# How to stop a 2 year old from dumping things



## Incubator (May 11, 2006)

Okay, the constant cleaning things up and wiping is killing me and I'd making me snappy.
What do you say (or do) to stop a two- year old from dumping things out. It's everything: his toy baskets, drinks, bottles of shampoo, tubes of toothpaste, jugs of milk, baskets of books, EVERYTHING! How do you get them to help clean it back up again? please tell me what you did!


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## _betsy_ (Jun 29, 2004)

DD Doesnt't do this much, and I think in part because she gets a chance to dump water all overthe bathtub everyday. She has two plastic cups in there, one larger than the other, and she'd spend hours in there everyday filling up the little one and dumping it into the big one and vice versa if I'd let her.

I think it's the age.

She also just swiped a stack of papers off the edge of the desk - twice - and refused to help clean up, she just wanted to crinkle all the papers (bills and what not). It was her way of telling me she was hungry, I guess.


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## anywaybecause (Jul 9, 2008)

I didn't. I just cleaned it up. Two year olds dump things. They're exploring, experimenting, and answering questions for themselves. They understand that biting or hitting hurts, but they just can't get their brains around the concept that dumping out everything under the sun can be very hurtful or aggravating to their mommy.

If there was something I didn't want them getting into, I put it away, or up high, or I closed off that room somehow. Apartment chains were my fave, but there were also several doors that I replaced with a keyed knob, and then I hung the key on a hook at grown-up height beside the door.

I also tried to look at what my dds goals were when they dumped and made a mess. For example, were they trying to put their own toothpaste on their brush, or wash their hands, or pour their own drink? If so, try to make the activity more accessible for them, and you will avoid some of the mess.

For example, if your ds wants to pour his own milk into his cup, and that's why the milk is spilling, then get a small rubbermaid 1-quart container, fill it half-full, and let him pour his own milk. If he wants to get his own goldfish crackers for snack, then when you open a new pack of crackers, put them in a container he can open easily, and keep plastic bowls on a low shelf for him. Show him how to use a scoop or his hand to put a certain amount in the bowl, and how to close the lid on the container and put the fishies away. Expect it to take a while to click in his brain.

In the meantime, try to remember not to take it personally, because he's really not doing it to annoy you (though it sometimes seems that way!).


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## megan sacha (Oct 24, 2005)

We don't have a 2 yr old yet. Ours is almost 18 months and I know there's a big diff developmentally there, but I'll tell you what we do. Our DS does dump lots of things but the toys don't really bother me. What gets me the way you're describing sometimes is the water dumping. He's very into pouring and pretend cooking. So, he runs around with pans of water and stiring implements and pours out bottles/cups, etc onto the floor and everywhere else. Ok, water is sure easier to deal with than shampoo (can you put the shampoo higher?) but when he spills water or dumps it, we say "uh, oh, we need to cleanup. Can you help?" He now on his own often will grab a towel out of the drawer and clean up the mess himself and then put the towel in the dirty clothes. It's very cute. We've basically just modeled for him and encouraged/expected him to participate. I think it teaches that when you make a mess, you are responsible to clean it up. Now of course there are many more messes that we clean up for him, but it's a start.


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## cera (Dec 6, 2006)

I'm sorry but I have to laugh, not to be mean but b/c all I do all day is clean up after my little tornado. Two kids later and I'm pretty sure you just have to keep cleaning up behind them. I do try to get ds to clean up a mess that he makes or at least help but unfortunately it's a phase that they need to outgrow in their own time.


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## Incubator (May 11, 2006)

Thank you for the replies.
I understand that it's something you have to keep doing, cleaning up after them, but it gets irritating that it is literally ALL I DO all day. My husband doesn't understand at ALL. I have a 5 month old to take care of too.
He gets all the cup-dumping bathtub time he can handle. But he does things like pur drinks together. there doesn't seem to be any reason to it. I can't lock the bathroom because he need to get in to pee, I do my best to keep an eye on him, but it always seems like the two minutes I go do the laundry, or take care of his sister, THAT'S when he finds something, like the shampoo or the toothpaste. The two guys in the house don't always put things in a place where DS can't reach them. Especially the toothpaste, which drives me nuts, and more often than not, the linen closet in the bathroom is left open, which is where he gets it from too. I can't talk to these two guys, like I said, my husband doesn't understand at all, as far as he's concerned I'm just lazy, I guess.
I hate to do it, but I think I'm resorting to putting away toys that he continually dumps (as in 20-40 times per day, and then doesn't play with). I've explained to him that mama can't handle the constant mess, so any toys that he dumps and doesn't clean up, need to be put away for awhile.







He is going to be sorely missing some toys after a couple of hours. But I just can't take it anymore. I don't know how those of you who say you just clean up continually do it. I'm tired!


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

Taking away toys he doesn't play with anyway isn't punishing him. It's you freeing him to explore more fully. Don't feel bad about it at all. I've worked with toddlers for years, and whenever we get a bunch of dumpers we start lessening the amount of toys. (Another idea is to only take half the toys out of the basket, so there's less to pick up)

Anyway,







, it is tiring, but he'll outgrow it within the next few months (Usually they are done by about 2 1/2 IME)


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## cera (Dec 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Incubator* 
my husband doesn't understand at all, as far as he's concerned I'm just lazy, I guess.

We must have ended up with the same man! DH thinks I sit around all day I think. When he comes home to a living room full of toys he is not thrilled, I am happy to say though he has learned to keep his opinions to himself about it though. He really doesn't understand how many times a day I clean up just the toys alone! It is hard b/c my little one follows behind me dumping everything back out.


