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I have a 2 year old daughter who doesn't walk quietly or softly. She stomps. I can't tell whether she likes the noise she makes on our wood floor or she doesn't know any better. Her walking/running looks the same outside though. I/we have been making attempts at educating her for weeks.

  • telling her to move silently,
  • pointing out how much more silent her mom can enter the room,
  • taking her by her hands and walk with her around the room while encouragin her to avoid noice
  • making walking slowly and siliently some sort of "fun" game
  • making funny faces while tiptoeing around
  • ... about everything we can think of that is fun/good/better/preferable when moving silently.

While she does seem to enjoy herself a lot, it has absolutely not affected her stomping. She is only 2 and definetly still discovering her body and the degrees of freedom it posesses, so I don't want to push hard. She has enough to learn and discover already. I'd just like for her to shift her priorities a little ...

So my actual questions are: How long does it take children learn to walk "normal"? Can I expect her to stop stomping soon, within the coming year, shortly after kindergarden, right before puberty? When and how can I actually start teaching her? I have absolutely no clue what is ok, expected or considered normal progress for learning how to walk. Other children look about the same when they move, but they move much more silently.

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  • There are times when my five year old still sounds like a herd of elephants coming down our carpeted stairs. It does get better, but she's probably doing it because she likes the sound it makes. Once the newness of that wears off, she'll find something else to drive you crazy with :-) Is it only when she wears shoes in the house or also when she's barefoot? This is one of the reasons why my kids are almost always barefoot in the house. Soooooo much quieter!
    – Meg Coates
    Commented Aug 23, 2013 at 23:39
  • I ended up here because I googled about 2 and three year olds walking like babies ie stomp-walking. I am disabled and live in a downstairs apartment and have no vehicle and no way to escape the 2 and 3 year olds who stomp-walk, run, and jump the full length of the apartment up stairs practically non stop for 12 hours a day. The adults up there also stomp-walk and stomp when angry at the kids and each other. Talking to the mother and others such as the mother's father and her mother in law has only made it worse. I applaud people who care about what the person downstairs is stuck listening to.
    – user6477
    Commented Jan 14, 2014 at 22:06
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    she is two, why is this a big deal? wait until she is 8 and is running around like a lunatic! stop rushing her, unless she has some affliction, let her develop at her own pace
    – user6497
    Commented Jan 15, 2014 at 6:14
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    Just because I care doesn't mean I'm rushing anybody. I never said it was a big deal, either. I just noticed a lot of things correlate with it. It is more fatiguing for her, stepping on things hurts a lot more, she runs slower than other kids ... and amongst other things, sometimes she would lose her balance. It's quite easy to type "unless she has some affliction", but how can I tell if and when there is an affliction (developing)? I was merely asking for information, epxlicitly stating that I do not know what to expect or do. Commented Jan 15, 2014 at 13:20
  • I'm having the same problem my daughter is 2 and a half, it wouldn't be a problem if we didn't live above my landlord and he's complaining about it. I've tried to do everything I can to get her to stop, I tell her quiet feet which sometimes works but she's also got adhd and when she's having a bad day like this morning it's a never ending battle to get her to use quiet feet
    – user22185
    Commented May 16, 2016 at 12:31

3 Answers 3

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Well, I think it might be better if you could accept it, because she's just being a kid - I think you understand that, but it just pushes your buttons. My kids push my buttons, they like to throw books on the floor and then needle the books with their feet. I just pick the books up and die a little inside ;)

To me the 'risk' you run, is her digging her feet in (no pun) and it becoming a power struggle, you'll probably lose that battle, and I doubt it's a battle worth fighting.

If it's really a problem for you perhaps try using stickers as a reward system - if she can go a morning TRYING not to stomp (ie cut some slack) give her a star, if she gets 5 stars, some kind of reward.

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  • Ah, you think she keeps doing it not because she wouldn't know any better, but she gets fun out of my/our reactions ... and probably enjoys the noise she makes. I don't find that hard to believe. I'll see what I can make of it. Thanks! Commented Aug 23, 2013 at 17:01
  • You're welcome - FWIW the stickers are working for our 4yr old and wearing his glasses, where everything else has failed. And yes you're right, I think she gets some kind of fun/interest in getting a reaction from you (totally normal) - so being neutral about it is probably best.
    – Jim W
    Commented Aug 27, 2013 at 3:51
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    Turns out she did it for fun but is quite capable of walking quietly. Commented Oct 8, 2013 at 10:10
  • @user1129682 if you have reasons to think that there is a physiological problem, it is better to consult a specialist. Otherwise, it is impossible to reason with a toddler - at best they do not really understand you (yet), at worst they are pushing your buttons (and finding your soft spot, something that provokes an emotional reaction from you, is pretty much the goal of their life at this age.)
    – Roger V.
    Commented Sep 7, 2022 at 8:19
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The best way to teach your child something is just to turn it's attention to it every single time.
So just tell it every time "When we walking, we put the legs on ground swiftly".
Yet, try to find for yourself, if you really need it to stop the stomping.

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Try binding their ankles together somehow (but so they aren't uncomfortable). Kind of like how boxers tie a string to their ankles for better form/balance.

Also be sure the keep them supervised. This should help, but they will most likely stomp some.

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    This doesn't sound like a very good thing to do to a two-year-old. Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 1:49
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    I have to agree with @SomeShinyObject. :) This sounds like disaster in the making. Kids fall often enough without any help. Commented Mar 27, 2018 at 3:42

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