Trash Digger

I agree with the removal of the fun, flippy trash can. (comments below) If, for whatever reason, that's not possible, please keep reading! :)

I agree somewhat with what you're already doing. Removing him from the area is smart, and diverting his attention with another just-as-interesting activity will probably do wonders as well.

If that doesn't work, I'm going to be a 'bad guy' here, and suggest a stern, scary "NO." Not yelling per se, but in that unmistakable mommy voice that means business. (Then, remove and redirect.)

(@ Tina S: I've been known to "thwip" a hand in my day, too!)

Best of luck!

N.,

Just thip him on the top of the hand each time he does it and say a firm No. Then, when he obeys, celebrate and make it a big deal giving him praise.

T.
Mom of 4

N.:

I would have to agree with Kristine. Timeouts is too soon adn at tht age they are just immitating what mom and dad do. HE sees you and your husband opening and puting stuff in the trash can so he is trying to figure it out. Just a little heads up, keep an eye on the toys, shoes and other items, they might end up in there too. My son threw away his shoes and I didn't realize it until it was too late.

One of the first commands both my boys learned was "will you put this in the trash for Mommy?" By 14 months both of them were throwing away whatever needed to be tossed in the garbage. I was simply trying to involve them in task that they could easily complete (i.e."helping mommy") but the added benefit was that they learned form an early age that garbage goes in the can, and does not come out. On the downside, i do have to check for lost items in there occasionally, but my 21mo is now really good at identifying what is appropriate to go in the trash.

So, maybe have him help you whenever you need to throw something away, so that he learns how to use it properly. And of course correct him, as you have been, when he take things out or puts something in that is not trash. Be sure to tell him that garbage only goes in the can and does not come out. And, do provide him an appropriate toy for dumping things.

My daughter just started doing that. I got a latch for our can. Working great...I will take it off when she learns what no means.

Hi, N.. I would keep putting him in time out when he disobeys you, and keep showing him that it's dirty and not to be touched, but there are a couple of other issues that might be at work here.

First of all, what is your son looking for when he digs in the garbage? Is he looking for a snack? Toddlers don't understand the difference between garbage and the food you serve on the table. See if maybe he's hungry or just needs something to teethe on (he might be getting some more teeth at his age).

If you've thrown out something else that he wants, substitute some other object for the one he's trying to get out of the garbage. Distract him so that he knows he has some other way to get something to play with or eat.

Also -- get another garbage can with a lid that he can't open. That may be the only way to keep him out of it since he's so fascinated with the one you have. Flipping garbage can lids are pretty interesting, if you're a toddler and you have no idea that the flipper lid has germs on it. Toddlers don't care about germs. It probably looks like something cool to play with. Get him doing something else.

Peace,
Syl

His behavior is really normal for his age, especially the fact that he does it repeatedly. A 16 month old has no impulse control. I personally don't believe in timeouts at his age because I don't like to use punitive measures for normal developmental behavior. You can see that the time out is not working for him so I would suggest holding off on them.

I would also suggest you block his access to the garbage can, move the garbage can to where he can't reach it, or replace it with a can he can't easily open. !We have one of those garbage cans you step on the pedal to open the lid. When my daughter was that age, we turned it so it faced the wall. She couldn't open it, so she gave up. At this age, prevention, distraction, and redirection are your friends. You'll be a lot happier when you don't have to spend so much time and energy on the garbage can. Then you can find creative ways to cope with the next thing he likes to get into! lol

In my eyes there are two choices...

1) EVERY time he goes into the trash can you take the time to put him back in timeout. Explain each time why he's going to timeout. This is the best thing because it also teaches them to listen to what you say; they learn that if they choose not to do what they are told their are consequences.

2) Move the trash can into the garage. You can use plastic bags in the kitchen (hang it on an upper cabinet or put it in the sink) as your trash can. Then take the bags as needed to the garbage can in the garage. This keeps your son from digging in the trash.

If it's inside a cabinet, put a lock on the cabinet. If not put the trash behind a locked door. The best thing you can do for a toddler is baby proof so that you are never having to say "no" or punish them for being curious.

Hello N.,
Lol, sounds like my son only its been a few years (32 in fact)
since he liked to "dig". I solved the problem by getting a garbage container that could be latched. And then buying him his own flip container to store his toys in.. he loved filling it up and then digging it all out. Found the smaller variety worked the best to make it comfortable for his size. Its amazing how easy it was to get him to pick up his toys after this too. Sometimes what seems a problem turns out to be a bonus later in life. He was always putting things away even as a teenager!! Best of luck! dry~ (L.)

