still did it. Part of being a kid.

Theres nothing strange about any of this behavior :)

Answer 6

Number one, it's a game. It gets your attention, and that's always been fun! It's just like the I drop it, you pick it up, repeat game.

With the outlets, there's a new toy to cover the outlets now! It's something you actually screw into the plate that covers your outlets. You have to pinch the sides to open the cap over the outlet. You can plug something in and close the cap back over it! Look into it. It looks like it would be a lot harder for little fingers to get into, so you might want to look into it.

I say play his game, he'll tire of it someday, and find something else that's just as fun. Heck, before you know it, it'll be pushing things up to the door, climbing on them, and opening the doors himself!

Answer 7

First of all, it sounds like you're doing a great job with your son. Maybe he closes the door for the same reasons we do... so no one can see what we're doing! Or for a little privacy. Or maybe it's just a novelty to him. And he's confident enough to know that as soon as he knocks, mommy comes running. He's obviously very secure in his relationship with you (good job!) Just make sure his room is super super safe, but if it bothers you, take the door off!

Answer 8

i don't think this is necessary strange behavior ...he could just see that it is a door and that doors need to be shut behind yourself....so chances are you are worrying about nothing.

remember that he is only one and a half years old and that anything that he has Learned will be from you and any other people around him and also from the things he watches on TV...so he could just be mimicking what he saw

but introduce him to other young children so that he isn't always alone, this will also help him to build his confidence at a young age...you could bring him to play group or just a play area in a park with other young kids...or your friends kids can come over.

i think your son needs to be kept preoccupied as well....give him a musical instrument (for kids-not expensive) and see how he gets on with it...that will prevent him from doing things which you deem as weird...and also he can self build some skills.

Answer 9

sounds like he's doing typical toddler stuff. Have you thought about creating a play area for him that's safe? like using one of those expandable baby gates. They get 5-6 feet of play space and you can put it in the middle of the room.

You could put him in there to play every time he plays with something dangerous. He will learn that if he doesn't follow the rules, he goes in the play pen.
Then you wouldn't have to worry about him being safe.

He's too little to remember what he did wrong in a couple of minutes, don't expect him to. Just keep telling him it's dangerous and slap his hand or whatever. I think you're doing the right things!

Answer 10

Tell him that the door is only allowed to be shut when YOU do it.
If that doesn't work, then you can get these things that you can put on the door to stop them slamming on little fingers, try getting one of those and put it at the top of the door so he can't pull it all the way closed.