Serious question – if you have a little kid that just seems to break everything they touch, is there any way to teach them?! We have tried everything – we spend time sitting and playing with him and show him how to play with things, but it seems as soon as our backs are turned, Bam Bam mode is activated and he breaks pretty much anything he touches.

We have bought second hand things that other families have had for years, and within a day/week they’re fit for scrap. It’s sometimes almost instant. I find it hard not to get frustrated and punish him with time outs in his room, or no treats, but they’re not working.

Anyone got any tips?

How old?

How old are they ?

Sometimes when they are young you think its a personality trait and in reality its just a phase that will pass and what you do has little impact on it.

trust me when they get older they wont break the wifi router 😉

3 1/2

When giving him a new toy let him know clearly that he will not be getting anything to replace it if he breaks it.

Give them something to create? Paints, Play-doh…

Yes limited number of toys not replaced when broken

Or lego then it wont really matter or the larger equivalent for younger kids

Or lego then it wont really matter or the larger equivalent for younger kids

Good idea. Give him some Mega Bloks or Duplo. Build something then smash the crap out of it. Repeat until bedtime.

We’ve never replaced any toys once broken. I put the majority of toys in the loft and only have maybe 5-6 main things downstairs for him to play with at any one time, swap them round now and then. He definitely focuses better when there are fewer things to look at.

He does love playdo and painting and we have a corner with a wee table specifically for those. But once he gets hold of something breakable, that’s it.

I think we just need to be more careful keeping anything that might break away from him. I don’t like his day having so much ‘naughty time’ in it and would rather be spending it doing fun stuff!

Anyway, after lunch we’re going out on a bike ride so that’ll keep him happy for a while!

By any chance are you called Barney ..and you’re wife Betty ?

Sadly they don’t come with manuals and are all pretty bespoke. Consistency and reinforcement are the only things I’d recommend.

What toys is he breaking ?
I. Can’t recall cranbrat having anything particularly fragile , I did spend a lot of time fixing metal model cars though .

Don’t replace broken toys he broke his toy he now has a broken toy to amuse himself with.

What threefish said ?

I’ll be checking this thread as have the same problem with my partner, she’s a bit older at 50.

I used to have a thing for taking toys apart, even from a very young age. Just the way my mind works, really. I need to know how something works.

Rachel

My six year old daughters score so far:

2 x DVD players (one just utterly destroyed)
1 x Sony Vaio laptop (this one hurt); tea poured in the keyboard.
1 x Laptop DVD drive (on the replacement laptop)
1 x Car CD player (twice, both times off to the audio shop for fixing)
1 x Surround sound system, no idea, have yet to take it apart.

The CD player in the van has suddenly stopped working, but she is vehemently denying having touched it. Previous form suggests two CD’s inserted at the same time.

This is just the major stuff, I don’t even count the toys and try not to get too irate as I think it is mostly just curiosity as to how things work.

Except for the laptop, that was her just being an arse.

As above, craft stuff and the like is a good way to go – seems to work for that mindset.

Just wait till he’s big enough to do real property damage.

I used to have a thing for taking toys apart, even from a very young age. Just the way my mind works, really. I need to know how something works.

Being similar to you, my brother once got an Armatron for Christmas. He took it apart after Christmas lunch and IIRC it never went back together properly. Dad was not happy.

Bam Bam mode is activated

That’s the Weegie part of miniglasgowdan coming to the surface 😀

Sorry, genuinely no suggestions. 99 problems but destruction ain’t one.

I’d take away all but one of his toys and return them as good behaviour warrants.

You have to explain( and make sure he’s understood) that he’s making you sad every time he breaks the toys and that he’ll only get them back when he makes you happy.

Maybe putting the little blighter up for adoption is a step too far 😉

glasgowdan – Member
Anyone got any tips?

Nothing you can do about the toddlers but you can definitely not give them things to break.

They sound like my cousin when he was a kid as he practically destroyed or dismantle everything he touched.

3 of my grandpa’s watches were broken, dismantled to pieces … 😆

Next door neighbours youngest was the same. The bad news is he didn’t grow out of it, he’s twenty two now and still breaks pretty much anything he touches. This is made all the funnier as his old man used to be a precision toolmaker and just cant get to grips with how his son is such a thumper. Pretty much every time I see him there’s a new story of how the TV remote is in pieces or he’s snapped a garden fork or dropped the kettle etc.

Or lego then it wont really matter or the larger equivalent for younger kids

This. Just restrict him to Lego, and when he gets really out of line, blindfold him and put him into a room barefoot with Lego bricks all over the floor and shut the door…

muppetWrangler – Member
Next door neighbours youngest was the same. The bad news is he didn’t grow out of it, he’s twenty two now and still breaks pretty much anything he touches.

My cousin ended up working for a oil rig company in the far east doing all the deep sea pipe laying with very limited education. They did train him though and now he is the apprentice to his father-in-law in the building trade … 😆

Search “crate training” on Youtube.

My boy has similar traits ,repeat viewing* of the downfall of Sid from Toy Story did the trick.
*clockwork orange style. 😉

Your child has a creative streak 😀 Give him different toys, stuff he can destroy/rebuild at his leisure.

Play with your child with the breakable toys, show them how to handle them correctly, remove them if they don’t. Encourage them to be gentle and show them that working toys are more fun than broken ones. Don’t leave them with breakable toys unsupervised.

Have you tried withholding pudding?

Has he got anything he loves & hasn’t tried to break? (apart from you & Mrs GGD)
Warn him that if he breaks anything else you smash his favourite thing to bits while he watches.