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It could also be that he has a sensory seeking issues and that's how they deal with it.

@Cherrybee: Well, you can't set limits on a kid's excitement level (at least I have not been able to) so the best thing to do is to explain to them what is and isn't acceptable, and at 18 months, those discussions can for sure be had. Redirecting is huge, as is modeling the behaviour...especially if the experience is new, like with an animal. My son didn't know how to pet a dog the first time he saw one up close, so my husband modeled it for him and then explained what would happen if he didn't do what he was asked. I have a photo of my son from that day, where he's hugging the dog and lying together with him in his dog bed! So, anything is possible.

edited to remove picture.

Obviously every individual child/situation is different, but this is a pretty big problem with my nephew. But I think can be quite detrimental to the child to just say, "Oh, they're not old enough to understand" when it comes to inappropriate behavior. My SIL had that mindset until her child was around 2.5 - she would redirect, but there were no discussions, limits, or consequences for bad behavior, even if he purposely hurt someone (hitting, etc.) or it was a dangerous situation. Once they thought he was old enough (which was basically when he terrible twos started) everything they were doing was a totally foreign concept to him - there had never been limits or consequences, he'd never been told to be gentle and had them show him what that meant, etc. As you can probably imagine, it did not go over well...it's a year later now and his temper is pretty awful, it can be scary.

I'm hoping we'll have more success because we've already been introducing these things with my 1 year old as much as possible - talking about gentle hands and showing him what that means, putting him down and bringing playtime to a stop if he bites, etc. He only crawls, so we haven't dealt with climbing or chasing yet...I guess we'll see how it goes, but I don't agree with the idea that they're too young to understand - understanding can be a gradual concept. But if you're telling them no, they continue doing what they want anyways, and you just let them...I think that sends a pretty bad message.

I'll be honest, I have trouble not judging - I used to be better about it, but when they roll their eyes at me for doing the whole 'gentle hands' thing with my 1 year old and showing him how to softly touch something, and then tell me not to bother and that if my son doesn't have the same problems as theirs it's just because I got lucky....yeah.

@hilsy85: yes, exactly...you wrote what I wanted to!

I'm kind of just hoping c is a calmer kid and I don't have to deal with all that!

But, knowing how to approach pets is nonnegotiable for me. As soon as she started showing an interest in our dog we started modeling gentle pets and telling her to leave him alone when he has had enough. I know she doesn't understand it now but I'm hoping it sinks in over time. It's just way too dangerous for a child to be acting crazy around pets, especially unfamiliar ones. I know how my dog will probably react (bark an run away if annoyed) but who knows with someone else's.

But yeah the rest of it? I just hope she's calm like me. Not crazy like Dh.

@Cherrybee: that's interesting that you mention playing too rough, because that is absolutely a possible sign of a sensory issue! I just learned about this from my son's oral motor therapist last week, as a matter of fact.

I think that to a certain point, an 18-month-old is an 18-month-old. You can only redirect and control their behavior so much. C is pretty high-energy. She can go and go and go so much it makes me exhausted to watch her. Yes, we do not allow her to go nuts in public as much as possible. Yes, we try our best to redirect her and correct behavior. Yes, sometimes she still ends up acting like that (running around like a madwoman).

However... sometimes kids act that way and you can't stop it. Some kids are just super high energy. It's likely he was overexcited and overstimulated if it was a new situation for him. 18 months is old enough to talk to a kid about behavior, but Im not so sure 18 months is old enough for a kid to really control his own behavior yet. It takes a little time for them to catch on, IMO. The difference in how C controls herself and listens from 18 months to 2 is HUGE.

@Cherrybee: The beginning of April. I know. I don't know how it happened either.

@Cherrybee: I think your expectations are a little unreasonable. At 18 months old, redirecting is often your only option. I think that once E is an active toddler you are just going to have to accept that sometimes you'll have to do things like stay inside "on a lovely day" because LO is trying to get into too many dangerous things outside and it's just easier to move them to a different safer environment.

@MamaMoose: I agree!

My 20 month old acts like this. Trust me though, I've been setting boundaries forever it feels like but she just won't listen. I call her spirited. She knows she isn't supposed to do certain things but she'll touch this or that and laugh because she knows she's being naughty. I've never had her jump on other people but I did take her to a baby gymnastics class and she was WILD. She was so excited at all the new things she would not pay attention to direction or follow the group. A huge tantrum ensues and she was running around so fast I could barely catch her. I took her out of the class and talked to her about behavior and listening but it didn't really help.

I was so embarrassed but she's still a baby and she got too wound up. I hope other moms aren't judging mu parenting abilities because I am trying, but you can't always control your child's personality.

@MamaMoose: As my mother in law says "the qualities that they exhibit today that make you crazy will be the same ones that will allow you relax when they are older."

I have also learned that my son will be the one that will embarass me at times, but he'll also be the one that won't leave my side at other times. You can never tell what you're going to get on any given day, so be willing to change your plans on a regular basis!

Rememeber too that toddlers are often way wilder in a big exciting group than they are day to day. I was shocked at how mellow my friend's kid was one day when I visited alone. I'd only ever seen him as the wild kid in the bigger gathering.