Ok Mums, what do you do when your baby reaches the 'can't leave them for a second' stage!?!?

Question

My lovely little boy is 6 months old and it SO active. He loves to roll and if I walk out of the room for a second I come back to find him somewhere he shouldn't be and I'm worried he's going to hurt himself before long.

What did you do with your baby when they reached this stage?

I'm reluctant to get a playpen because it would take up what precious floor space I have and make walking around difficult.

Thanks!

Answer 1

You start to make your house safe for them. Everything up to about three feet off the floor. There's nothing else for it. Sooner or later you will make a mistake and glance away for just a second too long, if there are things within reach he can hurt himself with, it will happen.

You're going to have to do it once he walks, so start now. Until then - playpen. Or possibly baby bouncer (one of those that hangs in a doorway, my son loved his).

If you just mean that he rolls under armchairs, into table legs etc., though - don't worry. He's exploring the universe around him and learning. You do need to let him make his own mistakes, just a little bit, to find out that some things are hard and others soft, that if you roll under something it's darker than when you roll out again, and so on. But you need to be sure that he can only make safe mistakes.

Answer 2

Playpen.

I'm sorry and I know its not very "PC" (along with jarred baby foods etc) but I couldn't live without mine.

My son is into *everything* - I turn my head and he's grabbing something he shouldn't be or bumping his head on something or getting into some sort of pickle

Our house is very small and cluttered and it just is not possible to move everything off the floor and out of his reach.

I have a Graco Pack n Play travel cot and also an old fashioned wooden playpen. Both can be folded and put away when not in use so you don't have to have them up all the time, just when you need to go and do something and put little one somewhere safe.

Answer 3

Child-proof your house, especially where he is staying. Cushioned all the edges, floors, walls... Remove all the things that he can reach...

Put yourself in the shoe of your curious baby and think what would be interesting to him and what are the things that can hurt him or where he may get an accident.

I have a going-2 years old daughter and so curious and active. I have to childproof the room where she is always staying, i even remove some furniture. I also use a portable radio link whenever i go out of the room for me to know if she is already awake. Because when she woke up, she'll just look around the room to see what she wants to play with.

Goodluck!

Answer 4

Well My boy is 10m and it does get better when they actually start crawling because they can follow you where ever you go (yes even to the toilet, lol). But when they first start getting mobile you can get the child proof gates that go across door ways to block off certain areas and make it safe. There are also what I call 'standers", lol they aren't a walker because they don't have wheels but they have exactly the same type of toys and they are safer because the kids can't move them and fall down the stairs. I had one for my boy and I could put him in it with the toys and move it around room to room and get a few things done until he got bored with it, his was called a "hop and pop" because every time he bounced the balls in the popper would make lots of noise and bounce around. Or the other chance you have got is give him access to a cupboard that will hold his attention for a few minutes like the plastic cupboard and let him make a huge mess, they love it and it can be really handy while you wash the dishes or cook tea.

Answer 5

My son is Eleven months old and we're still in that stage! He's walking now, so into everything even more then usual. I understand what you mean about the playpen, I had no floor space for one either. If I was doing running around in the house I usually put him in his high chair with a sippy cup/bottle and a bunch of toys. So long as I popped my head in every now and again, he seemed to enjoy it. Now, and I hate to admit this, I try to get my chores done while Sesame Street is on, because he is glued to the TV. Then I make up for it by reading and playing with him.

EDIT: I have babyproofed every inch of my home, and the little guy STILL manages to get into things that he shouldn't. I think I gave birth to Houdini.

Answer 6

I have a few ways to keep my baby out of trouble. She is nearly one and can get into lots of mess now :)

I have babyproofed the house a bit - just the important bits, stairgate, a fireguard, plug guards and a couple of cupboard locks. Not overboard! But I know she can't fall down stairs, get into cleaning products or electrocute herself when I'm not looking.

When she is playing on the floor I'm always there in the room with her, it really is that simple. If I nip out of the room for something I take her with me. If I need to get things done she goes on my back in the sling until they are done. She loves to watch me wash up and hang washing from her vantage point, and we dance and sing most of the time.

I have one 'safe room' which is her bedroom. There is nothing in there that can hurt her, nothing she can swallow or pull over or fall off, just her cot, a sofa, her wardrobe and her toybox. I know that I can put her in there and not worry that she's going to get in trouble - if I need to. Like if I have to use the toilet. (Actually sometimes when I need to use the toilet I put her in the bath, dry of course, and she walks around holding on to the sides of it...within my reach at all times!)

They always hurt themselves. Even if you're right there all of the time they manage it. My daughter decided to dive over one toy for another once and ended up with a bloodshot eye for a few days. She headbutted the sofa the other day when returning to sitting from a standing position and bit her tongue...she had blood all over her mouth. She's pulled chairs down on her head, walked into walls, got stuck in cupboards, and had countless bumps and bruises that are all part of learning how the world works and what is and isn't a good idea to try ;)

I'd say now she's mobile we have 2-3 incidents a day where she cries because she has fallen or hurt herself. Never seriously, it's usually shock more than anything else....

I feel for you! You'll get through it though and find ways to keep his curiosity satisfied and your sanity intact. All playpens and such do I think is delay the inevitable - he will eventually have to be set loose on the house and may as well learn right from the start what is acceptable and what is not.

Babies love to explore!

Good luck!

Answer 7

Pillows were my friend! I understand about the whole not wanting to take up precious floor space with a play pen, our house is tight for space as well. The pillows were easily moved and I was able to place them in front of the hard surfaces and corners I was worried about.

As for hurting himself... I know what you mean but trust me! There's worse to come! Wait until he gets the three drink minimum drunk walk going on! Then he's falling all over the place, including into the walls, doors and anything or anyone who doesn't move out of his way!

Answer 8

I made an enclosure out of furniture and sofa pillows in the living room and put a queen size blanket on the floor in there. My son would spend the whole day rolling around in his "fort" with his toys. I would sit on the armchair with my laptop and work so that I was right there if he needed me. I knew he couldn't get out, so I could sneak off for a couple of minutes if I had to. It worked until he started pulling up, then we had to go ahead and babyproof the whole house.

Those bouncy saucer things (the stationary ones, not walkers) are great to keep active babies entertained for a while, too.

Answer 9

I got a walker so they could cruise around the house. I just shut the doors to the rooms they weren't allowed into and it saved my sanity!! I know some people say not to use a walker but under supervision and proper safety they are a godsend!!

Make sure to remove anything that could fall or hurt him including electrical cables (which I'm assuming you've already done if he is mobile) and off he goes!!

best of luck

EDIT- I just read the comment about the bumbo chair and not to be rude on another answer but I read yesterday that 1million bumbo chairs were being recalled due to safety issues.

Answer 10

Oh I know that stage so well ;)

With my son (now 15 months) I just tried to make our house as childproof as possible and tried to be with him as much as I could.

True I couldn't get anything done until he went down for a nap, but I figured that they are only this young once and they grow so quickly so I just let the housework slide.

One of my mothers group got a playpen and said that it was useless as the baby cried whenever she was put in it anyway.

Believe me it gets better. While my active boy still wants to be with me all the time, he will play on his own for 10-15 mins sometimes so I can quickly duck and put some washing on or something.

Just enjoy him and remember that this stage won't last forever.