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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Ideas For My Dumper?
DancingQueen 09:11 AM 09-09-2010
I have a little boy who will be 2 at the end of this month. He is the cutest thing and if I'm allowed to say - he is my favorite (and been with me the longest).
but his nickname is "destructo-boy" and with good reason. He likes to dump over toys, knock things down, take things apart. I'm sure these talents will serve him well some day but here? Not so much.

I have this shelf

and every single day he dumps them out and if I don't catch him in time he stacks them inside of eachother. Drives me insane. I do make him clean up but it is filled with small guys and he is so young that you really have to help him clean up.
I also have this shelf


And he does the same thing. drives me batty. It makes me often wonder why I don't just throw all the toys in a big toy box and call it a day sometimes.
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DCMomOf3 11:46 AM 09-09-2010
I think I've seen covers for the shelf in the top picture. I'd consider covering all bins so at least you have a little more time to stop the mess before he gets the covers off. I have a DCK that does this with the wood puzzles, dumping every one out on the floor and mixing up the pieces. If i provide toys out and ready to play with, the puzzles are often forgotten since there are already toys out. Good luck!
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SilverSabre25 12:39 PM 09-09-2010
I have that first shelf, too. I love it.

But on topic, it sounds like he needs some outlet for his dumping and stacking (nesting?)--do you having stacking/nesting toys? For the dumping, you could provide a box of rice (I use a rather shallow plastic storage bin) with measuring cups/small buckets/shovels and redirect him to that and show him that it's okay to dump there, but not to dump the toys.

Hope this helps--how old is he? It seems like kids all go through that stage around 15-20 months or so.
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Preschool/daycare teacher 01:42 PM 09-09-2010
We have several dumpers also. They dump them out, then throw them or kick them around to scatter them. And as you know, they do it FAST. And since you can't watch every area of your daycare at once, you can't exactly stop them all the time before they've already done it. And usually they cntinue until you physically take their hand to stop them. And then I spend too long just trying to get them to clean up (I end up doing most of it because there's not enough time to get everything done and stay onto them about cleaning up. Usually a little tantrum follows. Or they simply run away from the area. It makes me so mad because in order to move up in PTQ or get your CDA, you have to have certain toys set up in centers available at all times for the kids to access. We can't do this because of the mess makers... puzzles, magnetic alphabet letters, manipulative boards, felt pieces, books, blocks, trucks, little people, you name it! I know what your going through. Sure wish there was a solution that these childcare experts could suggest rather than just telling us that toys have to be accessible to them all the time. Do they not actually spend time in the daycare working with them, and seeing how they'd rather dump and throw than play with their "readily accessible toys" the right way?
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tymaboy 01:57 PM 09-09-2010
I have taught my DCKs that the bins stay put & that they do not take them out. They can get the toys out without pulling the bins out (mine is like your 1st picture) They also know to be nice to the toys or I take them away if it is a major problem with not playing nice then they go in TO as well but usually if I take toys away they start playing nice with the toys that are still available.
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MommyMuffin 05:58 PM 09-09-2010
Maybe you could super glue the bins in there!!
I have the first shelf too and I was wondering, did you bolt yours in the wall or anything because mine fell on top of my daughter and I dont know how to prevent it. I dont know if I could get it bolted to the wall...hmmm
I am not handy and when I ask husband to do something he pretends he cant do it and I dont know whether to believe him or not.
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laundryduchess@yahoo.com 06:15 PM 09-09-2010
I would put a gate on it. latch strap it if you have to. Open a tension gate all the way and latch strap it closed, or put the bins up and away for a month or so until he stops this. if he dumped it he wouldnt help with cleaning up, he would sit and WATCH me have fun with the others while cleaning. He wouldnt be part of the fun.
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ninosqueridos 06:19 PM 09-09-2010
I have TWO 18mo boys that do the SAME thing! Oy! I finally just had to put some of those toys out of their reach (like wooden blocks they'll dump/throw that others can get hurt with), Little People bin, and puzzle rack........I just can't have everything out all the time until they're past this stage. It's a lot quieter and cleaner in here since I did that.
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MN Mom 08:23 PM 09-09-2010
Originally Posted by MommyMuffin:
I am not handy and when I ask husband to do something he pretends he cant do it and I dont know whether to believe him or not.
It's a ploy! Trust me!!! My husband pretended he wasn't handy for 10 years. All of a sudden he can do all sorts of stuff after I show him the estimates for a contractor to come in.

So far..I had a new gas dryer installed, new flooring in my kitchen and living room, new sink plumbed in, a portable dishwasher plumbed in, a window installed in my bedroom, and soon to be a new bathroom (tub and all).
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MyAngels 06:42 AM 09-10-2010
I have the same bin setup, and I drilled two holes in each bin, one on each side of the bar they sit on, and used a wire tie to attach the bins to the bar. This does remove the convenience of being able to take the bins from the shelves, play with the toys, then put them back, but at least they don't dump everything out and then use the bins as step stools or to jump up and down on.

As far as suggestions for keeping your dumper from dumping - I have no idea. In my experience they tend to outgrow it pretty quickly and I just try to use it as an opportunity to teach them how to clean up after themselves lol.
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DancingQueen 07:04 AM 10-05-2010
I did the zip ties for the colorful shelves and it worked!!! I LOVE IT!

The other shelf is a huge issue though I just don't know what to do. I think i'm going to just take it out of the daycare room all together all it really holds is those bins and the bins are empty 24/7 because they keep dumping them. And now it is a game - if I am in one room changing adiaper and come back in I walk in to them actually throwing the bins around.

