This kid has a serious dopamine addiction. Fleur climbed before she walked. She always wants to get as high as possible on her own, but she will also resort to help. (I am her personal cherry picker.) Putting things out of her reach just changes the goal setting.
From a couple months ago in “the dolphin squeal“:
I am finding the kiddo is a daredevil. Things I kind of expected to be shocking and make her scared don’t. She instead lets out a squeal and wants more. Greaaaaaaaaaaat. Dopamine addict.
I blame myself. I encouraged her to love the ceiling fans when she was immobile. There was a song I’d sing which would get her to look at them. When she started to develop the grasping skill, I encouraged her to pull the fans’ chain by holding her up near it. Now that she is both walking and climbing, she has a lot of fascination getting into things by climbing up on them.
I also encouraged her to safely slide off the bed, recliner, and couch back when she was crawling. I feared her falling off them, so I wanted her to do them in a safe way. From there, it was an easy reverse to climb up them.
She can get on the ottoman from which to jump onto the couch. She loves the rush of jumping across the gap. And can clear a couple feet now, but as the distance grows she pauses a bit longer. And falling has ZERO impact on this behavior. It may have something to do with the MORE intense laughter at a near miss. Hard thunks get a good cry, but as soon as she is comforted, she wants back at it with more determination. Warnings get a dubious or defiant look.
This girl will climb up on the couches, end tables, and coffee table. She really wants to climb the baby gates and entertainment center and crib walls. It is only a matter of time before she starts moving things to help boost her. We already are in the realm of needing to have eyes on her at all times.
Polymath Parent 