# do you let your 3 y.o...



## kindergirl77 (Jun 30, 2005)

Run in the house?
Run in circles in the house?
Jump on the couch?
Jump on the bed?
Jump off the couch?
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?








: I hve just been so upset by my very active daughter not listening to me when I tell her over and over again to stop doing these things. Especially the jumping off the coffee table and climbing on our entertainment center.

She has so so so much energy and literally runs in circles (It was a cold rainy day so that didn't help much as far as getting her outside).

What do you SAY to your kids when they are doing ___?? If she tells me no, she won't stop, I have been telling her to get down or I will spank her.








She says No mommy, don't spank me! I feel awful doing that, but usually I'm nursing when she does this and its hard for me to get up to make her get down... any suggestions? Should I just let her do some of that stuff? I'm worried she's going to get hurt...


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## vannienicole (Nov 2, 2006)

That is a perfect description of my 3 yo DD. I _do_ let her run all over the place. She actually pushes the coffeetable farther from the couch to get an even bigger jump in.

I let her because I know that I can't get her energy out otherwise on rainy or super cold days. It can be irritating to me sometimes, but that is exactly what it is..._me_ getting irritated. She's just being a 3 yo.

So long as she isn't going to cause another child pain or harm herself (the entertainment center may fall on her) I don't see a problem with it. With the entertainment center, I would just inform her of how dangerous it is. She's old enough to understand major dangers.


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## TheDivineMissE (Mar 31, 2006)

I do let my 3 year old run in the house but I don't let her jump on beds. What I did to solve her jumping needs was pile a bunch of pillows and blankets in the middle of the living room floor and let her go to town. (by the way, if your couch pillows are misshapen from laying on them, this is a great way to get them flattened out again - nothing smushes a pillow like a 3 year old!







)

I also got her a mini trampoline for Christmas. This seems to help a lot too. When I'm available to do so, we do a lot of pillow sandwiches and steamrollers. We also dance, run, act like animals, etc all around the house to burn off energy.

On days when *I* think it would not be fun to go outside - she still wants to. So I bundle her up and off she goes. (My back yard is very safe and I watch out the window) She's only out for a little while, but she comes back in all breathless and happy and a wee bit calmer.

As far as what I say when she gets out of control - well, that's when I set something up for her to do. If I'm nursing and can't get up at that moment, I'll tell her to pull all the cushions off the couch and get her blankets from her room - she takes care of the rest.









Good luck! Winter will be over soon (I HOPE!!







)!


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## peacelovingmama (Apr 28, 2006)

Run in the house?
Run in circles in the house?
Jump on the couch?
Jump on the bed?
Jump off the couch?
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?

I have to admit that I let my DS do all but the last 1 when he was younger. He is now almost 5 and we still allow running in the house and he can jump on the bed. DD only ever does the first 2 (and she jumps on the bed sometimes) and we are ok with it (she is 2).


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## dillonandmarasmom (May 30, 2005)

Yes to all but the entertainment center (why did I flash an image of a giant preschooler scaling a building while helicopters encircle her??







)

My kids (my almost 4 and almost 2 year old) have spurts of energy throughout the day. They love to throw all of the cushions and pillows onto the floor and jump from couch to floor, etc. I make sure I am in the room, but I definitely don;t stress about or discourage it.

I think it might help to let your dd know what is okay to do. Do you mind if she jumps on the bed, couch, floor? Is it okay/safe enough for her to do these things? If so, let her. In fact, you might set aside a time for just that, and join in ! It's actually freeing to jump on the bed (if you are inclined to and able to do so







).
We used to have a trampoline, the big kind, in our backyard. Since we took it down, my kids have been jonesin' for jumping!
The key is to not freak out, or get upset with her. She needs an outlet for her energy.
Good luck!!


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## kindergirl77 (Jun 30, 2005)

Quote:

why did I flash an image of a giant preschooler scaling a building while helicopters encircle her??















Thats sort of what she looks like!
And you are right that she does need an outlet for her jumping, and I haven't told her what IS okay to jump on... so that may help.. I am not opposed to her jumping on the bed or the couch per say, but it bugs me when she gets on the coffee table and entertainment center. I'll have to put up a picture of her the next time she does that so you all believe me!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TheDivineMissE* 
I do let my 3 year old run in the house but I don't let her jump on beds. What I did to solve her jumping needs was pile a bunch of pillows and blankets in the middle of the living room floor and let her go to town. (by the way, if your couch pillows are misshapen from laying on them, this is a great way to get them flattened out again - nothing smushes a pillow like a 3 year old!







)

I also got her a mini trampoline for Christmas. This seems to help a lot too. When I'm available to do so, we do a lot of pillow sandwiches and steamrollers. We also dance, run, act like animals, etc all around the house to burn off energy.