This age is very frustrating some days. 1 year older - even 6 months older I can probably get him to get it - but he just turned 2 and he thinks it is a game and when I come in fuming he thinks it is even funnier.
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boysx5 07:59 AM 10-05-2010
my first dumper started a few months ago and I have found that the less you have out the less to dump if he played with the toys I wouldn't mind but he just dumps and moves on to the next thing so now I have bins and after morning play before lunch we pick up and then on nice days we are outside and it limits the dump time it is very frustrating
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MarinaVanessa 08:13 AM 10-05-2010
Originally Posted by sbschildcare:

This age is very frustrating some days. 1 year older - even 6 months older I can probably get him to get it - but he just turned 2 and he thinks it is a game and when I come in fuming he thinks it is even funnier.
Well dumping is for when their small babies, like 6mo or so, not when they're 2. The pouring activities are great for kids his age but it doesn't seem like this child wants to experiment with how things fall out, to me it seems that he just wants to dump the bins out and make a mess. I can just imagine what would happen if you gave him a center with rice, water or sand to measure and dump! You'd probably have rice, sand and/or water everywhere. He needs to learn how to properly behave and use these activities.

I have a 1yo DCB that liked to dump also and the only thing that worked for me was to first firmly tell him that it was not ok to do this and then to make him pick up all of the toys and then remove the bin and those toys altogether. I have a rule here, if you don't use it properly you can't use it at all. At least your bins are small. I have large bins on casters that are stackable and I used to have them lined up along the wall. This one boy ruined it for everyone because he would tip it over then flip the bin upside down and scatter the toys all over the floor. I eventually got tired of this and removed most of them and only selected a couple to have out at a time.

I now choose which bins get taken out and now never have more than 3 or 4 out at a time. The rest get put behind the couch (the kids can't get behind there) or in the closet. I resorted to keep him close to me at all times so that I could keep my eye on him. If I had to change a diaper, he stood right next to me. If I had to prepare lunch, he sat in his high-chair and I gave him some cheerios etc. He did NOT like this much but he learned. Now if he still does it (which he occasionally does) he just doesn't get to play with it.

P.S. Some of the older kids that do play with the toys appropriately occasionally ask me for a bin from behind the couch and ask me to corral them in a portable corral lol. You could also try that. Section off a portion of the room for the kids that play well with the toys and corral them in and keep your dumper out. Give him only a few toys to play with. Each day start fresh and let him play with the toys until he dumps once and then correct him. He dumps twice and the corral comes out and he can't play with the toys anymore. Good luck.
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DancingQueen 09:08 AM 10-05-2010
Originally Posted by :
I can just imagine what would happen if you gave him a center with rice, water or sand to measure and dump! You'd probably have rice, sand and/or water everywhere.
I can't even use play-dough. Eating lunch is bad enough. Everything is dumped or smooshed up. ahhhhhhhhh
but he is somehow still my favorite (yes, I have a favorite)
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kendallina 09:20 AM 10-05-2010
Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
I have that first shelf, too. I love it.

But on topic, it sounds like he needs some outlet for his dumping and stacking (nesting?)--do you having stacking/nesting toys? For the dumping, you could provide a box of rice (I use a rather shallow plastic storage bin) with measuring cups/small buckets/shovels and redirect him to that and show him that it's okay to dump there, but not to dump the toys.

Hope this helps--how old is he? It seems like kids all go through that stage around 15-20 months or so.
Yeh, I second the sensory activity idea. He'd probably love dumping and pouring rice, water, beans, sand, etc. Developmentally, dumping is totally appropriate, he might do better for you if he has an outlet for that.

Now, I need to take my own advice and find some place in my house that can get messy enough for sensory play like this...
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kendallina 09:24 AM 10-05-2010
Originally Posted by sbschildcare:
I did the zip ties for the colorful shelves and it worked!!! I LOVE IT!

The other shelf is a huge issue though I just don't know what to do. I think i'm going to just take it out of the daycare room all together all it really holds is those bins and the bins are empty 24/7 because they keep dumping them. And now it is a game - if I am in one room changing adiaper and come back in I walk in to them actually throwing the bins around.

This age is very frustrating some days. 1 year older - even 6 months older I can probably get him to get it - but he just turned 2 and he thinks it is a game and when I come in fuming he thinks it is even funnier.
Instead of removing it, you may want to try just putting 2 or 3 of something in each bin. 3 animals, 3 blocks, whatever. If this is something he's continually doing, it's my belief that developmentally that is what's appropriate for him, you just have to find a way that he can meet that developmental need without creating a crazy mess.
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DancingQueen 09:30 AM 10-05-2010
I think my bigger problem with the dumping (because most of those bins don't have too much in them to be honest) is that he is taking them out and throwing them on the floor - and sometimes at people. Giggling hysterically when they land and crash and especially when he gets any sort of reaction from anyone.

His nick name is destructo-boy. He likes to take things aparkt, knock things over, throw things, spill things, break things. I have a stand up cash register that he loves to push as hard as he can til it falls over. I have a coat rack with allt he dress up stuff that he just goes over and takes all of the stuff off and throws on the floor. I have a rockign chair that he flips over, he takes cushions off chairs, he climbs onto the train table - takes the train track apart throws them on the floor and then stands on the table squeeling in delight.
if destruction is a developmental need - then I need help figuring out how to deal with it.

I'm consistant, I'm firm, I redirect, I help him clean up, I remind him of the rules. I pull out fun stuff that he CAN destruct - legos and stuff. And even then he will play for them (big legos) for a few minutes before he knocks whatever it is over and starts throwing the legos across the room as hard as he can. (often times growling as loud as possible)

I guess the thread started about a dumper but really he is just incredibly destructive. I wonder if I just have too much stuff out?
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