Babysitting a 15 month old boy driving me to distraction please help!

Do you have a high chair for him? Only let him have his drink or quavers when hes strapped into it .He'll soon get used to food only being available there ,apart from that the running about and not being interested in quuiet play is normal as far as I remember,maybe try him with the big Lego ,my son would build for ages but wouldn't draw or listen to stories .As a last resort find a childrens TV show he's keen on and sit him in his chair in front of it for 15 minutes .Its a way to get a break.In my case I used to sit IN the playpen with a coffee whilemy child ran wild round it ..worked for me

I am not surprised you are struggling, Cher.
With your health problems, this child care is just too much. I’m reasonably fit, but find looking after my two year old granddaughter exhausting.
I guess your daughter is working, this is a problem of our times!

I brought up a boy and a girl, and my son definitely had far more energy than my daughter and needed to burn that off in whatever way possible. My daughter would sit and look at a book or play with lego but my son needed to run around.

While the weather is nice, get him running races in the garden while you sit in a chair and time him and give him "prizes". My children had space hoppers. Don't know if you can still get them but they use up energy too.

If he wants to throw things, get a frisbee or balls he can throw in the garden. Tire him out with things. He's too young for proper sports, obviously, but I found that was the way to go for my son, and he became a brilliant sportsman.

And meanwhile don't give him sugar or it will give him a "sugar-rush" and you will be exhausted.

Try to lighten up, Cher! If he won't eat the healthy food you provide make eatin g the healthy food a light- hearted game you play together as that is your only chance of persuading him to eat it.

Young children learn through play and nothing else.
I almost despair of a child carer who values her carpet more than the child at play.

Firstly you could ‘babyproof’ your house, move things out of the way that you don’t want damaged.
Get him out in the garden, he can play with mud , cars, make a tent with him.let him run and get rid of some of his energy.
If he ignores you, take him by the hand and lead him away to something that he can have and play with.
Our GCs, liked us to read to them, they did large floor jigsaws and played with bricks and even, (shock , horror,) had half an hour of Telly, how I hated The Telly Tubbys......
Make sure that he only eats and drinks at the table.

TBH, if he is that lively then it might be best to stop looking after him until he is older and calmer.
Our GCs definitely had different behaviour at ours than they did at home, no messing at Nannys!

A 15 month old baby behaves more or less just as you describe, and shoild behave as you describe. If he makes a mess of your carpet, that is because your carpet is unsuited to an energetic, healthy tiny boy.

No 15 month old baby knows what "naughty" means but he will know if you are angry with him .

My advice to you is to save your energy, which you say is in short supply, for playing with the baby and clearing up the mess he makes, and completely stop trying to teach him to be a docile angel.
For instance if there is "something he shouldn't have" it's your responsibility to put it where he can;t get it , You are mistaken in your belief this baby boy is capable of knowing which is which. You should be ever so pleased the wee one is so curious about the funny world he finds around him.

If he want to "throw everything" this is what he wants and needs to do, and good on him! He should have a safe place where he can throw things to his wee heart's content.

That sounds really difficult for you Cher.
I think that when children behave like that, it’s because they crave attention.
I would just acknowledge that on the days he comes to you, you’ll have just give him your full attention the whole day. Is there anything your GS particularly enjoys that you can do with him? Can you take him to a park to work off that energy?

I can understand you not wanting to shout at him, but it’s possible to convey to a small child that what he’s doing isn’t acceptable without raising your voice. And at 15 months, he should be aware of some boundaries. Trashing your possessions isn’t acceptable.

What does he do on the days he’s not with you?

I think you need to tell his mum how difficult you’re finding it & why, and ask her for suggestions. You may find his behaviour worries her too.

Good luck.

Oh please don’t shout at him that will solve nothing and is cruel. You are expecting far too much if him. He is a baby and he doesn’t understand. Be patient with him and engage with him on his level. Reading with him and simple games are all you need at this stage. I understand that it is exhausting so maybe pull back on the amount of baby sitting you do.

I'm sorry that I can't really help but I'll send sympathy and understanding. My (second) husband and I each have two daughters and my grandson was a bit of a shock! We had a very gentle granddaughter first.
My husband also has a grandson now and he is a bit of a shocker too. It may not be politically correct to say this but 'boys are different'.
How do his parents deal with him? Do they struggle too?