Hello,

Anyone else have problems with a toddler? Mine drives me crazy at times -- he can now climb out of his playpen and crib so there's no controlling him. He climbs over everything! So, what do you do to stay sane while you watch the little one???????

Nails, perhaps?

Have a couple more. We found that we became a bit numb after the 2nd one and didn't let it get to us as much.

I'd recommend Superglue.

No blood, no mess, no complaints from the neighbours (unless before 8pm) and can be dissolved at age 19.

Get him out, let him run around, go to the playground, let him climb, play ball with him. Mine was the same - 14 years later, he's still running around with a ball

Gin.
Gin.
Gin.

You don't say how old your toddler is, which makes it a bit difficult to give sensible ideas.
Not very comforting but you just give up the idea of doing anything you fancy doing yourself for the next couple of years. Very soon he will want to 'help you'. Let him. It will make more work for you, but at least he will be making a mess where you can see him. Get out with him as much as you can. Within reason (swinging from the lamps is out!) let him climb. Although it is awful now, the more a child is allowed to do, the better his coordination and sense of balance will be, and the sooner you can go out doing things with him in the wide, wide world. We gave ours the largest bedroom as their bed/playroom, we took them out on seats on our bikes when very small and then spent hours balancing along every fallen tree in the canton Aargau, we played football, we dammed streams, burnt sausages over fires (even made fires in the rain!), played idiotic games with them at the swimming pool which was our second home... but before the younger one was 4, we could already go walking as a family up to ten kilometres.
Sanity doesn't return until long after this though - I guess it returned when the 'youngsters' were about thirty and really fun to have around - by which time you're probably a grandparent and the problem starts again.

Years ago I met a lady in Bern in -of all places -in church.

I was lucky that my daughter was a very quiet toddler who slept and usually always did what she was told.

I mentioned to her that her child was well behaved and I could not believe it when she told me that when her child was smaller and gave her nothing but sleepless nights, she took him to see the statue in Bern of "The Man who eats Babies" She claimed that any time she had any trouble she said that they were going to see him. ( For those who are not familiar with this statue it is in the centre and shows a man holding several babies whilst eating one) She said that the threat always worked.
Seems really cruel behaviour

Thanks ... already considered, but as the next post suggests, perhaps this would exceed Swiss noise standards ...

Ohhh ... thanks for the encouragement, I think

Yes, well, he is now 19 months but thinks he's much older because of an older brother, 3-1/2, and tries EVERYTHING the older one demonstrates! Today he was on a spiral slide and thought that he should try to climb over the side halfway down!

Does your local Brockenhaus collect children?

If so, then that might be an option.

Perhaps you could swap him for a dog or a gerbil? Or a nice potted plant?

I don't think they have car boot sales in Switzerland, otherwise I'd recommend that. We disposed of my cousin Rhys at a car boot sale on account of his being Welsh, and got quite a price for him. Enough for a bacon sandwich each, at least, which wasn't too bad.

Incidentally, he wrote us a postcard only last week from the ship on which he works. Apparently his toothbrush is wearing thin from all the deck scrubbing, and he'd quite like a new one. Nice to hear they're keeping him occupied! Shame we haven't a return address for him, though.

There are all kinds of options, not all involving extreme measures such as nails, staple guns and gin...

One should always use restraint in such matters..!

Been there, done that!
That's the advantage and disadvantage of the younger one. Ours were just about the same age-distance apart and the younger one also tried everything the older one did. However, it does get better I assure you. And children are SUCH fun (especially in retrospect!)

You think that is bad. You 'aint seen nothing yet! (HTD major and minor are both girls.)

Mrs. HTD and HTD major were in "The Early Learning Centre" in Limerick. HTD major decides she wants something, Mrs. HTD decides she is not going to get it. HTD major throws herself on the ground screaming. The security guy looks at Mrs. HTD and then HTD major, turns to the other one and said "I know exactly how she feels" We are, to this day, unsure as to which HTD the gentleman was referring to.

