Son won't stop dumping out soap

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do an activity with him that satisfies his curiosity, then explain the cost and appropriateness of wasting soap.

Whether it's a knife or mommy's high heel shoes, the children know that I'll let them use it if they ask. I'll supervise. NBD.

The world's a strange place. Why does this liquid bubble, when milk doesn't? Man, water doesn't either, but you need water to make the bubbles? What is that about, Mom?

Are you kidding? A smack on his hand and a stern. "NO. DO NOT DO THIS AGAIN." "From now on, you will use bar soap only." follow through and put bar soap put. Four year olds are not the boss.

Wow! And I thought I had control issues...

Power assertion much? How's that working out for you?

NP here with a HAHAHAHAHA! Parents are supposed to assert their power, that's why they're the parents, and responses like this are why so many of you have ghastly children. The child is four, and needs to do what he's told.

"How do I get my 4 year old to stop dumping soap?" Can you really not manage this?!

[Anonymous]

OP, try this:

Get three of four cheap dispensers (some clear, some white), pour half of each into your refill jug, and put food coloring in the remaining amounts. Pop naked kid in the bathtub with the dispensers and tell him that you will be peeking in every few minutes. Rules are as follows: bottom must stay on the tub floor, soap has to stay in the tub or on the back wall, no soap on his face, anything else goes. Any deviation from that and he has to be rinsed off and get out.

Use it as a reward, roughly every 2-4 weeks. It'll satisfy his curiosity and creativity, your tub and shower will (kind of) get washed, and your child will (kind of) be clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Our job is not to prepare the world for our child, but to prepare our child for the world."

This thread reminded me of that quote!

[Anonymous]

We use foam soap, too. DD likes instant bubbles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, try this:

Get three of four cheap dispensers (some clear, some white), pour half of each into your refill jug, and put food coloring in the remaining amounts. Pop naked kid in the bathtub with the dispensers and tell him that you will be peeking in every few minutes. Rules are as follows: bottom must stay on the tub floor, soap has to stay in the tub or on the back wall, no soap on his face, anything else goes. Any deviation from that and he has to be rinsed off and get out.

Use it as a reward, roughly every 2-4 weeks. It'll satisfy his curiosity and creativity, your tub and shower will (kind of) get washed, and your child will (kind of) be clean.

Not op but this sounds like a good idea!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the great ideas and links. I'll be sure to implement some of these. As for discipline, we do positive discipline and do not do punishments or time outs in our house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the great ideas and links. I'll be sure to implement some of these. As for discipline, we do positive discipline and do not do punishments or time outs in our house.

And that's why you have the problem that you have, and the many, many more that are coming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the great ideas and links. I'll be sure to implement some of these. As for discipline, we do positive discipline and do not do punishments or time outs in our house.

And that's why you have the problem that you have, and the many, many more that are coming.

+1 Seriously. We "have" to use liquid soap because a FOUR year old won't use bar soap? Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the great ideas and links. I'll be sure to implement some of these. As for discipline, we do positive discipline and do not do punishments or time outs in our house.

And that's why you have the problem that you have, and the many, many more that are coming.

+1 Seriously. We "have" to use liquid soap because a FOUR year old won't use bar soap? Ridiculous.

+2 You don't need to spank or use time-outs if that is not your thing but you definitely need to get this down NOW. Climbing on sinks? Refusing to use bar soap? Do you even say "No" to your kid or is that too negative too? Your DS knows he can play you and is doing exactly that. You need to expect good behavior and for your child to listen to you, and when bad behavior or him not listening to you rears it's ugly head (as it will from time to time with even the best of children) there needs to be some form of correction. It might be difficult now but trust me, it is well worth it in the long run. If he knows you won't stick to your guns now, imagine your life when he is 13-17....and it's not soap anymore. Is that really where you want to go? Sorry, but you need to grow a backbone here. Who is in charge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the great ideas and links. I'll be sure to implement some of these. As for discipline, we do positive discipline and do not do punishments or time outs in our house.

The purpose of discipline is not for YOU to control him. The purpose of discipline is to teach him how to control himself. By allowing him to climb on shelves, refuse to use liquid soap and cause monetary damage, and you are making it very difficult for him to learn to respect boundaries and authority. This is a skill he will need in order to navigate the rest of his life. You cannot start to teach this when he's 10 or 12 or 15. By then it is too late and you will have a monster on your hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the great ideas and links. I'll be sure to implement some of these. As for discipline, we do positive discipline and do not do punishments or time outs in our house.

That's great but your 4 year old wants something else. The kid you have determines the style of discipline needed not an article you read when you were pregnant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the great ideas and links. I'll be sure to implement some of these. As for discipline, we do positive discipline and do not do punishments or time outs in our house.

And that's why you have the problem that you have, and the many, many more that are coming.

+1 Seriously. We "have" to use liquid soap because a FOUR year old won't use bar soap? Ridiculous.

+2 You don't need to spank or use time-outs if that is not your thing but you definitely need to get this down NOW. Climbing on sinks? Refusing to use bar soap? Do you even say "No" to your kid or is that too negative too? Your DS knows he can play you and is doing exactly that. You need to expect good behavior and for your child to listen to you, and when bad behavior or him not listening to you rears it's ugly head (as it will from time to time with even the best of children) there needs to be some form of correction. It might be difficult now but trust me, it is well worth it in the long run. If he knows you won't stick to your guns now, imagine your life when he is 13-17....and it's not soap anymore. Is that really where you want to go? Sorry, but you need to grow a backbone here. Who is in charge?[/quote

There is also this, reality is no one is able to do whatever they want all the time. It's not really healthy for your child to grow up with that idea. Life comes with hard limits. You have to teach your kids that. Sometimes there really is no alternative. No is an important word for them to learn not just saying it to get their way, but also respecting the "no" of other people.

[Anonymous]

Take his birthday money for a new bottle of soap. Seriously mom, discipline him--no more chances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As others have said, you're the parent and he will use bar soap if you want him to use bar soap.

That said, have you done some soap experiments with him? Gone out in the yard (since it is warming up) and given him a big tub of water and some dawn and some string and all kinds of different ways to play with soap?

I get the sense you want to shut this down instead of get at the root of his curiosity. I'm not saying he should get away with disobeying - hell no. Shut that down, use the bar soap. But he obviously has an interest and curiosity, and if you can help him find another outlet to learn what he's trying to learn about soap and bubbles and water, it might end faster and in a more productive manner.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, try this:

Get three of four cheap dispensers (some clear, some white), pour half of each into your refill jug, and put food coloring in the remaining amounts. Pop naked kid in the bathtub with the dispensers and tell him that you will be peeking in every few minutes. Rules are as follows: bottom must stay on the tub floor, soap has to stay in the tub or on the back wall, no soap on his face, anything else goes. Any deviation from that and he has to be rinsed off and get out.

Use it as a reward, roughly every 2-4 weeks. It'll satisfy his curiosity and creativity, your tub and shower will (kind of) get washed, and your child will (kind of) be clean.

Not op but this sounds like a good idea!

I'm totally doing this. I've also seen where you can add a little bit of corn starch so it becomes more opaque and like soapy finger paint.