On days when *I* think it would not be fun to go outside - she still wants to. So I bundle her up and off she goes. (My back yard is very safe and I watch out the window) She's only out for a little while, but she comes back in all breathless and happy and a wee bit calmer.

As far as what I say when she gets out of control - well, that's when I set something up for her to do. If I'm nursing and can't get up at that moment, I'll tell her to pull all the cushions off the couch and get her blankets from her room - she takes care of the rest.









Good luck! Winter will be over soon (I HOPE!!







)!

Yes! The trampoline is a great idea!!! I NEED to get one. Our couch cushions dont come off though.. but I could make a pile of pillows... these are great suggestions. I do let her go outside bundled up, but she doesn't like to be outside without me for very long... and when I do go outside to check on her, she is always quietly sitting in the sand box.









Lately I have been parenting by myself and I'm tired at night and at my lowest patience threshold. I need to remember that she is only 3 and she desperately needs one-on-one time with me... maybe this weekend I can talk dh into watching the baby for me for an hour just to do something with my big girl alone. I think that she wants my attention so much lately since the baby started walking and I've had to be ontop of her all the time.


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## sincitymama (Sep 20, 2003)

My son does all those things except the entertainment center (we don't have one).

Maybe it's too permissive of us







but the kid has got so very much energy that needs to get burned off, and all our furniture is old, was free, and is sturdy enough to take it. I never really thought twice about it.

We do have some limits, like he's not allowed to climb around on the kitchen counters because they're to high, desks because of the computer equipment on them, some storage things we have that just aren't sturdy enough to be safe.

He respects the limits pretty well, as well as I would expect a 3 year old to do. He has enough freedom for climbing and jumping that he doesn't really push beyond what we allow. And he also understands well enough about different houses having different rules, so it hasn't been an issue at other peoples homes.

If you really don't want her jumping around on your living room funiture(reasonable enough!), I like the solutions some other posters have mentioned. Mini trampoline, an indoor slide she can climb around on, pillows and cushions she can use, something like that. Or a LOT more time at the playground







The impulse to run/jump/climb is necessary, they need to work their bodies and practice coordination and burn off all that energy. So, it's up to us as parents to make sure they have lots of opportunity for it in ways and places that work for everyone.


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## Blue Dragonfly (Jun 19, 2005)

Quote:

[/Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it
Everything except this.

My guy gets hurt, but he learns quickly!

Now, if you had a glass coffee table, that would be a different story.

I do find I have to give detailed explainations as to why I won't let him do something. That really helps him understand why. I also often give myself a mental check and ask "is this an arbitrary 'no' or am I really concerned?" If its an arbitrary 'no', but I really feel its important to me, I will also tell him that. If I'm concerned I also tell him that and try to decide how badly will he get hurt (eg. glass vs. wood table, or how far will he fall). If I think it will be a moderately painful bonk, but no blood involved, I let him do it. We all dance on the coffee table, but no-one is allowed on the kitchen table







.

Good luck mama.


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

All except for the entertainment center here too. In fact DP is chasing him around the house right now.







He has always had very stable motor skills, I don't think in the two years he's been jumping on the couch he has ever fallen off. I worry about it and stay close by just in case, still.

We have rules about shoes on furniture, and he follows those closely, and I'm pregnant with morning sickness now so I have stopped him from jumping on the bed while I'm in it, it makes me nauseous.

I find that I have no issues with him understanding that he cannot jump on anyone else's couch either, so I guess we're good.


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## Piglet68 (Apr 5, 2002)

All except the last one. We don't have one. But climbing on furniture that could tip over would not be okay. We live in an apartment and on yucky days they need an outlet. It doesn't hurt anything. I think expecting a 3 year old to control her energy that way is asking too much. They're still so little, even though they look huge when you have a baby!


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## BusyMommy (Nov 20, 2001)

yes
We moved all dangerous furniture out and bolted the rest to the walls. Our main living room is pretty much an open space w/hardwood floors.

We also hung rope ladders, monkey bars and rings from our vaulted ceiling. Our oldest is now 5 and scores incredibly well at gymnastics meets.









Can't beat 'em? Join 'em!!


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## moondiapers (Apr 14, 2002)

Nope, that's what warm sweaters and raingear are for. I say bundle her up and take her outside.


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## hammas (Oct 19, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kindergirl77* 
Run in the house?
Run in circles in the house?
Jump on the couch?
Jump on the bed?
Jump off the couch?
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?

In our house everybody is allowed to do everything but the last one. That might fall. Also tables are not climbing for when there is food on the table.

Being outside really helps ds but he needs at least me/dh with him. Nowadays he seems to need also his friends to play with.


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## PumpkinSeeds (Dec 19, 2001)

My kids can run in the house.

My kids can jump on the minitrampoline.

Absolutely NO jumping on the furniture. Climbing furniture like cabinets, etc also not allowed.


