feelinalone
New Member
..
woke up to a mess this am
- Thread starter feelinalone
- Start date
GinAndTonic
New Member
My five-year-old son has a thing about making messes with food, too -- he loves combining things (which is always a mess, and he seldom eats). Is this normal kid behavior, or are we just lucky?
daralex
Clinging onto my sanity
When my difficult child was about 5 she emptied every container in the bathroom (shampoo, conditioner, powder, etc )in to the tub and onto the floor. She was laughing and had a huge smile on her face (hard not to want to wipe it right off!) Today she got spaghetti sauce on our LIGHT BEIGE carpet in the apartment we rent - there goes the security deposit!! Mind you this is 8 years later! We actually had to get a cheap piece of carpeting to cover her bedroom floor as I have learned by experinece!! So sorry for the mess - I can't imagine trying to get syrup up off the floor!! I wish I could say it gets better - it just hasn't gon ethat way for us yet - keep the faith!!!
-dara
-dara
Marguerite
Active Member
Spaghetti sauce - the colour will fade eventually, in the light. You can also use those oxygen enzyme soaker things to try shift it.
Sugar - it needs to be washed out until the sticky is gone. Soak, dry. Soak, dry. But only if the carpet is fully synthetic. A jute backing can stain a pale carpet. I usually get the difficult child to at least begin to clean it (their mess, after all). If I spill something onto the carpet, I clean it. So should they. Flatmates' rules.
I had a flatmate once (there were six of us) who would get himself a snack and leave a nasty mess. He also (as a result of that mess) inflicted his ghastly tastes on us. His favourite after-uni snack was bread with honey and Vegemite. He wouldn't wipe the knife off between dips, so there would be swirls of Vegemite in the honey jar, and drips of honey in the Vegemite. It made both, totally inedible (and so also wasted food). He would then leave the knife covered in butter, honey and Vegemite, glued to the kitchen table.
I moved out.
Marg
Sugar - it needs to be washed out until the sticky is gone. Soak, dry. Soak, dry. But only if the carpet is fully synthetic. A jute backing can stain a pale carpet. I usually get the difficult child to at least begin to clean it (their mess, after all). If I spill something onto the carpet, I clean it. So should they. Flatmates' rules.
I had a flatmate once (there were six of us) who would get himself a snack and leave a nasty mess. He also (as a result of that mess) inflicted his ghastly tastes on us. His favourite after-uni snack was bread with honey and Vegemite. He wouldn't wipe the knife off between dips, so there would be swirls of Vegemite in the honey jar, and drips of honey in the Vegemite. It made both, totally inedible (and so also wasted food). He would then leave the knife covered in butter, honey and Vegemite, glued to the kitchen table.
I moved out.
Marg
Star*
call 911........call 911
OH YEAH?
Well I happen to LIKE boysenberry syrup and popcorn.
nom nhom nom.
Makes you wish you had one of those wands in Harry Potter - just flick and swish - and mess is gone.
Can you maybe put some foods he CAN mix in a special cabinet just for moments like this? Baggies with veggies in them - and some of that dip in a tupperware container? Cheerios and a small bottle of milk>
Just thinking out loud.
I was a single mom for along time - and lived on 3-4 hours of sleep a night - on Saturday it was my single largest prayer to have him sleep in or to entertain himself quietly with things I left out for him the night before in an effort to get just 1 hour of sleep more.
Hugs
Star
oh and the fire extinguisher DOES make the neatest clouds in your house, but it's a bite to clean up.
Well I happen to LIKE boysenberry syrup and popcorn.
nom nhom nom.
Makes you wish you had one of those wands in Harry Potter - just flick and swish - and mess is gone.
Can you maybe put some foods he CAN mix in a special cabinet just for moments like this? Baggies with veggies in them - and some of that dip in a tupperware container? Cheerios and a small bottle of milk>
Just thinking out loud.
I was a single mom for along time - and lived on 3-4 hours of sleep a night - on Saturday it was my single largest prayer to have him sleep in or to entertain himself quietly with things I left out for him the night before in an effort to get just 1 hour of sleep more.
Hugs
Star
oh and the fire extinguisher DOES make the neatest clouds in your house, but it's a bite to clean up.
We went through a lot of this. Esp because IF i sleep it is with the help of medications. My body just doesn't, hasn't really ever. I think he was 2 when he decided to make cornbread about 5 am one day. husband woke to get ready for work and found the eggs, milk, and cornbread mix all in a lovely pile in the middle of the rug.
