So I assume these things are totally normal, but lately, but my 2 year old is being particularly strange. He's licking everything and experimenting with hitting things, like slamming his hands down on the table (we're not tolerating this) and after months of being a great eater, doesn't seem to want to eat anything but sweets. He's never had a snugly or a stuffed animal buddy, just never shown an interest, but now, after more than 2 years, he likes to hold onto a pillow and put his hand between the pillow and the pillow case while he cuddles or lays in bed.
These are all harmless,probably typical things....just wondering if your kids had their own weirdo toddler activities that make you shake your head?
My youngest is 20 months and she's fascinated with other people's hair or hair on anything really. My oldest has a Rapunzel Barbie and the little one carries it around sticking the hair in her ear. She does it with the dogs tail too.
When she's falling asleep, she has to have her hand in my hair. If I have it up in a pony tail, I have to take it down so she can play with it. It's definitely a little odd :)
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Oh lord, my almost 3yr old runs in circles when he gets excited about something.
Literally runs in circles.
He also carries a purse everywhere (one of my clutches) that he puts all of his matchbox cars in, and will occasionally put my high heels on with it.
Finally, he's obsessed with bandaids. He wants them everywhere on his body, and freaks if you try to take them off. I constantly look like a mom that beats my kid!
I call him my little weirdo.
He's testing out sensory perception (how does this feel? vs. this other thing) he's realizing when he whacks his hands on the table it makes a loud noise and gets a reaction from you. he's jsut learning about his environment and how he relates to it. As for the licking - some kids shove stuff in their mouth to find out how things "feel" - he licks it. Wait until he no longer wears diapers - my son went through a short phase where he wanted to see how everything felt up against his winky. "cold & smooth", "warm and fuzzy"?
Toddlers are odd - he's only been on the planet for 2 years - he's trying to figure it all out and how he fits it... Enjoy it!
Your question made me laugh - I usually ask my son what planet he came from! When he was about 2.5 he suddenly wanted to drag out all his baby blankets and wrap up in them while he ate dinner. Now he is 3 and he likes to pretend to be baby animals. He will demand that I be "mama frog" or "mama monkey" and so on. He will only talk like that animal and will try to eat without using his hands. I see it as a sign of a big imagination and high curiosity about the world. There's so much to learn & take in, they want to absorb as much as possible, and it definitely seems weird to the rest of us!
When my son won't eat, I'll encourage him to take "dinosaur bites" which is basically ripping into his food while growling very loudly, or "squirrel bites" which is holding his food with his finger tips and nibbling really fast. It makes meals a lot more fun for him and less of a battle.
Also if your son has a need to yell or pound on things, give him a set time & place to get it out of his system. I will let my son "play drums" while I prepare dinner, or have a scary monster contest to see who can roar the loudest, but when it's convenient for us. That way he's not shrieking while I'm on the phone or drumming when baby sister is sleeping.
Good luck!
Not a wierdo-actually right on schedule for tactile investigations. This is the age to touch/feel EVERYTHING!!
He does not realize the ickyiness we feel when he is licking-he just wants to feel different things with his tongue and hands. Keep introducing different textured food and in a few months, he will be past it. (or maybe a year)
My daughter, now 4, always sleeps with a half a yards worth of blanket stuffed into her mouth. While she has a mouthfull of blanket and is half asleep, she sticks one of the other corners into her ear or eyes. I actually saw her putting one corner in her belly button once. Good news is...my husband did the SAME exact thing as a kid. Blanket suckers!!! Who knew!?! Talk about a security blanket!!!
Yes,my son likes to lick things like my face. I have to remind him that once is enough and he needs to stop. My son seems to eat better at other peoples house. He has his moments when he wants to only eat sweets then at other times he likes to eat veggies and fruits. My son will be four in about four months. remind him,no sweets until he eats something good. He may seem to get taller but not gain weight. As long as he is growing,I would not worry about it. Some kids are grazers which means they like to eat small portions of food all day long. Get him some kid drums to bang on. my son likes to bang on things too. I think it is a boy thing. Good luck
He is definitely experimenting with the world around him, and you. Not wanting to eat anything but sweets is just a tactic to see if you will just give him sweets. That is easily dealt with. Don't give him any sweets. If you give him sweets because you think he needs to eat something, he will learn that you will give him what he wants and he won't have to eat anything else. Smart kid you have there!
Hitting, slamming, etc. is all the same. He wants to know where the boundaries will be. Just be consistent with what you allow and what you don't and he'll get it.
Enjoy these fun years of watching him figure out the world around him.
My kiddo has an earlobe obsession.
I love kids and their funny strange behavior ....we'll have great stories to tell them when they're older :)