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## The4OfUs (May 23, 2005)

Yep
Yep
Yep
Yep
Yep
Yep
Nope










It's just not a big deal to me, and I know it helps him get his 'crazies' out. Maybe some worry that if I "allow" him to do it at home, he'll do it everywhere, but I've found that's just not the case. He's perfectly capable of understanding what's OK at home is NOT OK at Nana's, or whoever else's house we're at.

Oh, and we have a mini tramp for him too, which is great sometimes...but sometimes the bed or couch are just better


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## mamaduck (Mar 6, 2002)

I allowed a lot more of this stuff early on, but came to regret it. My boys have been big and strong for their ages, and I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of chaos and damage they could create in a short amount of time. Also, we've always had a dog, and this makes it really insane if the kids get worked up.

I think its one of my parental responsibilities though, to meet their need for active play. When they were little, I did not reprimand or threaten them for being active/crazy in the house -- I just took it as a cue to take them outdoors or take them to the YMCA.

We have taken steps to have things in the house that help. Little Tykes slide in the livingroom for a couple years! Now that they are older -- I direct them the treadmill if they are nutty and its nasty outside.

It really helps me with my own attitude that I try to view the need for active play as a physiological drive. They need active play as much as they need food, water and sleep. Its my job to help them meet that need.


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## angela&avery (May 30, 2002)

i let my kids run a bit.. i tell them not to jump on their beds bc #1 i dont want them to break their beds and #2 i dont want them to fall and hit their heads on the headboards or my sons bureau is against the head of his bed, etc. #2 i dont wnat htem jumping on other peoples beds or furniture. that said, i say it and leave the room and do allow it to continue a little bit bc guess what , it IS fun and I dont want to create a power struggle.

I do not, however allow them to jump on the furniture for the same reasons listed above, and I seriously want our furniture to look decent and not break.. i cant afford to replace it anytime soon. I also would be mortified if they were to climb all over the furniture at other peoples houses.


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## LoveBeads (Jul 8, 2002)

Yes to all except the entertainment center. And I distinctly remember doing the same thing when I was younger - I was always climbing and leaping off of things.

Another great thing is an aerobed - they inflate quickly and they are just as springy as a trampoline. They serve my child's need for jumping and crashing.


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## RedWine (Sep 26, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kindergirl77* 
Run in the house?
Run in circles in the house?
Jump on the couch?
Jump on the bed?
Jump off the couch?


Yes to the above, no to the last two (which I didn't quote).

My kids NEED to do these things. They are super-energetic, and we can't always get outside (too cold, rainy, etc...and we don't have a backyard worth mentioning).

I don't see anything wrong with the above, quite franky. Why can't kids run in the house? Why can't they jump on the beds? Ours are on the floor, so there's no boxspring to break or headboard to run into.

i don't see it as a matter of letting them do stuff or being permissive. I see it as meeting their very real needs to be very physically active. If there's not a danger of something falling on them or something breaking, why not allow it?


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## newmommy (Sep 15, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kindergirl77* 
Run in the house?
Run in circles in the house?
Jump on the couch?
Jump on the bed?
Jump off the couch?
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?

Yes to all the above.


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## SandraS (Jan 18, 2007)

Yes. I pick my battles. I always think "In 10 years will it really matter?"... and most of the time the answer is NOPE.


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## marnie (Jul 13, 2004)

yes. anything potentially dangerous is bolted to the wall. my daughter is a monkey but surprisingly careful. i watch her climb new things and test them out and she's not afraid to back down if she's taken on a task too large for herself.

things i don't allow are things like standing on chairs that could tip over, the toilet seat, etc. but if it's stable, she can climb it.

Eta: when she was 2 1/2 she wanted to put a step stool behind the couch, scale the back, lie across the back and roll down onto the couch. my husband told her if she could do it 5 times in a row without getting hurt (with him there to spot her) that she could do it. she did it 5 times in a row, and has never again shown interest.


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## mama2mygirl (Dec 14, 2005)

We ALL run around in circles in our house--even dh. We play a giant game of circle tag through our hallway, kitchen and living room. It gets my dd laughing so hard she has to stop to breathe.
Little guys have a lot of energy.
But I wouldn't let her climb furniture because it could fall over on top of her and she might not be able to get down.


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## Yooper (Jun 6, 2003)

Yep to everything except we do not have an entertainment center. AND dd likes to climb the banister








It is cold here and we do not get out every day. Miraculously, the only time she has ever had to go to the ER was the time that she tripped over her own feet while walking in the kitchen and broke her leg







We tried to ban walking, being as dangerous as it proved to be, for a while but that did not fly


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## wifty (Aug 16, 2006)

Yes to all but the entertainment center. Luckily, dd has never tried that one.

We got her an indoor trampoline that has a handle, for christmas, and it has REALLY helped get her wiggles out! Some of the best money I have ever spent on her.

And dd only listens if she WANTS to listen. She is 40# and 41 inches, so its hard to just pick her up all the time from what she is trying to do. Redirection doens't work as well as it did when she was younger.

