climbing on the sofa

Well, we knew it would happen eventually, and today BOTH our boys figured out how to get up onto the sofa by themselves. I was wondering how you all deal with this. Clearly they don't understand yet that they can fall. I tried showing them how to get down safely and they just screamed because they wanted to get back up, so I don't think they got the point. When they tried to stand up and jump on the cushions, I did make them sit back down (they understand "sit on your bottom" from making them sit in their toddler chairs).

The other problem is they can now reach everything on the end table - before they could only reach half of it from the other side. We already got rid of our coffee table because they kept hitting their head, so I hate to give up my end table, too - we won't even have a place to set drinks or a reading lamp or anything if we do.

DH wants to put a block of wood under each leg of the sofa to make it taller, but I feel like that's just delaying the inevitable. Any good ideas for dealing with this more effectively? I hate to be saying "no" all the time, or dragging two screaming toddlers off of the sofa repeatedly.

 

Just let them learn! We put foam mats down on the floor and took away the coffee tables and let them have at it. There were a few spills, but nothing serious and now they're very good at couch safety. Supervise as much as you can and within a few weeks they'll have it all figured out.

 

Honestly this is what I did all day long. I sounded like a broken record "sit on your bums!" They are pretty good now throughout the day sitting on it to read or play is ok. Usually right before bed (I call it the silly time) they really get going and they want to jump around. A big no-no in our house. We've had a few tumbles, my one daughter is very clumsy at the best of times.

I'm not really helping here... But, its not going to get much better, just keep up with trying to teach them what's expected in regards to proper couch etiquitte and eventually they will figure out there is an edge there. As for the end table, you may have to just get rid of it for awhile. We have a padded (bench style) coffee table and ended up getting rid of the floor lamp and placed a superyard around the tv. Its really the only room in the house I feel safe leaving them in alone for any period of time. It's not pretty, but it works for now, and I just tell myself it wont be like that forever

 

Me too!!!! I immediately put them back on the floor if they start goofing around. I started this very early...the couch is for sitting the floor is for playing. Most days they get it, some days they need a thousand reminders.

Something I did that has helped is I got them their own plush chairs to sit on when they are having a snack or watching TV. This way the couch is pretty much off-limits to them. I rarely even sit on it when they are awake...if I have time to sit during the day it's with them on the floor. This makes the couch less interesting. We also have no furniture to speak of in our living room where I spend most of the day with the kids. Eventually you will be able to start moving things back in...I just brought back an end table (for coffee cups, like you said ) and after half a day they were no longer interested in it. I plan to re-furnish slowly .

 

I agree with the PP posts. My guys are gated into the kitchen and a small hallway area, no where near the living room, and I am so happy they are FAR away from the couches!

 

I think I could have written this post, my girls started climbing onto the couch at 11 months, and now recently they have learned to climb up the all the way, (the part whre your back goes) and try to climb over, which would be a big fall off the back rather than the front. I dont know what to do, so i only let htme up wehn they are sitting with me, but easier said than done, since they clim up it!

It was the first question i asked doctor at 1 yr check up. bc the girls can climb to the top of their cribs too1 whichc scares me, bc they have NO awareness of falling!!

no suggestions here, imm stuck and dont knwo wat to do as well! i cant leave them alone in the den anymore for a few seconds bc they are up on the couch and climbing uo the back, and i f i dont here them wake up right way in the morning, when igo in their they are starting to climb out !!! ah!

so if you find a solution besides the "no no no" let me know! goood luck

 

Unfortunately our house layout is that the living room and dining room is all open. We have gates into the kitchen and down the hall, which leads to the bedrooms and bathrooms. But there is no where else I can be with them during the day except our main living room. No basement, no bonus room, nothing. The other problem is, there is no overhead light in this room, so if I get rid of the end tables, there is nowhere for a lamp, and we'd have to sit in the dark once it is evening. We already got rid of our two floor lamps because they were trying to pull them over, so it's pretty dim in here as it is with just two table lamps.

They do have their own chairs, but they would rather climb up on the sofa, of course! And sitting on the floor all day is a no-no for me because of back problems. I can sit on the floor for about 15-20 minutes, then I either have to stand or sit on the sofa or I can't walk for three days afterward.

I guess I'm just going to have to be vigilant about teaching them to be safe on the couch. I was hoping there was some better solution, but I guess not. It's times like now I REALLY wish we have a play room or a separate family room. Sometimes it is nice having our living space so open, but right now it drives me crazy. :wacko:

 

My living space is very similar to yours. My living room, dining room, and kitchen are all very open, with one small wall in the middle like an island.

I asked this same question when my duo started climbing on the couches. And for the most part, i was told (and what I did), was to pull the couch cushions (if you have them) off the couch and onto the floor next to the couch. I have a very deep couch, so there was less chance of them falling off the edge, but it also gave them a padded place to fall on to if they did crash. We have had a couple crashes over the arm of the couch, but for the most part, they learned really fast to be careful near the edge of the couch. I do try to make them sit on the couch most of the time, but sometimes when they get wild, and it's ugly outside, the couch becomes their climbing structure

I don't think raising up the couch is a good idea, because not only will they still be able to climb up there eventually, it'll also be a longer fall to the ground. Pad the area around the couch with a rug, pillows, folded blankets or something....and just keep repeating "Sit on the couch, bottoms down, no jumping" until you turn blue in the face!

