6 Ingenious Ways to Stop a Toddler from Jumping on the Couch

Are you an exacerbated parent trying to stop your toddler from jumping on the couch? I know I am. Not only am I scared that my child will badly injure herself but I’m also not too thrilled at the prospect of having to dish out money to buy a new couch.

I’ve tried warnings and timeouts and nothing seems to be working.

She’s still at it.

After quite some trial and error, there are a few tricks I’ve learnt that have really helped in overcoming this extremely annoying issue.

So let’s get right into it. 6 tactics that are bound to help you stop your toddler from jumping on the couch.

All. Day. Long.

6 Ways to Stop a Toddler From Jumping on the Couch

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1. Understand the need to jump

As a parent you need to first accept that your child needs and wants to climb, jump and be active.

He has an innate desire to move and that desire needs to be channeled and not quashed. A child’s cognitive development and health is closely linked with how much he moves.

Don’t expect him to sit quietly in a corner all the time playing “nicely”. If that’s your expectations from your toddler then you’re in for a rude awakening.

2. Set up safe zones to jump

Next, you need to think of creative and safe ways to redirect your toddler’s energy.

These could include :

taking him outdoors to the park or even the backyard for an hour or two and letting him run, skip, hop, jump and climb

setting up a place indoors which has toys that are safe to climb on. A toddler trampoline is a superb way to channel all that pent up energy

giving your child cushion pillows in a carpetted room which he can stack up and climb on could be a great way to safely encourage his climbing

These are the parent-favorite toys on Amazon that help toddlers expend their energy:

Little Tikes 3′ Tram poline

Little Tikes First Slide Toddler Slide, Easy Set Up Playset

SoftZone Climb and Crawl Activity Play Set

Invest in some good quality outdoor toys which are super fun and also help channel energy in a safe way

3. Redirect your child to jumping zone

Every time your child jumps on the couch, remind him that it’s not allowed. Then redirect him to the space in the house which you’ve set up where he IS allowed to jump.

That way, you’ve enforced the no jumping rule while at the same time giving him an appropriate substitute.

4. Stay consistent in rules

Now that you’ve established that jumping on the sofa is not allowed, you need to stick with it. This means that you have to enforce this rule whether your child is at grandma’s house or a friend’s.

This can get tricky, especially if there are other kids around who are jumping like monkeys on the couch. It’s highly unlikely that your child will listen to you and stop jumping unless the other kids stop too.

The best approach would be to collaborate with the other adults in the room and find engaging indoor activities for them to do which distract them.

5. Don’t overreact

The truth is, you can go through with all the above measures but your child will still test you.

Like a hundred times a day.

You could build him a trampoline park in your backyard and he’s STILL going to jump on the sofa.

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It’s hard, but you need to resist the urge to blow up at them. Because when you do, not only will you feel terrible, but it’ll also exacerbate the problem rather than solve it.

Your sharp little tot will realize that jumping on the sofa is something that drives you mad. Which tells him he has power and he can exert it over you wherever he feels like it.

Toddlers thrive off of feeling like they have power. So the more you react, the more you’re going to see of that behavior.

The best approach is to keep your expressions neutral and use a firm tone while you remind him of the rules for the hundredth time.

6. Minimize chances of injuries

The biggest fear parents have is that their child will hurt themselves while they jump on the couch like wild monkeys.

That’s why it’s best to take precautionary measures to reduce chances of accidents by toddler proofing your home.

You can do this in several ways:

Keep all furniture at a safe distance from the couch. This is to ensure that your child doesn’t jump from the couch to different furniture pieces like the dining table or bookcase

Put cushions and pillows around the couch so that when they fall off (which they most definitely will) they have a soft landing

Shorten the couch legs. This will help reduce chances of your child spraining an ankle or breaking any bones by falling from a height. Many modern couches come with legs that can be unscrewed and replaced. The other option can be to shorten the legs yourself at home

If your toddler is still at it and you’re desperate for a method that saves your super expensive sofa from looking like trash, here are some options that really work.

Get a sofa slip cover. I got this one for my 3 seater futon and was super pleased at how well the fitting was along with the stretchy material. Amazon has a wide variety of sofa covers made from a variety of materials. If you have little kids in the house this is literally a sanity saving hack
Anyone else got kids who love eating on the couch and getting stains all over it? This portable upholstery cleaner is an absolute game changer. Read the raving reviews here.

Liked this post? Share it with a toddler parent who could benefit.

If you’d like more tips for dealing with toddler behavior then check out this book that we love by Janet Lansbury called No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame here on Amazon.

If you’re a toddler parent you might enjoy these posts too:

7 Genius Strategies to Handle a Toddler Climbing The Table

6 Fascinating Reasons Why Toddlers Draw on Walls (and how you can stop them!

Toddler Keeps Moving Furniture – 5 Brilliant Tactics To Handle the Madness