I actually had her sit on the bottom stair for a couple minute time-out the other day when she was trying to hurt the cat and wouldn't listen to reasoning. It worked. And, IMO, much better then spanking.

Good luck! We are all there with you!
Rebecca


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## captain optimism (Jan 2, 2003)

I let my son do more than his dad lets him do. (We're married and everything, just sometimes I'm the lone parent and sometimes we're together.) I like him to run around, but I don't like dangerous play. We each have a different definition of what's too dangerous! I would say we both won't allow the jumping off the high furniture. I do like it when he runs around though.

If the play is too dangerous, you can say "If you can't stop doing that yourself, I can come and help you stop." Then you can gently pick her up and redirect her. You don't want to spank her, so don't threaten to spank her, even though I know very well that such threats come trippingly to the tongue in extremis. (Ohhhh boy, danger really puts my mouth on autopilot!)

A possible redirection is to get an exercise video, or even an audio CD, and dance around together. We have also done "yoga" together. (Quotation marks because a three year old is a very interesting sort of yoga teacher!)


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## frenchie (Mar 21, 2006)

Run in the house?
yes

Run in circles in the house?
yes

Jump on the couch?
no

Jump on the bed?
only his bed

Jump off the couch?
no

Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
absolutely not

Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?
we don't have one...and if we did, absolutely not

I have vintage furniture that is valuable and fragile. However, regardless of how old or new it is...I still wouldn't allow jumping or climbing on furniture. My compromise in regards to that, is I allow him to jump on his bed. The running through the house I find totally acceptable. I realize he needs to burn his energy. If for some reason I'm just annoyed by the running in the house, I take him outside, or I tackle him and tickle him. That burns more energy than the running...and he LOVES to be tickled.


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

Run in the house?

Yes. But sometimes we ask her not to. Like when it's after 8pm and we're trying to settle the babe down.

Run in circles in the house?

Yes.

Jump on the couch?

No. She climbs around on it a little but definitely no jumping.

Jump on the bed?

No. She has hardwood floors and her bed moves soo easily.

Jump off the couch?

No.

Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?

Hah. We don't have a coffee table and if I did, definitely not.

Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?

We have a smaller t.v stand so she's never tried.


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## ShaggyDaddy (Jul 5, 2006)

ds isn't 2 yet, but he is allowed to do all that stuff. We just can't bring ourselves to care as long as he is safe.


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## J-Max (Sep 25, 2003)

We have a big house with a fairly open floor plan with hardwood and linoleum floors. My kids can jump off the furniture but not onto it. They can take the cushions off the couch and jump on them though :LOL. The way our house is, you can make a circle through the living room and dining room, and my kids ride a trike or a small ride on toy around it all the time (we have several - we even have a "parking lot") However you can NOT ride in the kitchen when mommy is cooking. We all sit on the kitchen counters often, so all the kids are allowed on there (with supervision if they can not climb there themselves.

We also have a big wooden playset and swings and a huge yard outside and they can go out anytime they want and swing, rock climb, climb trees or just run.

ETA - to get them to "mind". We just talk about what we should be doing - always put it in a positive way, not "Don't jump on the couch", but "where do we jump? and let them come up with answers - this is fun and can get really silly and they foget about what they were doing - or "We jump on the floor, trampoline, outside, ect". I try to do this for everything: what do we hit - balls, what do we bite - only food


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## the_lissa (Oct 30, 2004)

Yes my dd is allowed to do all that except the last.


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## heartmama (Nov 27, 2001)

Ds had a lot of freedom in the house to be active at that age, but if there was something he wanted to do at that age which I felt was unsafe, I either re-arranged furniture to make it safe, or I removed the temptation.

My fear with expecting a very small child to keep themselves safe by following rules is that..well...they sometimes don't, and they get hurt.

I would not be able to relax inside the house with a 3 year old if I knew they hoped to climb on the entertainment center when my back was turned. I would talk to them about safety issues, but I would not rely on agreement. Either the entertainment center would be bolted to the wall, or removed. Or as a third option, I would gate off rooms that were just too dangerous to make safe, and only give access to that area when I could be right there, supervising.


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## peilover010202 (Nov 1, 2005)

Run in the house? *yes*
Run in circles in the house? *yes*
Jump on the couch? *yes*
Jump on the bed? *yes*
Jump off the couch? *yes*
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch? *yes*
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it? *no*

None of these things bother me except the entertainment center thing (ours is 7 feet tall, so I don't feel like that would be safe.) For everything else, our house is extremely kid friendly, so the most that could happen would be a bumped head and that probably happens 2x week.

If she's bouncing off the walls, maybe she really needs some high-energy exercise. My ds is 3.5 and he really has a lot of energy to burn.


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## momtoTnT (Dec 15, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kindergirl77* 
Run in the house?
Run in circles in the house?
Jump on the couch?
Jump on the bed?
Jump off the couch?
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?