My husband started calling my son a raccoon at that age because he was a trash digger-- very age appropriate. Make sure he has some toys for his "dump and fill" stage-- even some tupperware bowls or a couple of buckets and some small toys would be perfect. My husband bought a trash with the lid you have to step on and by the time he was old enough to slip his fingers in the open it, he was old enough to understand time out or other consequences. In the meantime, yes you have to catch him in the act and redirect him firmly by telling him NO and then physically bringing him away from it, but you can't watch him all the time so I suggest moving it to where he can't get to it. It's aweful if he throws something important away, but even worse if he finds some rotten food and eats it.

My now 3 year old did the same exact thing... what we did is every time he went to the trash i'd say: no no, we dont play with the trash, and then i would put the trash can in a place where he couldnt reach it (sometimes on top of the kitchen counter) once he forgets about it, I will put the trash can down and repeat it this until he got over it... it didnt last long!!!!

I love the responses so far. He is primed for some "dumping" toys.. a set of mega bloks in a bucket he can fill and dump, over and over. ANYTHING with a lid that he can put things in, cover, then dump back out. Maybe even buy one of the little bathroom countertop ones and let him fill it with blocks. Or get a shapesorter.
As far as keeping him out of your trash... well...
If it is possible, put the trash can in a pantry closet or a cabinet with safety latches he can't open. Or even consider setting it on top of the counter, if that's possible. Also, remind him (over and over and over and over and over... lol, but without getting angry, just be as repetitive about it as he is with the behavior) that trash goes in, not out. You also could let him use it! When you need to toss something (peels from the carrots, or the celaphane wrapper off of something, or an empty box, whatever is safe for him to handle) ask him to help you. He can learn how to use the trash can properly. You might help him get over his fascination with it faster if he is allowed to use it.
Good luck. Just wait for the day you find him walking out of your bathroom with panty liners all stuck on him like band-aids.... lol.. that's coming too! It's just all exploration and it can be annoying if you let it... try to imagine it from his view of the world... it can be FUN! (And make great photos!)

Move it! That's what i did because my son was into the trash too. He is now 23 months and it has been moved for a long time now. We have our house completely baby proofed so i all i did was put it in the dining room (which is next to my kitchen) separated by a baby gate so he can't get into that room. It is a pain sometimes when people come over and are looking for the trash - but it works for me. Also you can't put it under the sink because you probably have one of those stainless steel flip tops and they don't fit.
I hope this helps...

My 2 yr old does the same thing. When he gets it into his head to start trash picking, we simply put the can up on the counter where he can't reach it. We have one of those tall kitchen cans, so it is an inconvenience for us, but it is safer for him.

Also, a good suggestion from earlier is to monitor your can constantly, I caught my cell phone getting tossed once, along with other purse items when he managed to get ahold of it one day.

Put your trash somewhere else... We had to downsize our can and put it under the sink... but you could put it in the laundry room, mud room, etc... I am a believer in 'pick your battles' and this is one that I would surrender! Out of sight, out of mind! Good luck!

Out of sight, out of mind (at least after a while when he finally forgets!). From everything I've read, time-outs aren't effective until children are about 2 because they are unable to understand that their actions are connected to them.

If you can't move it, I would suggest distracting/redirecting him--without mentioning the trash can--because the more attention he gets (even though it's negative), the more likely that he will continue. He will probably lose interest in it by about 18 or 19 months. That's when I noticed both of my girls (now 35 and 20 months) seemed to stop doing things like that.

Hang in there--that's been the most challenging age for me so far. I know it's tough!!!! They're so darn curious and find find in the yuckiest and most unsanitary places!

Put your trash in the garage or a place he can't reach it. I had that problem. Once the object is out of site he will often lose interest. It may be inconvenient for a while but it worked for me.

He is just curious. His thinking is "What will happen if this goes in?" If you can move the trash can out of range, like the laundry room. I did this. Our laundry room is between the garage and the kitchen so we had it in there until recently.

this site has helped me a LOT
http://joanneaz_2.tripod.com/positivedisciplineresourcece...

Hi N.,

This is a common problem with 16 months old. They are so curious. My son did the same thing about the same age. Will your trash can fit under your kitchen sink? That is where we put ours and put locks on the doors. We allow our now 18 month old son to take his diapers to the trash and he feels so proud.

Hope this helps!
T.

My son used to continuously try to mess with the tv and entertainment center. I remembered reading something somewhere about "discipline and distract" so I tried it. Although putting up a gate or something would have been easier for me I wanted my son to learn what no meant so that when we went to other peoples' houses he would listen to me and not mess with their entertainment centers. Anyway...so I did the discipline and then distract. I would say, "No touch entertainment center and then I would lift him up and go show him a toy or something else. It did take a good month of consistent reinforcement, but now he doesnt even go towards it. I think I'll continue this method when I can unless it's a situation where he could hurt himself or someone else.