Son Is Crawling Now - and Getting into Everything!

That's too funny! My little guy started crawling too and he's 8 months. Yeah he's into everything but I let him "explore". I have everything "baby proof" and if there is something that he shouldnt get a hold of then I put it up. I rarely say no.He has no clue what's right or wrong at this age. He will learn quickly if he piches his fingers that maybe he shouldnt do that or bump his head. They learn. I know mine has learn a lot since he's been crawling! Good Luck to ya and just watch and see his reactions on the new things he gets to explore. I learned that with my first child!! If you continue to say no they are going to continue to find out why you say no so.....yeah! It's tough but you'll get through it! Oh yeah, mine's a "hip baby" also! I'm enjoying it while I can!

He is right on track...my 7month old is the same way!!! :) It only gets better - by that i mean crazier! :)

Good Luck my son is 10 1/2 months and we are going through the same thing, he dislikes diaper changes. It seems like he changed over night and woke up stubborn. We already enforce the word no and he understands.

Start enforcing NO now or before you know it you will have a out of control toddler. When they are old enough to reason what they want then they are old enough to understand rules. I never put stuff out of reach or gated my entire house. I made my home safe but did not go to extremes, my son just learned no and did very well. If you pack up everything and let him have free roam of your house, you will never visit anyone out of fear of destruction. Just make NO clear and do not give in. Good luck.

Completely NORMAL!!! My daughter started @ 6 months with no sign if interest. She would not roll over or even move and then one afternoon I was cleaning the upstairs bath room and had her laying on her back on the floor in one of those mats with all those things on top. I am paranoid when it comes to her so I would check on her every couple of minutes. I checked on her and then ran to the walk in closet to get a towel when I heard her dad clapping and saying ALRIGHT BABY GIRL. It freaked me out because he was supposes to be @ work and 2 he sounded like he was not close by. When I walked out of the bathroom the baby was not in her play area but she was outside of the room right @ the foot of the stairs. She crawled all the way over there! Her father said that when he came in the house he saw her crawling and that’s why he got so excited. Just to think what if he would not have walked in when he did she could have fallen down the stairs. Ever since then she has been on a rampage and will not pull back.
She is now 16 months and running around all over the place and still does not listen. I started the disciplining early as well more for her safety then for control. What I found that works it pulling the baby way and having them look at you when you say no. If I do that to her she would go back once or twice and I would do the same thing and then she will lose interest and go play with something else. I didn’t get a gated area just because I wanted her to feel free and explore on her own. I did put gates on the stairs though. I did do the tapping on the hand and said no no no no. I also told her why I was saying no. When she got older and I knew she knew better I would tap her on her diaper just once and say no. I would not yell at her though it would be in a normal voice but with a MAD face expression. That is important because if you are telling him no but laugh he will think it is funny and keep doing it but if you tell him no and have a mad look he knows then that something is wrong. Well good luck to you and enjoy it because they do get big fast and you can not get your little baby back.
I started crying when she went to the potty the first time ( 3 days ago) because I think it is too early. She is my first and only!

When my son started getting into EVERYTHING, I would use the phrase "That's not an Aiden toy. This is an Aiden toy." And then I would hand him an appropriate toy. I found as time went on, I had better luck being specific on how to quit an action than just saying no. For example, when he was getting into the drawer under the stove. If I said, "No," he kept on. If I said, "Put the lid down, pull your hand out, shut the drawer, step back," he did exactly as I said. I was like, "Wow! That was easy." I could also reserve no in a stern voice for the very, very dangerous things.

I also found that the better child proofed I had his surrounding, the less I was stressed. I also tried the working from home thing, and started to go crazy at about six months. I tip my hat off to those moms who can do it. It's so much easier said than done.

I finally moved changing his diapers to the floor. I recall a few times pinning him down with my leg.

Just wait till he's walking and running!!!

Enjoy it while it's there, cuz tomorrow, you'll be potty training.

This is very normal and you must remember that the way he learns and develops his intelligence is by exploring his world. That said, you need to teach him to respond to "no', or possibly iuse the word "freeze" when he gets into a dangerous situation that you must disentangle him from -ie.- climbing up a bookcase, or bumping into the fireplace. He will also, unfortunately have to learn a little by experience. He will learn that it hurts to bump into the fireplace and he will stop doing it. Be grateful that he is developing so normally asnd treasure these times. They grow up so fast and you will suddenly look around and he will be thirty with a family of his own. Then, you will be going through it all over again with your grandkids. They will ,however, not be so full time. I know that working at home with a very active baby must be very difficult. Is there any way you could hire someone to come in for periods of time during the day to play with your son? Also, perhaps you could swap with a friend who has a child of about the same age and take turns watching the kids. You can work during the days that your child is away. Good luck. J. K.