Our kids do all of the above, except the entertainment center - we don't have one - our tv is on a tv stand - nothing to climb on. If we did, I probably wouldn't allow that because I'd be afraid of it tipping on them.

I don't really see what the big deal is with any of it - our stuff isn't that nice, and we have no intention of buying new anytime soon. It also helps get out some of their energy - it's too cold here to go outside during the winter months, so this seems like as good an alternative as anything else.

We do NOT however, let them do this sort of thing in others homes, unless those people say it's ok.


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## kittn (Mar 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kindergirl77* 
Run in the house?
Run in circles in the house?
Jump on the couch?
Jump on the bed?
Jump off the couch?
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?

.

sammy is only 2.5 but
running in the house, yes we do tell him to "walk please" but if he doesnt no big thing. If its late and Im worried about the people who liove under us (the house owners) then we find something to do so he forgets about the running
running around in circles, Yup
jumping on the couch, not so much we usually move to the bed and we both jump
he does sometimes jump off the couch onto the couch cushions he has made into a pile
we dont have a coffee table so no there
the only one that scares me is the entertainment center I wouldnt allow that only becuase it seems so dangerous

they are so energetic at this age. it's fun but it makes me so tired! We often put on a cd and dance around really silly and crazy if his behavior seems to be over the top


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## WonderWild (May 13, 2004)

Run in the house? Yes
Run in circles in the house? Yes
Jump on the couch? One couch, not the other.
Jump on the bed? Yes
Jump off the couch? Again, one particular sturdy couch, not the other.
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch? We put the coffee table up when I got pregnant. Won't be around for a long, long time.








Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it? No.

I can handle more than dh can. He doesn't like all the "noise".


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## writermommy (Jan 29, 2005)

Mine can run around the house, but no to the rest. They don't really try, so it isn't an issue. Maybe I just have calm kids or maybe they get enough exercise in other ways. We have over an acre back yard for them to run around in. We also have a HUGE unfinished basement. There are bikes, roller skates and a mini trampoline down there. They also have balls and I am in the process of painting a hopscotch thing down there for the older dds. They have plenty of ways to use up the energy in the winter without needing to jump on the furniture. This makes me nervous with our big stone fireplace next to the couch.


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## guestmama9915 (Jul 29, 2004)

Ohh yeah. Alternatives seem to be the only working solution right now. I allow her to jump on her bed, but only if her sister isn't on it. She asks me if she can jump off something (like the couch or bed onto the floor) and I'll either tell her, "No, but you can jump on the balcony a little later." or "Sure, but just once."

I don't care about running in the house. We live on the 2nd floor, so I do try to get her to take quiet steps in the evenings, but I could care less during the day.

Ohh, one of her favorite things to do is jump from my bed to her bed. I have a king bed with a big frame so it's taller and hers is a twin just boxspring and mattress, they're about 2-3 feet away from each other, so she loooves to jump from the king to the twin. I let her do this, too.


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## camotyka (Jul 21, 2004)

Yes to all but the entertainment center because it is made of glass. The smile I see on my sons face makes it all worth it. He'll have plenty of time when he is an adult to not do these things







.

That said I don't allow him to do those things during our bedtime routine.


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## nova22 (Jun 26, 2004)

*Run in the house?* Yes, but there are some guidelines. No running on a hardwood or vinyl floor wearing socks, because they've slipped and hurt themselves by doing that. No running recklessly in front of an open staircase (meaning no closed door to block the stairs).

*Run in circles in the house?* Yes, with same exceptions as above.

*Jump on the couch?* Sometimes...I actually prefer that they remove the cushions and jump from the couch to the cushions. They rarely get hurt that way, but they often hurt themselves when they jump on the couch itself.

*Jump on the bed?* My bed - sure. It's just a mattress on the floor. DS's bed - yes, if they're careful of each other. It's a sturdy twin. DD's bed - no. It's not as sturdy - it's actually a crib converted into a toddler bed, and it wobbles like crazy if they jump on it.

*Jump off the couch?* They can jump from the couch to a cushion on the floor, or from the couch directly to the floor. They do have to move any toys or other obstructions that they might land on, so nothing breaks (including my children).









*Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?* Well, yes, but we don't really have a coffee table. It's actually a very sturdy fire bench that was handbuilt by one of my MIL's ancestors.

*Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?* Definitely not. They're not allowed to touch the entertainment center without permission. It used to have a glass door on the front, and my DS was playing with it one day and it shattered all over the floor. It didn't hurt him, but I don't want anything like that to happen again...it's all fairly delicate equipment, and the kids don't need to be playing with electricity anyway.

I haven't read all these responses but what if instead of "get down or I will spank you," you say, "Why don't you climb on the {insert approved climbing object} instead? See how high you can go" or "see how quickly you can get to the top" or "see how far you can jump" or something else that will give her a challenge. She sounds like the type of child who would enjoy that.

