On the Go!
It’s official. Our little man is definitely crawling. Occasionally he’s up on all fours, but mostly he is scooting around the floor in his own commando crawl style. I had honestly forgotten what it was like to have a crawler in the house. Admittedly, last time I had a crawler I didn’t also have a messy toddler. So here are the first five things I did to accommodate a crawler in our home:
1. Mopped the floor! Ok, so I’m slack with this. I sweep our wooden floor boards every day, but mopping is such a big job. I aim to do it weekly. I’m trying harder with that aim now.
2. Got down on the floor with him and looked at the house from his eye level. Oh boy. How had I not noticed all those craft scraps, small toys and balls of fluff in the corners?! Removed them all (though this needs doing again every morning before he sets off).
3. Checked the safety gate on the stairs. He’s getting faster every day. How bad would I feel as a mum if my child took a tumble down the stairwell because I had neglected to check/shut the gate?
4. Put together the playpen and gave it semi-permanent space in the living room. I don’t use it all the time, but I find it incredibly useful. I can separate baby and toddler if they are getting on each other’s nerves. I can limit baby’s access to activities going on if he isn’t ready for them yet (eg playdough). And importantly, I can put him somewhere safe so that I can go to the toilet!!!
5. Got the camera out and took some happy snaps. I can’t believe he’s on the go already. I suspect that I’ll blink again and he’ll be trying out those legs of his, and then he’ll really be off! I sometimes have to remind myself to celebrate the stage my kids are in, regardless of whether they reach milestones earlier or later than I expected. It was hard to get good photos though… he wouldn’t stay still!
Do you have a crawler in your home? How do you deal with it? Don’t be shy… leave a comment below!
I am slowly putting Zoes special small toys in her room so that the playroom is a choke free zone. Still needs checking all the time. Then im going to have to work on keeping Riley out of Zoes room.
It is a very cute photo
Aw, I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up, how adorable he is and that we’re missing it all! Tell him and L we miss them! (and their parents too
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We don’t have any crawlers yet – I’m still pregnant with our first – but I am really looking forward to the day I get to take cute crawling pictures like the one you attached here!
I’m not looking forward to crawling around on my hands and knees every morning with quite the same gusto…
@Karla – we miss you too!
@Sarah – Congrats on your pregnancy, and thanks for commenting on my pic when you take such incredibly awesome and inspiring photos yourself!
I’ve just discovered your blog, and I just had to comment and let you know how great it is! I don’t have a crawler anymore. In fact, my latest post is about how we took down the crib today! But I look forward to reading more of your squiggles. (By the way, I love the name!)
@Rachel – thanks for your encouragement! I popped over to your blog too, and enjoyed your last post about dismantling the cot!!!
We had a crawler once. We coped by moving things up a big higher. Of course now she’s walking and nothing’s safe…
The best thing about a crawler is that you have to spring clean. If there was anything that she could possible get her hands on she found it…and ate it.
@Bec The idea of him walking makes me groan! You’re right about the spring cleaning. Mopped yesterday and got right into those corners I usually skim over! LOL