Sunday, April 19, 2009

Thoughts?

Any thoughts for me on what a 4 yr old little man w/ Ds might 'get in to' that my 3 yr old doesn't already? K knows what's 'his' and not, so the house isn't "childproofed" against him, just the younger 3. I think I'll pick up a few doorknob covers (or find ours??) for the laundry room and guest bathroom, and the de-cluttering was coming off of counters that my little friend might find fascinating :). Otherwise I'm thinking this might have been easier than I thought.

Of course, time will tell, and I may find myself making a child-proofing trip to Wal-Mart early next week. Probably all things we'd have to do for the other kids in time anyway...

I've figured out the few other things that I'll need to pick up or borrow to make his stay a bit easier and it's nice to know that list is VERY short. Ironically, the week before Easter I bought a booster seat on clearance at Wal-Mart so I'd have it for when we go to eat at grandparents' houses so even the little details are coming together well. Kristopher immediately suggested the bottom bunk in his room was a good place for our friend to sleep, so good of him to offer :).

I feel like I should be 'prepping' something for him to come, but I'm pretty sure there's not really much to do. Just catch up on my sleep/laundry/ dishes because those might not be as "caught up" for a little while :) :).

9 comments:

  1. my only thought would be doors (and gates or doors to pool especially). The "childproof" door thingees are anything BUT childproof in our house. Kaia can open doors with those on them with no problem. Extra locks high on the door are a must for us. High enough that it's still out of reach for certain little people to reach while standing on a chair! I'm starting to put locks on my upper cabinets now because when my kids want something bad enough, there are plenty of chairs around for them to climb on to be able to reach things.

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  2. Meredith, Annie has finally out grown (I think) the NEED to put everything in the toilet and then flush it. Our plumber friend has been to the house so many times! She even tried to get my wedding rings to go down once. Anyway, the reason for this confession is that you might consider how you will keep him out if he indeed turns out to be a flusher like my Annie.
    :-)
    Theresa

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  3. It is amazing how different each child is and the way their minds like to keep occupied. Naomi is my 6th child and she has proved to be the climber of the family despite her short leg and small foot. I find her on the counters after pulling out all the drawers and using them to get up. And then she has been in my makeup too many times to count; and there is no place else to put it. We just try to keep all the bathroom doors closed and that is hard with a 4yr. old. Lots of luck with your new little one. Cindi

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  4. I can resend you our "hurricane Caeli and Tsunami Lera" post if you like. Otherwise, I have lots of ideas and pictures on how to keep the little houdini out of trouble. All the things we found out the hard way - by the way, did I mention that Lera is now making strides that Caeli has only dreamed of? We will be tearing down the garden shed very soon, because Lera climbed up the outside of the shed (using the window ledges), onto the roof and over the privacy fence into our neighbors yard!

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  5. Well 4 year old little boy with Down syndromw happens to my my area of expertise.
    What Koby gets into:
    If he is entertained with TV, his favorite music, friends, or Mommy and Daddy: very little or even nothing.
    If he is bored, tired, hungry or feels he is being ignored: EVERYTHING! Literally. He will take the cushions off the couch, roll the rug up, "sweep the entry"(which means the handle is knocking the table items over, he will get forks and such out of the cabinet, he will throw stuff in the toilet, he will rip the blinds apart, he will throw things away, he will CLIMB on the table, etc. He will help himself in the pantry or the garage. He is truley a monster, if he gets bored, etc. Now, obviously he doesnt' do all of those things at once, and does them only occasionally, but it is what CAN and HAS been done in the past. I know if I took Koby into your house, and dropped him off. He wouldn't get into ANYTHING. He would be SOOO thrilled to have playmates his own age and size, that he would be in heaven. After a while...if he got comfortable...who knows? My sweet boy NEEDS a playmate.hahah. But that is my suggestion. Honestly his behavior can be typical of any child, just have to be extra careful of the dangerous stuff...also...he might be way stronger and smarter than you can imagine!!! You will have a blast though! He is BLESSED to have you!

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  6. My ideas, since Sawyer is 4. Remove the ladder to the bunk bed. Door locks. Sawyer is getting where he can remove the knob covers. Sawyer is also getting 'pushy', meaning he likes to push his younger sibling around. (sometimes in fun, sometimes not) He will drink out of anything lying around, whether it's his glass or not. Sawyer loves watching videos with music. If I lived closer, I'd help out with stuff. Sorry I do not. BUt if there is anything you need to run by me, just give a holler.

    Jan

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  7. One more thing, Sawyer gets out of the booster seat. I keep him in a 5point-harness. Sometimes in a pinch, he gets to ride in dad's car with the booster but only for short trips.

    Jan

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  8. Can I just say that after reading Shelia's response, I just had to laugh! I've been telling her to take photos of what her house looks like with all it's safety features. Maybe you can convince her to do it?
    Having been to your house, I think it's pretty child proof...or it was back in October! I don't think you'll know for sure what else to do until he gets there and you figure out how "determined" he is!

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  9. Door knob covers DO NOT WORK for my 4 yr old w/DS. He is out the door....ANY door in a flash. I have had a neighbor knock on our door with Wes in hand...I had no idea he was out the door. He was out of my sight for one minute. He is also a serious climber. We're working on mounting furniture to the wall so it cannot be pulled over. He also is a button pusher, obsessed with electronics (TV, DVD, remotes, computer). Refrigerator/freezer now has locks, I found him emptying the freezer one day. He is very much like my typical 2.5 yr old. Does that help? ;)

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