 

Another thing that may help is to teach your boys how to get off of the couch. I never really stopped my guys from climbing up, but I did *repeatedly* show them how to get down "the right way" and constantly emphasized it. This is how I taught them how to climb down the stairs as well. I made them turn around and get down legs first. It only took a few times of showing them, then every time they would get near the edge of the couch I would just have to say "get down the right way" and they would immediately turn around and get down safely.

This was great practice for them, and we only ever had a few minor spills!

 

By 10 months my boys started climbing our furniture, We removed the coffee table and replaced it with a rug since we have wood laminate floors. Yes they fall but it's not like we can prevent every injury and have them in hockey gear all day...well we could .

Mine are almost 2 now and are ALWAYS climbing up to sit on the couch and sometimes they try climbing the back of the sofa to stand up on the top and play with the pictures on the wall as if they were monkeys but when I see them do that I say, firmly, "Sit down!" and after doing this over and over they know that when Mommy says to sit down they need to sit down.

It's pretty much inevitable, the climbing, the falling, the bumps and bruises. Fortunately my kids seem to have hard heads and go pretty much uncaring of a fall and just laugh it off even though they have a giant goose egg forming. Kids are kids, and they're gonna get hurt we can only baby proof so much but they are clever little booger butts and always seem to find a way around your baby proofing methods.

I say let them climb but while they do it make sure to be consistent with how they are to behave on the furniture or anything else they start climbing. It'll take time for them to get the idea but if they're like my kids eventually they will and will listen. Right now it's all about seeing just how much they can get away with. Just keep reinforcing your ways of them behaving on furniture, whether it's with a stern face and a stern "SIT DOWN" or whatever you wish from them behavioral wise. If your consistent they'll pick it up and listen to you when you tell them what they need to do.

Good luck!!

 

Mine started climbing up on the couch, end table, stairs ling time ago even they still can't walk well yet. The first week, I had to remove them from the couch like zillion times in 1 hour. I put down a thick thick blanket on the floor. They thought it's funny game. And some how they climbed up and jumped down head first more. I was so sick of it. I removed the blanket, taught them down to get off and explained that it's not a game. I witnessed my boy jumped offthe couch got a bump on his forehead, second time got bleedy lip. It hurt me more than him but from that day till now, he never jumps down again. He gets off the couch the way I showed him. My girl still does it head first but she is super careful and doesn't get hurt. I never removed end table though. But I removed all the stuffs on the table. They do climb ip sit there play them climb back down safely.

I know I'm a mean mom. But they have to learn to play safe. And they learned it from their own experiences

 

This is what we did and it worked great. No major falls and plus they quickly learned how to get on and off by themselves. Once they had that down and they were easily getting on and off we taught them to sit on their bottoms once they got up there. It was kinda crazy for a short while, but within a few days of lots of repetition ("couches are for sitting," etc) they had it.

I honestly think the less you make a big deal out of it the sooner it becomes a non-issue for them. We never made the couch a battle zone and now the boys don't seem to even notice it much.

 

That is what we did to!

 

Ditto on the "learning my consequence" methods. They fell A LOT in the beginning but only on accident now.

 

We taught safe climbing down (turn around, go backwards, go slow and take care) from a very early age and reminded them of this rule for the couch and arm chairs too once they started climbing on them. Of course, we had a few tumbles but that is the way they learn (and I much prefer them falling off the couch to falling down the stairs).

We have a house rule that states sitting only on the arm chairs and couch and they are usually good at following the house rule; if climbing gets too bad they need to leave the family room for a few minutes - that always works (after tears and protest), they want to be where everyone else is. My LOs love to read and we give them lots of time alone and with us on "grown up" furniture with books which seems to satisfy their need to be on the couch.

 

When my two first started to climb on the couch I took the cushions off and put them on the floor. They had some running room on the furniture, which isn't the best idea, but they also didn't just fall off. That stage only lasted about 3 weeks. Then we put the cushions back. They are now better at the up and down and fall a little more carefully.

 

Our cushions aren't removable, but I have been putting some pillows and blankets on the floor. Today Michael fell very hard, straight back. That is the first serious spill one of them has taken. Today was exhausting, I must say. I feel like I spent ALL day saying "sit on your bottom" and then when they were getting really rowdy, putting them down on the floor. Ugh. Hopefully it will get better soon. I'm trying to be consistent, but it's hard when you have to say the same thing over and over!!

 

This was the first thing we did. Soon after their first birthday they started to climb on stairs and soon after that our living room sofa. They fell a few times, but it's over now.
It was very scary and tiring at first, but I adjusted as I had to realize this habit is going nowhere-)))
I agree with pp, try to make it as safe as possible for them and let them learn!

 

We too first taught our boys how to climb down from the couch safely, and they learned that quickly. The problem lately has been that they want to jump around on the couch. C fell over the arm of our couch about a month ago and got a big goose egg on his forehead then. And yesterday B was jumping from one of the couch to the next and then he flew overboard too. And all I can say is that its been a lot harder to teach "sit" on the couch, versus jump, than how to climb down from it safely. I wish I had some advice for you but we are in the same boat. I even bought a Step 2 indoor slide to help alleviate the boys' need to jump/climb down from our couches, but the slide hasn't helped a bit...

 

They definitely know how to get down safely - they actually figured that out pretty quickly. But like you, it's the standing up and jumping that they still want to do. I hope they will stop eventually as long as I keep on them!!