Well I think he is right at the time that he can begin to understand no, but we mostly did the redirect method at that age and boy will that keep you on your toes! We had the same issue with the fireplace and my son fell and busted his head kind of hard one time and he never really messed with it again! Not my preference of course, but he is just fine. So I really have no special advice except they learn by experience and the TV seems to be the most fascinating thing on the planet when they start to pull up! But the payoff is that they are so darn cute:) My boy just took his first steps so I am sure we are about to launch into a new phase of watching, chasing, and rescuing! I wish you all the best and I think a light tap on the hand is just fine. ;)

consider yourself lucky mine was 6 months and walking by 8 months!YIKES Now is definately the time to start enforcing things, That is exactly what I did and compared to a lot of people I know We get tons of compliments on how well behaved my 16 month old is. And for the rolling over and fighting a diaper a tap under the tush just like the one on the fingers should do the trick, usually once is all it takes, and stand firm and dont give up yeah it seems like it may take forever but they do come around. Stick to the play pen and maybe try an indoor play yard (like the ones that have 6-8 panels. If you look on craigs list you can get the 8 panel for around 50 when new they are around 90+ .. Good luck and if you stick with it now you will have a wonderfully great and impressive little guy by around a year old!

One thing I learned after two babies doing the "changing table squirm"...is I put a basket of things they never got to see except at changing time next to the changing table. Weird items, I looked in my kitchen gadget drawer (a small whisk, egg separator, an ice cream scoop, a small light wooden roller, plastic measuring spoons, etc...) Who knew a pasta measurer would be so entertaining?? Or you can just use toys they don't see any other time.

Good luck...{{{{hugs}}}}

Just wait until he starts walking!! Get a handle on it now, or he will develop habits-- running from you in public places, climbing stairs, the dog, the furniture, etc.--that will become harder to deal with as he grows. My daughter is now 15 months old and we went through something similar. I found the book "BabyWise" to be very helpful. Now is a good time to introduce "NO" and "STOP". It seems harsh,but, they are simple commands that keep our kids safe and provide boundaries. With cosistent effort on your part he will come around in no time. Our daughter still tests the water but we've noticed that she will often think about touching a forbidden object, etc. before she does it. Then, aloud, she will tell herself "No" and walk away. Also, at diaper time when your guy is getting squirmy and restless ask him to "help" mommy. Also, give him something to hold in his hand as a distraction. I would tell my little girl that diaper change is first then she can have her book, have time outside, what ever it is that she'd rather be doing.
Hope this bit of advice is helpful.

K., Your little guy is normal. I'm glad to see that there are so many people on here that know to let their child explore and just put everything up. It sends your baby a bad message when we are always telling them no, because we want to make sure they are disciplined. The best thing to do is put everything that is breakable up for a while, or anything they can hurt themselves with. When we slap their hands and tell them no they thing they are in trouble for trying to learn about the world around them. You want your child to feel trusted by you. That gives them a sence that you trust them to reach the sky!!!! Invest in one of those kits that has the covers for the outlets, plastics for corners, they even make them for fireplaces now, and latches for the cabinets. I had a few gates but also the fence, I had it around the computer, and as one person said I had to use it around the Christmas tree too. I also used it to put him in when I was getting things in and out of the oven or cleaning bathrooms or something. I had fixed one of my lower kitchen cabinets with tupperware bowls, wooden spoons, and a couple of pots and lids, they love the noice. Good luck and you'll see how interesting this year can be because when they start pulling up then walking you'll see a whole new world of things he can get into and then your re-child proofing. Its funny really because its like their minds come off of the floor and into table level and they forget about the stuff at crawling level. Good luck and enjoy it really goes by fast.

Of course it is normal - he has found a sense of freedom! And he is so curious and trying to be independent. All you can do is keep him safe - he will learn quickly about pinched fingers, hard floors. You can say sternly "No" and then redirect him with another activity - I would advise against hand slapping - just opening yourself up to future frustration and get that gate if it would help now!

Hi Kristi!

Kids are kids, and especially boys are boys. Use common sense and good judgement about what to baby proof and what not too. He is a kid, and will get bumps and bruises on his little head, and shins when he starts walking. It only gets more fun from here on out!! Enjoy every moment. Don't sweat the little stuff.

Enjoy your fur-baby!! There is nothing like them.

D. Mattern-Muck
http://www.formyrugrats.com

I think it is very normal to be challenging you at this age. My 13 month old was exactly the same. I do not think tapping hands works at this age. They do not have the capacity to remember for long if something is particularly enticing. A firm no and a distraction are your best bets. I would babyproof as much as possible so that "no" has more of an effect and is not said 100s of times a day. Good luck!

