Understanding Why Toddlers Love To Climb

Understanding Why Toddlers Love To Climb

Toddlers are adorable, more so when they start trying to crawl or walk. They become curious and want to climb all over. For a parent, these are amazing milestones that bring a lot of joy and wonder, yet full of worry. Toddlers are very curious and as they gain confidence, they start to climb everywhere, not aware of the danger they expose themselves to. A fall could badly injure a toddler, or even prove fatal.

Why do toddlers love to climb so much? If parents understood this need to climb, it would be easier to handle the toddlers and learn how to minimize the danger they pose to themselves. Providing a safe environment such as an indoor home gym where they can safely climb under supervision, and with protective mats to cushion their falls.

Why Toddlers Climb

Toddlers climb because they think they can. When kids start to walk at around 12 months old, they love to try new things. At around 18 months old, they gain better body control and start to test the limits of how far they can go. They can run fast, throw a ball and climb up on anything that makes them feel a little bit taller! For some toddlers, only the fear of heights and previous falls will keep them from climbing up very high places. Depending on personality, some kids climb less than others, who find it thrilling. They love to find out what the top shelf holds, and if they have older siblings, they are likely to be bolder and more adventurous, trying to mimic the older children.

How Do You Stop Toddlers from Climbing?

Unless you literally remove everything they can climb on, there is no way you can stop a toddler from climbing. Climbing is how toddlers build their strength, balance and flexibility.  They also learn a lot about the environment they live in and gain more confidence in their abilities.

There are instances where climbing is not allowed, and in such cases, you have to be very strict and apply various discipline methods. However, you must be very careful to ensure that even in your strictness, you do not make it seem like climbing is wrong. Just let them understand that they can’t climb anywhere they please. Don’t react dramatically, otherwise your toddler will make climbing into a game to draw your attention.

Channeling The Toddler’s Energy

All toddlers have an innate need to be active, whether they are natural-born climbers or not. If you keep the child active enough and satisfy the need to be active, then you may have solved the climbing problem. Allow your toddler enough time and lots of space to move around. Purchase an indoor home gym and let the child romp around for an hour or two. After the child is done, a nap will do them good and they will be raring to go! Toddlers cannot stay still, and confining them to one place is just likely to make the child cranky and climb everything in sight.

Keeping Toddlers Safe

While the toddlers need to play, you must take steps to keep them safe. Fitness Kid sells high-quality play sets and accessories that are age-appropriately designed. Accessories such as mats will keep your young ones safe from any falls while they play. For any inquiries on Fitness Kid’s indoor home gyms, call us at 833-FIT-KIDS or drop us an email at info@fitnesskid.com.