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## RollerCoasterMama (Jul 22, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cera* 
We must have ended up with the same man! DH thinks I sit around all day I think. When he comes home to a living room full of toys he is not thrilled, I am happy to say though he has learned to keep his opinions to himself about it though. He really doesn't understand how many times a day I clean up just the toys alone! It is hard b/c my little one follows behind me dumping everything back out.

Simple fix to that! Arrange for him to spend a day on his own with the kiddos. My DH already knew that lesson from earlier in his life. But once in a while he gets a man-bonding day. Takes care of any of those thoughts VERY QUICKLY!


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## katzee (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm right here with you. Our DD will be two next month and she just watches me while she pours out her milk on the table on purpose or her little cup of snacky Os on the floor or her whole dish at the table for that matter. A basket of toys - you name it! We banish her to sippy cups again for a day or so and try again later hoping she'll keep her beverages contained. We ask her to pick up things too, which she might pick up a few. Hopefully it's a short phase!


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## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

While most of those are annoying (sometimes really annoying,) ingesting too much toothpaste can be really dangerous. Please try to at least get DH to keep that up high.


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## cera (Dec 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *3901sca* 
Simple fix to that! Arrange for him to spend a day on his own with the kiddos. My DH already knew that lesson from earlier in his life. But once in a while he gets a man-bonding day. Takes care of any of those thoughts VERY QUICKLY!


I wish that would work. I've tried it and while he does see that ds is very active. He never tries to clean up or do anything that I would do during the day so he doesn't see how frustrating it is. Then when I come home there is an even BIGGER mess than if I were home trying to contain it and I am stuck cleaning it up myself.


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## Incubator (May 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BethNC* 
While most of those are annoying (sometimes really annoying,) ingesting too much toothpaste can be really dangerous. Please try to at least get DH to keep that up high.

He doesn't really try to eat it, he just squeezes it out all over the floor. It's fluoride-free toothpaste, also.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cera* 
I wish that would work. I've tried it and while he does see that ds is very active. He never tries to clean up or do anything that I would do during the day so he doesn't see how frustrating it is. Then when I come home there is an even BIGGER mess than if I were home trying to contain it and I am stuck cleaning it up myself.

















: exactly! In addition, he gets all mad and frustrated when he's alone with the kids. And when I get home, I've got a huge mess, an angry husband, and two upset kiddos. He's in for the wake-up call of his life when I go away for two days this November!


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## D_McG (Jun 12, 2006)

DS dumps toys and that's ok. If he dumps a snack he has to pick it up. and I don't give him access to things like shampoo or jugs of milk. I don't even give him an open cup anymore b/c he would dump it and I don't see the point. So he just gets a sippy cup now.


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## Incubator (May 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D_McG* 
DS dumps toys and that's ok. If he dumps a snack he has to pick it up. and I don't give him access to things like shampoo or jugs of milk. I don't even give him an open cup anymore b/c he would dump it and I don't see the point. So he just gets a sippy cup now.

We have a gate to keep him out of the kitchen, but he climbs over it. and a bungee cord keeps the fridge closed, but he can get that off, too. He can screw the lids off a sippy cup


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## D_McG (Jun 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Incubator* 
We have a gate to keep him out of the kitchen, but he climbs over it. and a bungee cord keeps the fridge closed, but he can get that off, too. He can screw the lids off a sippy cup

hmm - IDK then. Maybe just small quantities of liquids in his sippy? A lock for the fridge? No unsupervised time? I think I have a lot less patience than a lot of the moms on MDC. Stuff like that just drives me nuts.


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

Buy one of those shower caddie things and put all the shampoo up out of reach. Keep the toothpaste in a drawer with a child latch or in the medicine cabinet. In short just don't let him have access to anything you don't want to clean. Find a brand of sippy cup that you can screw on so tight he can't possibly get it open. Then as said, just have a bunch of alternate things that he is allowed to dump and if you can make a game out putting things back where they go too. Dump the toys, not put them back so you can dump again...


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## _betsy_ (Jun 29, 2004)

Mind wandering...

With the constant toy dumping and then not playing with them - try to remember that the dumping IS him playing with it, and he'e learning something from doing it. Also, maybe make the dumping more of a game, you put it back in with his help and encourage him to dump it out.

I wonder if this is sensory seeking behavior - if he would enjoy a sand box, or a huge rubbermaid type container filled with dry rice grains and cups, etc.


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## LeahC (Sep 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Incubator* 
Okay, the constant cleaning things up and wiping is killing me and I'd making me snappy.
What do you say (or do) to stop a two- year old from dumping things out. It's everything: his toy baskets, drinks, bottles of shampoo, tubes of toothpaste, jugs of milk, baskets of books, EVERYTHING! How do you get them to help clean it back up again? please tell me what you did!

Ummm, just bid time until they are 5 or so?!









Seriously, I think it is just the age. My son is constantly dumping his bins of cars out and then he always proclaims proudly after the fact "I dumped my cars, momma!!" with this huge grin on his face. I think they are amazed at what a mess that they can make.

However, we do make him clean up his toys when he is either done with them or at the end of the day before bedtime. We have a little song that we sing while we do it and that seems to make it more fun for him.

We also take a tumble class at our local Y and at the end of each class we have to help clean up all of the toys and mats and stuff. That has really helped him to understand that we have to clean up after we have fun. He can see all of his little friends cleaning up and he jumps right in to help. I love when peer pressure works on my behalf!


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