Okay they sell a fireplace childproofing kit at Lowes. It is about $45 but will save you a lot in teh long run especially if he were to get hurt. We actually bought one and I love it. My little girl had an obsession with the fireplace and this thing has saved us so many ER trips its not funny. The best thing other then major childproofing is to just redirect him. I also moved my coffee table to the other room where se could not get it, its back in the living room now and she finally leaves it alone.

I remember this stage well. I handled it the same as you are...introducing verbal discipline but not expecting them to act as if they are 2 yrs old. But, I also baby proofed certain living areas of my house so as not to worry so much of their safety. You may be at that stage also. We just got used to the inconveniences quickly. We secured only part of the house and baby proofed everything in that area so as to allow them to move around at their pace. (I had a freedom lover that quit being fussy the minute she could crawl.) Babies at this age have a low attention span that will improve with age. Good luck. Being naturally curious is a great trait...

K.,

It is never too early to start discipline. Especially for saftey reasons. My children walked at 9 and 10 months, it was very necessary to set boundaries. I used a time out chair, you start very small, maybe 30 seconds then build from there. The key to discipline, however, is you and your spouse have to be on the same page. A swat on the bottom is not out of the question either. Much better than on the hand, that can leave marks and make you feel super terrible about yourself. He is craving your attention and your boundaries. I hope this helps you out.

A little about me: I am retired from the USAF and now a stay at home Mom. I've been married for 20 years and have two wonderful children ages 17 and 12. We are new to Converse, TX brought here by the USAF by way of Germany.

Welcome to the moving years! He is perfectly normal:) My daughter started crawling at 8 1/2 months and walking at 9mo!!! We also had tile and she fell many many times when learning to walk. As long as you babyproof the best that you can and try to prevent him from climbing as much as possible, his falls will be harmless (although very very scary for you).
Definitely start teaching him what no means. He needs to learn early what is off limits and what is acceptable. We found that time outs are wonderful!!!! We grew up thinking that spanking was acceptable and an acceptable way of disciplining. Our daughter taught us very quickly that time outs work better than you could ever imagine (even the light tapping of the hand did not work).

Good luck! and have fun!!! They are only this age once:)

Hi! My baby is at pretty much the same stage as yours, so hopefully I can help out. Yes, I have already started to give her a light swat on the hand to enforce what 'no' means, and it's actually working quite well. When she looks like going down the hall, I'll tell her 'No, Kalei', and she stops to hesitate now. She still moves on, but I'm convinced it will only take a couple more times of me taking her back after giving her a swat before she'll understand. I've taught her to stay away from the DVD's and cat food doing the same thing, and when she reaches for things, all I have to do is say 'No' firmly, and she snatches her hand back.

Make sure to say your 'No' in a firm tone of voice so that your little man can understand the difference between that and your loving voice. It might take a couple days of not being away from him, watching his every move, and teaching him, but it will be well worthing it. My daughter plays very happily on the floor while I'm busy, unless it's getting close to nap time lol.

One more thing - when your son does something wrong, and you need to swat him, remove him a little ways from the trouble zone, and go take a seat, or resume whatever you were doing. Don't loom over him, waiting for him to be a 'bad boy' again. Just let him see that you're making the assumption that he's going to make the right decision.

CONGRATULATIONS on your healthy, adventurous, bundle of curious determined energy. He is learning at top speed. Read to him daily and talk to him and tell him how smart he is. The 3 most important instructions that could save your son's life are "Stop", "Hot" and "Hurt". Play stop/go with crawling, then walking, tossing a ball or drinking from a cup. That will come in handy when running toward a street, unfamiliar dog or other danger. Have him touch a really warm coffee cup or preheating oven warm enough to impress, not hot enough to burn. Works later for hot peppers or not touching hot curling iron. "Hurt" works for a knife, scissors, medicine, rose bush, cactus garden, electric outlet. Those one word commands get better results than shouting two sentence explanations running behind a toddler dashing into the street. Put your running shoes on, mama. I know you tell him the other 3 most important words to teach your child (I love you), but sounds like you already knew that. :) C.

K.,
You are in one of the hardest stages I think. It's just hard. It's really too early to discipline at this age, though you can try if you want. The best thing to do is distraction with something else. Childproof your home as best you can. Hide things in cabinets that you don't mind him playing with. And chase him around ALL day. Yes, you probably won't be able to work with him awake and no help. They are just too busy at this age. And the bruises only get bigger when they start to walk, so the worst is yet to come! Good luck!
K.

Until you have your gated area set up you may want to pick up a play yard. We got one from Babies R Us. It's sections of baby gates that connect together to make a safe play area. You can buy as many sections as you want and it works great. So when you need 5 minutes to vaccuum, cook, go to the restroom, it is a safe place to put him.

(We used ours to protect the Christmas tree too!)