I know it is sooooo hard to deal with a very active child when you have a nursling as well.








When my older two are very rambunctious (sp) and I have the foresight to do so, I sometimes set up a little play area for them to use while I'm nursing. The firebench/coffee table goes about ten inches from the couch to give them a place to jump, or I put blue towels on the floor (aka "lakes" or "oceans" depending on which they're in the mood for







) and a beige towel in the middle for sand, and they literally spend an hour splashing from one body of water to the other.

Good luck mama!


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## Clarinet (Nov 3, 2005)

Run in circles in the house? *Definitely*
Jump on the couch? *Yes, with extra cushions on the floor in front*
Jump on the bed? *Her bed, not mine (it's too high)*
Jump off the couch? *Maybe with the cushions*
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch? *Probably not*
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it? *No*

I have a 4 1/2 year old and an 18 month old. When it's as cold as it's been the past few weeks and I can't comfortably take them outside to play, I let them expend their energy like this. I do insist the toys be moved out of the "track" so no one slips and there's no pushing off anything.


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## sarathan (Jun 28, 2005)

Run in the house?- Yes
Run in circles in the house?- Yes
Jump on the couch?- No
Jump on the bed?- No
Jump off the couch?- Depnds on my mood.








Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?- I would, but dh won't.
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?- No way!


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## ibex67 (Feb 24, 2006)

Run in the house?- Yes
Run in circles in the house?- Yes
Jump on the couch?- We have one they can and one they can't
Jump on the bed?- No -- they're right by windows
Jump off the couch?- Yes off the one couch.
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?- Yes the jumping couch
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?- No way! But only because it might fall over and really hurt them.

I don't like chaos and don't like to be around the kids when they are too wild but I recognize they have a need for it. So we have designated areas in the house where this kind of rowdiness is allowed.


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## Terabith (Mar 10, 2006)

run in the house - absolutely
run in circles in the house - of course
jump on the couch - eh, it's a futon so not terribly jumpy but no real qualms with em doing it
jump on the bed - can jump on our bed (king mattress on the floor) but not on guest bed (tho not strongly enforced); it's a bit high off the ground for my comfort
jump off coffee table - we don't have a coffee table. They have these cube chairs that they can turn over and climb on/ jump off. I discourage most furniture jumping as there is a 21 month old who'll try it too and is not as safe for.
climb entertainment center - nope.

Definitely run around outside. Look into indoor playgrounds (our mall has one), open gyms, things like that. We signed my 3 yr old up for a gymnastics class too, to give her an outlet for all that jumping and running and climbing energy.


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## sparklemama (Oct 16, 2003)

We all run circles together in the house too. Helps get that extra energy out! As for furniture, everything that could potentially fall over is secured to the wall. But the kids still don't climb on them and if they wanted to, we probably wouldn't allow them to do it. My son is pretty timid when it comes to that stuff and my DD is still pretty little but is already a climber, yet she's extremely careful. I like to let her explore and she sets very safe limits for herself.

We don't have a coffee table but if we did I'm sure they'd climb on it - pretty much the reason why we don't have one!

They're not allowed to jump on the master bed because it's too high and I freak out that they will fly off and hit the dresser or something. But the other bed is a mattress on the floor and they are encouraged to jump on it.


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## Brigianna (Mar 13, 2006)

Yes to everything except jumping on the bed (could break) and climbing the entertainment center (dangerous). I actually encourage my 3 yr old to run in circles.


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## treemom2 (Oct 1, 2003)

*Run in the house?* Yep, my kids run in the house all the time--DH and I do too!
*Run in circles in the house?* Yep
*Jump on the couch?* Yes
*Jump on the bed?* Yes--our mattress is on the floor
*Jump off the couch?* Yes, they love to take the cushions off the couch and jump on them
*Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?* Our rule is that if there is no food on the table they can play on it and jump off of it
*Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?* Probably not to this one, I would be afraid of it falling over on them. We would think of a way to make this less enticing to them and safer--even if we had to put all the electronics on top of a high bookshelf and remove the center for a while.

My children have tons of energy. They are always running, jumping, and dancing. Sometimes it can be so overwhelming trying to keep up with them. I just try to remember that they need to be active and if I don't have time to take them out to a park or someplace to play, they have to get all that energy out someplace!


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## chefpaige1 (Jul 12, 2006)

If you're wondering if your house is crazily chaotic, you should see mine: I have lots of space and let them race big wheels, bikes, and roller skates around the halls, kitchen, all over the place! You should hear the place when they get going! I'm sure anyone who would ever walk in on it would fall over in shock, but we have the space, the vehicles are clean, the exercise and bonding with each other is good for them, and they love it! Not only do the vehicles make terribly loud noises riding over the tile in the kitchen, but the kids are laughing and screaming like crazy people!