Mrs. HTD and HTD major were with a, er, conservative US lady of our acquaintance and her daughter in the centre of Zurich (somewhere around Rennweg) partaking of a cup of coffee. Mrs. HTD is getting a little irritated at the noise HTD major is making, turns round and is slightly more irritated to see HTD major and the other woman's girl stark naked, clothes strewn across the street.

Some time later the lady was astonished to find that Mrs. HTD allowed HTD major to play doctors and nurses with her little girl - and that was the end of that relationship.

This particular ladies son once had a screaming fit on a zvb tram, at the next stop everybody, and I mean everybody, got out of the tram leaving the two of them, him screaming and tears running down her face.

We couldn't stop HTD major licking the handles in the VBZ trams - end result was Pfeiffer's fever.

HTD major is of an age where womanly things begin to happen - HTD minor, in a show of sympathy, wore panty-pads all day today, changing them regularly - just in case at the ripe old age of 8 ... (they stick to the dustbins ripping the bin liners)

Enjoy the out-of-the-cot crawling period while it lasts!

And people say to me, "Mr Breakfast, why do you want to remain a bachelor?"

Play the waiting game. Friend of mine was a NIGHTMARE when he was young. One day his mum arrives home from the shops wondering why the entire population of children from the road are sitting on the wall opposite her house. From her angle she couldn't see son-the-second sitting astride the two storey roof shooting the breeze with the kids below.

Another time when she was in accident & emergency for the third time that week with son-the-second she was seriously wondering whether 'the woman with the clipboard' was going to come and take her son away but the consultant came down - also a neighbour - "it's ok" he says "He broke our front window with a football yesterday, I know what he's like!"

Now Mother of son-the-second just laughs when her daughter-in-law recounts tales of her FOUR sons as she pulls her hair out! E.g. Three year old escaped from the park beside the primary school (he managed to squeeze out through the only gap in the fence) and snuck back into the school on FRIDAY after school (now you can't get him in the door!!). Luckily the ever vigilant Headmaster found the offender and brought him back. He could have been locked in for the weekend!

They learn their own boundaries, some of them make the papers with injuries, the ones that learn survive to adulthood, reproduce and get laughed by their long suffering parents.

Were you like that when you were young ??

I feel for the OP and it reminds me of when my Daughter was two. She was quite good at screaming,especially in supermarkets.That was until the day i screamed louder...much to the dismay of lots of shoppers standing by the sweet section. She didnt do it again

I think you should not worry too much....just wait until the teenage years pop up. You will be happy to swap them back to 19mnths i can assure you!

I'll trade your toddlers for teenagers and you will really see the challenge in remaining sane

If your toddler is getting out of his crib, you may as well get him a bed, at least he won't hurt himself trying to get out of it. He seems too old for a playpen, seeing as he is 19 months.

Toddlers have an enormous amount of energy and they need to be kept busy. You tire them out so they have a nap in the afternoon and that's when you get some of your sanity back, and spend some quiet time with your older child.

Many families are living here without any extended family which means that they don't get a break from their kids when they are very young, for example, where they might stay at a grandparent's house, or another close family member's house. This is one of the downsides of moving abroad.

At the risk of sounding old, I have to say that the years really do fly by and the mischief a toddler can get up to pales beside what a teenager can, the difference being you have far more control with your toddler.

I've never known any newly married couple to be given kids as a wedding present...

i reeaallyy feel for you. and i only have 1...and he's already 4...we survived with only 1 neck injury and a brace for 6 weeks and several cuts and bruises. you get used to his bloody toes in the summer after a while...
now he's even starting to use cutlery, hahaha
letting them help you is a great idea especially with washing and gardening.
how much do you get out for some adult conversation? maybe that is your link to sanity and also maybe just your own conversation won't be that bad...
friends of mine have a baby sit circle. 2 go 'out' and the other 2 watch the kids for 3 hours. you're not allowed to do 'house' stuff in your time off. it has to be ME time in capitals...
good luck
remember it's the most difficult job in the world and give yourself a pat on the back frequently.