We have had so many other times like this. At 12 he wanted strange spice concoctions so he took EVERY spice out of hte kitchen and used them ALL up, every last bit of everything, mixing and remixing them. Totally inedible. And he then "used" the spices to "preserve" several pounds of cooked ground beef he took from the freezer and hid in his room. he actually ate this beef for several days, not sure how many, until he couldn't hide the stomach cramps and vomitting and I searched his room. He hid the stench of the meat with several ziplocs. But we had to take up part of the carpet where he sicked up the mixture on it. Brand new house, I might add.
Not sure how old he is, how much of it is food hoarding or whatever. Can you put lock on the doors of the cabinets? Maybe keylocks? I would want a pantry he had to rattle chains, etc to get into.
Hugs,
Susie
We have had so many other times like this. At 12 he wanted strange spice concoctions so he took EVERY spice out of hte kitchen and used them ALL up, every last bit of everything, mixing and remixing them. Totally inedible. And he then "used" the spices to "preserve" several pounds of cooked ground beef he took from the freezer and hid in his room. he actually ate this beef for several days, not sure how many, until he couldn't hide the stomach cramps and vomitting and I searched his room. He hid the stench of the meat with several ziplocs. But we had to take up part of the carpet where he sicked up the mixture on it. Brand new house, I might add.
Not sure how old he is, how much of it is food hoarding or whatever. Can you put lock on the doors of the cabinets? Maybe keylocks? I would want a pantry he had to rattle chains, etc to get into.
Hugs,
Susie
BusynMember
Well-Known Member
difficult child's, who seem wired differently than other kids, tend to be very messy. Do you have a working diagnosis on this child? Is he getting any help? Ever take him for a neuropsychologist evaluation?
Marguerite
Active Member
A very autistic younger brother of a classmate of my daughter's (phew) was a problem like this. He had a model railway set up on the dining table and would wander the house any time (but especially at night) and would get any powdery stuff and pour it onto the table to sculpt hills and mountains. The table would be covered in a mixture of coconut, sugar, flour, rice - all totally wasted. The ants had a wonderful time with it. The mother was totally incapable of coping, she had just given up. He was too capable of opening containers, she couldn't lock anything away from him without him being able to 'crack' it.
I remember being a tad horrified - I still am, when I look back, because she had just stopped trying. There ARE other options which included giving him some access to a more acceptable alternative (such as rice only), while putting everything forbidden into a big metal chest with a padlock, and hanging the key to the padlock round your neck when you sleep.
He did end up getting other options, when she put him in foster care permanently. Last I heard, he was making up a lot of ground.
Marg
I remember being a tad horrified - I still am, when I look back, because she had just stopped trying. There ARE other options which included giving him some access to a more acceptable alternative (such as rice only), while putting everything forbidden into a big metal chest with a padlock, and hanging the key to the padlock round your neck when you sleep.
He did end up getting other options, when she put him in foster care permanently. Last I heard, he was making up a lot of ground.
Marg
Marguerite
Active Member
I had a hard time trying to get difficult child 3 to tell me his bad dreams. He didn't want to, for two reasons:
1) Dreams evaporate, leaving just the bad feeling (which is why I would try to get him to tell me right away)
2) He said he didn't want to upset me, but I think he found the re-telling upsetting.
I still made him tell me, it helped me get a better understanding of what was likely to be bothering him.
I told him that there are two good ways to make a bad dream go away. The first one is to tell it; the second one is to roll over in bed so the bad dream trickles out of the ear that WAS up and is now down.
(Telling the dream - it takes time, awake, which turns off the dream sequence so hopefully that dream is now gone. And rolling over - similar, it changes the body's position often enough to change the sensory stimuli that are am important facet of THAT dream).
difficult child 3's days were so stressful for him that his dreams were often upsetting and stressful too. Dreaming is what happens as you process your day - when the day is particularly complex to process, the dreams can be jumbled, confused, vivid and upsetting.
With food - I used to keep food like cooked sausages, fruit etc available to be raided. The kids would come home from school and help themselves. difficult child 3 helps himself to bread (which I keep in the freezer). He eats it frozen, with nothing on it. He then leaves t he empty packet in the freezer. Empty packets everywhere, even though I keep calling him back to go tidy up.
Screaming point, sometimes.