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## Fairy4tmama (Sep 3, 2003)

yep I let my kids run and jump, though not on things that are not safe*, our couch is a futon w/meatal frame and thin pad, no. entertainment center, no and we don't own a coffee table. some time we jump off the stairs to the living room ( we have a sunk in living room by two steps ) and my only rule with that is one at a time and make sure you have cleaned up any toys in your landing zone. some times we put a stool in the middle of the floor and they jump off.

When the jumping running get too much for me I try to turn it into a more structured form of the same thing IYKWIM like putting masking tape on the floor for them to jump on, I make hop scotch, shapes or letters a foot or two apart, we made a basket ball court once. Last week I wrote there name on peices of poster board, taped said name to the ground, put on some They might be Giants and let them dance, jump, be as sily as they wanted but any time the music paused they had to jump on there name and freeze.

HTH
* you never know when kids will find a way to get hurt even when you think the activity is not dangerous...DS1 kept "falling" off of an arm chair (about 2-3 feet) one night dh asked him to stop (not because he viewed ti as dangerouse but because it was about 2 minutes till bed time) and he did it one more time and sprained his wrist so badly we thought it was surely broken and had to take him to the ER!


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## Fairy4tmama (Sep 3, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chefpaige1* 
If you're wondering if your house is crazily chaotic, you should see mine: I have lots of space and let them race big wheels, bikes, and roller skates around the halls, kitchen, all over the place! You should hear the place when they get going! I'm sure anyone who would ever walk in on it would fall over in shock, but we have the space, the vehicles are clean, the exercise and bonding with each other is good for them, and they love it! Not only do the vehicles make terribly loud noises riding over the tile in the kitchen, but the kids are laughing and screaming like crazy people!

Sounds like my house


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## FLmom_3 (Jan 13, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kindergirl77* 
Run in the house?
Run in circles in the house?
Jump on the couch?
Jump on the bed?
Jump off the couch?
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?

RUNNING: I can't allow anymore unless we are playing with them. Reasoning is they love to play hide and go seek inside and when they play by themselves, I can't tell you how many times we've had kids smack into doors that were closed in their faces or fingers slammed in doors. Now, we've had to make a rule that they can 'quickly walk'. If we are playing with them and able to monitor and help prevent the emergency room visits, it's ok (they tend to hide wherever we hide so the slamming body parts in the doors isn't an issue). This was made in effort to keep the confusion down. If there were too many rules of how/when running was ok and we couldn't even remember the stipulations ourselves, we knew it would be confusing for them. This applies to all but isn't enforced on the 3 yo (she is reminded) because I feel she is a bit young to remember so many rules, considering she is still learning SO much about life in general. My oldest are 8 & 11 so I feel they are plenty old enough to understand.

JUMPING ON FURNITURE: Couch - I will allow and keep an eye on her (3 yo - oldest are a bit big for this). If I see she is getting too out of hand and about to hurt herself, I'll tell her we need to try and calm down a bit and redirect by playing something else with her (or just begin tickling - always gets her). Our couch is backed up to a window so she knows she can only jump on the cushions and can't climb the back/top.

THE BED: She has bunk beds so not such a good idea - her sister's have posterbeds with headboards/footboards and i used to allow her to climb the poles, jump, etc. but she'd fallen too many times and footboards can really hurt their little shins. Our bed is king size and we don't have a footboard/poles, so it is allowed but only on the knees for all but the 3 yo - including ourselves because most of the time, we even jump with them! We LOVE IT and they too love seeing M & D on their level sometimes.

I can't allow the table to couch jumping because of the window behind the couch mentioned earlier and I'm not sure my tables are sturdy enough (oldest 2 wore the legs out on them long ago! lol)

When the bounce arounds first came out (smaller home version of the moon bounce) we bought the girls one of those. It is small enough to set up in the living room when can't be done outside and they think it is awesome that they have their very own "moon bounce". I'm not sure how much they cost now but it was about $150 when it first came out so I'm sure the cost is down now. However, if financial limitations apply, I think the air mattress was a GREAT idea - my girls used to love that prior to the moonbounce also and it's pretty much the same thing without the walls.

I think the key to these things is options and compromise. If we have to say "no" for safety reasons, we try and designate and area that is a "yes". I agree that they have much more energy that we most of the time so it isn't fair for us to put limits on them based on our energy levels, KWIM? Besides, redirecting and designating places they can do these things helps keep the power struggles down. ALSO, as a kid, if I was told I couldn't do something and didn't understand why or given a place where I could (compromise), I would do it anyway and just try to keep from getting caught. Either way, if they were trying to prevent me from getting hurt, it was only being prevented when they were around, ya know.


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## Cassandra M. (Aug 3, 2003)

Run in the house? Yes
Run in circles in the house? Yes
Jump on the couch? Yes
Jump on the bed? Yes
Jump off the couch? Yes
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch? Yes
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it? No

I'm sorry I didn't read all the responses, but it doesn't make sense to me to threaten the child that you will hurt them (spank them) because you are afraid they will hurt themselves.

