GRRRRRRRRRR Refigerator raider!

[EweSheep]

Love the magnet set! A bit pricey but not as pricey as food being eaten and wasted as well. Will look into Target baby stuff and see if I can find a refigerator type lock on it.

I would love to spank her but it would defeat the purpose when all of us are sound asleep while she raids the refigerator in the wee morning hours.

Sorry she can not read yet....but she is very smart! Can unllock the child safety locks off the cabinet drawers, open windows and dislodge the safety lock, lock and unlock doors, and even this one....can open medication bottles without batting an eye! She took a good gulp of that wonderful grape flavored Motrin and in panic, I took her to the ER to make sure she didnt overdose herself and the wonderful staff at the ER said she would have to drink ALOT to make her overdose herself on Motrin. Whew! She is one heck of a Houdini at best!

She has NO toys in her bedroom now...her temper tantrums are getting out of hand, foot stomping, windmill fists, etc. that there is absolutely nothing in her bedroom except a dresser, a desk and bed.

She eats well, which I dont have to worry about her appetite but with all that raiding, I figured she would do herself in. My side of the family has bad obesity problem so I do not want to get her overeating herself to emotional eater.

 

[CritterHill]

Well, I'm out of ideas then. I know an 8 year old who eats until she throws up. She just doesn't seem to have an off switch. I'll let you know if her parents find the answer, but they haven't yet...

Good luck. You have a tough problem on your hands.

 

[BayCityBabe]

I think that it is time to enforce a rule: You (kid) NEVER go in the fridge w/o adult. Four is pretty young to dominate the provisions & that's what your kid is doing. I also know (from experience) that four yrs. old is (weirdly) a practice run for the teen years. If you do not establish adult/child boundaries RIGHT NOW heaven help you!
You might also tell her that she cannot leave her room at night/ until mom comes to get her in the morning. A piece of tape on the door will tell you if she has been roaming. (Let her know that "Mommy can tell" & if you are good...) Also: You might want to keep similar hours as the child - in bed at 10, up at 6. Alot of folks think they can sleep in until 7 or 8 and that's just asking for trouble.
BTW if tantrums are an issue, please consider that this raiding is just another ploy for control. Your kid is SCREAMING out for boundaries and tight control. Please, don't overthink this, just be the parent. I cringe at all the asking I did: "Do you want spaghetti or rotini, Baby Rotunda?"
Be strong!!!

 

[Cara]

Can you not lock her out of the kitchen, or put up a baby gate that she can't open in the doorway? Now if only I could figure out how to keep my DH out of the chocolate...LOL

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

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[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
That is a wonderful idea!

-Kim

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

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[EweSheep]

BayCity: I must agree with you on the enforcement rules...sometimes I think it is so harsh but I know its best in the long run to set down boundaries. I didnt mind her helping herself for cereal or fruits but the refigerator is another matter. I know I am in for a long hard road and must be consisent with enforcing the rules and when she doesnt, we send her to her bedroom or time out chair. We are first time parents, a bit long in the tooth (we are not young...in our 40's) and our daughter is a challenge. Funny I never had any problems with my nephews and enforcing the rules on them and they follow them. Now its my turn, it runs the other way.

Big problem we have is us as parents....we both have very different upbringings. And it gets confusing at times when we dont agree on how we should correct her.

Goes to bed at ten and gets up at seven. School will be starting soon for her and she loves going to school. Only watch educational shows and cartoons for two hours a day.

As for food choices, I will give her two choices and no other choices. I will make the dinner she chooses and if she does not eat it, she will have to either eat it anyway or do without. If she throws a fit, we make her leave the supper table until she calms down. Most of the time, its been good and loves to eat my dinners. Most of the time I fix supper I would want to fix.

Consistency is what we are definately are very weak at. We as parents have to remind ourselves to DO it and not asking her over and over to do something or something needed to be done. However I do not have too much problems asking her to do something than my hubby does which he keeps asking her over and over...both of them are so much alike.

I sure hope I dont get into too much trouble in her teenage years. I love her being independent which she loves to be doing things for herself but frustrates so easily when things are not going the way she wants it to go. If you show her to do it, she is rather lazy about it and whines and cries about it and would not let you help her at all after that point.

When she gets punished, she really has not grasp the idea why she is being punished except I just dont listen.

I know she is due for another hearing test finding her left ear, she failed and hears fine on the other one. She will be tested again before she enters Pre K and we will go from there. It is possible that she MAY have ADHD since hubby has all the signs of ADD(he denies it) but it will be in time if and when her teachers can help her at that point. I have to read up on that. Some folks say its too early for her to be diagnosised as ADD until she has problems in school.

Boy are we learning alot as parents and we certainly made mistakes along the way! Hard work being parents!

 

[pdsavage]

You should have her pediatrition recomend a place for testing,like a childrens hospital.The sooner you know what she has the sooner you can help her.Dont let the school tell you what they think she has,cause all they will say is put her on ridalin*.
Anyway your best bet is to find out if she has anything or not.

 

[Davaroo]

I'd say she needs more protein in her diet. Or more calcium.
Perhaps you should fill some Ding Dongs with red pepper and leave them in there.