Marg
1) Dreams evaporate, leaving just the bad feeling (which is why I would try to get him to tell me right away)
2) He said he didn't want to upset me, but I think he found the re-telling upsetting.
I still made him tell me, it helped me get a better understanding of what was likely to be bothering him.
I told him that there are two good ways to make a bad dream go away. The first one is to tell it; the second one is to roll over in bed so the bad dream trickles out of the ear that WAS up and is now down.
(Telling the dream - it takes time, awake, which turns off the dream sequence so hopefully that dream is now gone. And rolling over - similar, it changes the body's position often enough to change the sensory stimuli that are am important facet of THAT dream).
difficult child 3's days were so stressful for him that his dreams were often upsetting and stressful too. Dreaming is what happens as you process your day - when the day is particularly complex to process, the dreams can be jumbled, confused, vivid and upsetting.
With food - I used to keep food like cooked sausages, fruit etc available to be raided. The kids would come home from school and help themselves. difficult child 3 helps himself to bread (which I keep in the freezer). He eats it frozen, with nothing on it. He then leaves t he empty packet in the freezer. Empty packets everywhere, even though I keep calling him back to go tidy up.
Screaming point, sometimes.
Marg
witzend
Well-Known Member
Go down to Home Depot (or most anywhere now) and pick up a spray bottle of Folex carpet stain remover and use as directed. I have not seen any stain it can't take out.
wakeupcall
Well-Known Member
I've not seen it get any better with the messes. In fact, the messes have just gotten bigger and messier with his age. WHEN do they outgrow this OR learn to clean it up properly? I don't know how this child will EVER, ever, live on his own.
tammyjh
New Member
My difficult child never got into anything when she was younger....nothing.
My easy child's all got/get into everything:crazy1:
In fact, I just found my 2 1/2 yr. old easy child hiding behind the couch with a bottle of syrup...my 8 yr. old left it on the side board. My kids have a thing about syrup and have dumped it on my carpet before...what a mess. They've been into vaseline, butter, sugar, sprinkle cheese, lotions and soaps from the bathroom etc...you name it, they've been into it and child proof locks didn't keep them out for long. In fact, the day we put the fridge lock on, easy child #1 figured out how to open it. I just thought it was normal kid behavior.
My easy child's all got/get into everything:crazy1:
In fact, I just found my 2 1/2 yr. old easy child hiding behind the couch with a bottle of syrup...my 8 yr. old left it on the side board. My kids have a thing about syrup and have dumped it on my carpet before...what a mess. They've been into vaseline, butter, sugar, sprinkle cheese, lotions and soaps from the bathroom etc...you name it, they've been into it and child proof locks didn't keep them out for long. In fact, the day we put the fridge lock on, easy child #1 figured out how to open it. I just thought it was normal kid behavior.
trinityroyal
Well-Known Member
Left to his own devices, my difficult child (18) would still do this. The only reason that he doesn't create kitchen disasters any more is that he is under 24/7 supervision. difficult child has a thing about smashing eggs. I assume it's a sensory issue, but he's done it ever since he was very little. We will find smashed egg-bits in the strangest places (against the living room wall, down the path to the back yard, at neighbours houses...etc.) For years we had to lock the fridge with a bike-chain-and-padlock combination, and I wore the key on a lanyard around my neck. The regular child-proof locks never seemed to work.
I'm not sure what to tell you about the impulse to experiment with food. For my difficult child it's never truly gone away. To some extent, we have tried to channel it by taking him to cooking and baking classes, which he really enjoys, but sometimes all he wants to do is pour syrup on the floor or smash eggs against the wall.
Witz recommended Folex, and I second that recommendation as a stain remover. As for the locks, Home Depot also has a good selection of door locks with keys. If you can find some that are the right size for your doors, then they are a worthwhile investment. They're not hard to install. I'm no carpenter either.
{{{Hugs}}} and best of luck,
Trinity
I'm not sure what to tell you about the impulse to experiment with food. For my difficult child it's never truly gone away. To some extent, we have tried to channel it by taking him to cooking and baking classes, which he really enjoys, but sometimes all he wants to do is pour syrup on the floor or smash eggs against the wall.
Witz recommended Folex, and I second that recommendation as a stain remover. As for the locks, Home Depot also has a good selection of door locks with keys. If you can find some that are the right size for your doors, then they are a worthwhile investment. They're not hard to install. I'm no carpenter either.
{{{Hugs}}} and best of luck,
Trinity