Not to say I haven't had any of that crazy thinkin, but that ran out at me while reading your post.

Try to find her physical stuff to do. And relax a little.







She's three.


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## ShadowMom (Jun 25, 2004)

My son does most of those things, but if he was doing something that was dangerous I would probably say :

"Oh, sweetie! It really scares me when you do that. I'm afraid that you could fall and get hurt. Can you (suggest something else or just ask him not to do it anymore)?"

I think if you're sittig and nursing, too, asking might get more results (maybe) just because it sort of acknowledges that you can't make her do anything when you're otherwise occupied, and out of reach, KWIM? I mean, if you bark orders at her (not saying you're doing this, but just if) then she KNOWS there are times you can't back them up...

If you're like me, when you get frustrated and annoyed you tend to stop asking and just starting telling in a rude way. At least that's what I do. And that does not get me very good results so I have to remind myself to start asking more respectfully in those situations.

Hope this helps, maybe a tiny bit, mama.


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## edamommy (Apr 6, 2004)

ACK! I hate the monkey-business of being 3! My ds is a total runner/jumper/climber. my dh always "wrestles" him and lets him behave like a wirey little mad animal. SO- my rule is NO crazy behavior on Mommy's furniture ONLY on Daddy's couch or on his lower bunkbed. THAT'S IT. He fights and does it anyway and gets dragged into his room for quite time to reflect on his insane behavior and then comes out and does it all again. The NO CRAZY behavior is policed heavily right before bed as he likes to do most of his running/climbing right before having to go to sleep (which makes him MEAN).

anyway, that's our house


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## royals95 (Aug 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kindergirl77* 
Run in the house?

Yes

Quote:

Run in circles in the house?
Yes

Quote:

Jump on the couch?
Sometimes

Quote:

Jump on the bed?
On his bed

Quote:

Jump off the couch?
This is something he usually does anyway, not really a question of allowing









Quote:

Jump off the coffee table on to the couch?
Nooo. We have a glass-topped table

Quote:

Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it?
No, but there's really nowhere to get a foothold on the side of ours!

Quote:

She has so so so much energy and literally runs in circles (It was a cold rainy day so that didn't help much as far as getting her outside).

What do you SAY to your kids when they are doing ___?? If she tells me no, she won't stop, I have been telling her to get down or I will spank her.








She says No mommy, don't spank me! I feel awful doing that, but usually I'm nursing when she does this and its hard for me to get up to make her get down... any suggestions? Should I just let her do some of that stuff? I'm worried she's going to get hurt...
I hear you mamma. My DS is high energy too. I try to get him outside for at least sometime during the day, but now that it's winter, we can't always get out. We just started designated "jumping time"--he goes up an clears off his bed and jumps to his heart's content! As for getting hurt, unless he (or his sister) is in real danger, I give verbal warnings to slow down, etc. first, then suggest an alternate if nothing changes.


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## Dechen (Apr 3, 2004)

We don't have a coffee table or an entertainment center, but yes to the rest.

Most days, dd and I have a rousing game of chase, running around the house in circles and pretending to be monsters.

Dd is one of those gotta-move kids. I was one, so I understand.

I discourage her from jumping on the couch now that she's big, but it isn't an absolute no. More often than not she uses the couch as something to fall off of, rather than jump on. She'll make a great stunt double. Her bed is a queen size mattress and box spring on the floor, and is the official jumping zone.

Just a few days ago I brought a very sturdy step stool into the living room so that she could practice her jumping off of things.


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## chefpaige1 (Jul 12, 2006)

Here's what scares me:
My very petite (I have to remind myself he's not 18 months!) 3 year old wants to perch in high places. He'll find a circle no bigger than his little butt at the top of the exercise equipment, and perch there, grinning away, totally happy and balanced. Scares me!


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## tomtemama (Aug 7, 2004)

Run in the house? *Yes*
Run in circles in the house? *Yes*
Jump on the couch? *No (it is a cheap Ikea wood frame coach that would break under that pressure, she has an exercise trampoline for jumping)*
Jump on the bed? *No (The bed is for sleeping in, the trampoline is for jumping on)*
Jump off the couch? *Yes*
Jump off the coffee table on to the couch? *No*
Climb up the side of the entertainment center to jump off of it? *No*


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

yes to all except the entertainment center since we dont have one.

the thing is my dd is v. high energy. she needed it much more when she was younger even after a hard play at the park. with everything i laid pretty strict rules right from teh start. even at one. she had to make sure i was around. made eye contact. communicated exactly what hse wanted. and got a response from me.

she did all of it in phases. i prefered her jumping on my bed rather than the trampoline. she still jumps on the bed even now at 4 but the others she doesnt do anymore unless she is playing chase with teh cat.


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