"Curbing" Toddler Running into Street!!!

Although you need to be outside a lot, you are probably going to have to buckle down and give your son a consequence when he runs out in the street. My children are not allowed in the street either, even though their friends ride their bikes right down the middle of it. I think, were I you, the next time he ran out in the street I would take him by the hand and take him right back inside to sit in timeout for 2 minutes. When timeout is over, get down on his level(as much as you can for being pregnant)look him straight in the eyes and tell him, "if you go in the street, you come inside to sit." "It is dangerous to go in the street without holding mommy's hand." Be consistent!! Do this each time he goes to the street. He will soon learn it is not a game you will play with him, and eventually he will stop. I did this with mine, and they are now 6 and 3, and never cross the street without asking, and never chase a ball that has gone in the street. It is just something we had to train them to do to keep them safe.

I agree with the others regarding the consequence of going inside for a while if he goes in the street. Another thing that worked for us when my boy was that age was teaching him the stop go game. My boy is/was a very strong willed, independent, boy with the same twinkle in his eye when he was about to do something naughty. I found that teaching him a game where he learned to respond to me when I said stop, took some of the testing out of it. I just took him to a place not near a road and let him run and when I said stop he needed to stop and when I said go, he could go. He loved the game and it still works today(he is almost 4). If your child is a spirited one like mine this could help for a long time in many places(grocery store, playground etc.). HTH good luck!

A.

Hi, My advice is get a "time out chair." Put it out when you are working in the yard. When he disobeys you, grab him by the arm, and sit his botom down in the chair, and make him stay there until he understands the reason he is sitting there. Consistency is the key. It works for my 2.4 year old grandson. Also make it work in the house, and soon you should get some results. (When the grandkids, start whining and crying for no reason, I put the chair out the back door, and make them sit there until they can act right.

~C.~

My daughter is going on 2 and she did that once and she thought she was going to win the battle. I put a pack in play in the yard and when she did it to me I would put her in it with no toys and made it a time out. Now she thinks its funny when\were in the car to tell us to stop wait car coming. when its the traffic going opposite way of us. And if u don't stop she yells wait stop continuosly.

Hi K.,

You have to be willing to take him in side if he runs in the street. He needs to understand that it is serious to run in the street, quiet street or not. I would not give him the freedom to be that far away from you to take off running from you. At this age, he does not have the sense to know how far away a car is or how fast a car is coming. Put the play pen outside or take the stroller outside. If he starts to take off, put him in it until you are done.

When our neighbors daughter was almost 3, she was hit by a car, on our quiet street. This little girl would run back and forth across the street to play with the older kids. Yes, everyone knew her. The mom thought the older kids would watch out for her or other parents. While, a car not from the block, came down the street and hit her. She spent 3 months in the hospital and could walk for several months.

Hi K.,
I had this same problem with my son when he was 2 and this is a very serious situation that needs to be delt with. I would explain to my kids that if they run into the street they would get hit by a car and get squished like a bug and be dead and there'd be no more (child's name) around. They didn't like the idea of that and would always say that everytime they came near the road or other cars but if they did happen to go into the road I would give them a few good spankings. They need to know that this is NOT at ALL ok and they must stop, its not funny or a game and you are not playing and its not open for discussion. I know parents today don't like to use spankings so whatever form of discipline you use, use it consistantly and make sure its effective. Good luck.

C.