Good luck!

I have a 5 month old so I do not have any experience yet with crawling. But...I just finished reading Babywise II - 5 months to 15 months.

The book covers discipline and boundaries. It was a good short read and gave me some ideas when I reach that stage.

I block off an area with furniture. Just before my first started crawling I bought a sectional and used other items such as a cedar chest and big plastic containers made heavy with blankets or something stored inside. We have child #4 now and she started climbing before she was walking, so she'll just climb over the back of the sofa. LOL but it worked great before then.

I started spatting the hand lightly and saying no at different ages (6 months, 2 years, 13 months, and 7 months.) It just depends on if the child insists on doing something against the rules and despite redirection. My oldest would unplug things and take dvds out of their cases ect starting at 6 months and would act like she wasn't doing it at all. She would try to redirect US! LOL She wouldn't take "no" so we started lightly spatting and she would get mad but then she often obeyed.

Some children just bawl when told "no" in a firm voice. My baby (now 14 months) is like that. I have to spat her occasionally but when my husband tells her no she gets her heart broken and cries pitifully. No spat needed, she readily obeys!

S., mom to four ages 1-5!

You just described my son exactly! Milo is 8 1/2 months, and has sprouted all of these "new" behaviors along with the crawling. Which is all part of this stage.

It's exhausting trying to keep him out of harms way. I've started telling him "no" in a stern voice, and re-directing him. He definitely takes notice, but it still seems to be a never ending battle. He'll find something else that's off limits.

So, to answer your question... no, I don't think it's too early to discipline. I think the key will be consistency, let's see If I can follow my own advice ;)

K., the fun has only just begun! I also had kids who crawled and then walked early. There is not much you can really do at this age as far as discipline, their curiosity to explore the world is much greater than you saying "no." Now if there is something dangerous, I would suggest a danger work like "UH, OH" or "OUCH" to differentiate from "no." That way, your son can know when he is in danger...but you need to use that word sparingly. Also get a word for tastes bad like "yuk" or "nasty" that you can use when he tries to get into garbage or dog food. If you give him different words for different situations, he will actually learn and not just constantly hear "no, no." At this stage it is important for you to interact with him, but it is also important for him to be able to play by himself. If you don't get him to do this early, he will be needy and clingy and attached to you 24/7. You don't need a full gated area, just get a baby gate and put him in his room with the gate after baby-proofing (outlets, shelves (make sure they are tied to the wall so he can't pull them onto himself) sharp items, baby powders, lotions, creams etc.) Then put on some music, give him some toys and let him go to town. If he cries, go in and show him some play, then walk back out. Don't run to him every time he cries, but make sure to call back to him "Mama's right here," so he doesn't think you have abandoned him...babies have this thing that out of sight means gone forever. Don't let him get really worked up, just have patience and get a little farther for a little longer little by little. Good luck!

as barney fife would say on the old andy griffith show "nip it, nip it, nip it in the bud. he will challenge you and react when he doesn't get his way for the next 20 years or so. it is not too early to work on what "no" means, or to start with discipline. firm but loving, and always consistent. does he have an exersaucer? that can keep him close to you while you work, give him the feeling of moving as it tilts and he goes in circles, and give him other stimulating things to play with. there is also a tray for cheerios or other appropriate snacks.
if you wait until later to start disciplining and telling him "no" it will only get harder. there isn't an age or a time when you can start and he will just respond with "ok, Mom said no, so i can't do that". he needs a baby proof area where you don't have to feel like you are saying no all the time.

Best advice I can give you is get rugs to keep the falls from hurting too much. Baby proof your house now so you can have alittle relax time during the day while your little man is exploring. Teach him what no means now or you will be fighting the word no forever. To make it easier you can put some kind of finger protectors around the coffee table, locks on cabnets, plug covers, for tv's get short cable cords and make sure they are low to the ground (it saved my sons life when he was 2 years old because he had a tv fall on him and since the cord was short it blocked most of the fall because it was stuck in the wall),for bookshelves you can secure the back side of the book shelf into the wall that way it is more secure and les likely to fall if he ever trys to climb on it, for corners of desks and such you can just add a little cushion for protection, also for when he gets alittle older you need to put chain locks on doors so he cant just walk out of the house without you knowing, for bedroom doors you can get doornob covers (doornob covers never worked for my son)or you can get little locks for the out side of the door so you can lock them.

I never had to use a gate I just had to protect my sons head and feet cause my son always seemed to hit his head on everything or droped everything on his feet. :)

lightly tapping his hands and saying no should help for now but remember he will test you on different things for the rest of his life because thats what all children do.

For the doggie you can sit with him and say love the doggie, hug the doggie, help him in learning how to pet the doggie. I have animals and some of them were kittens and puppys at the time my son was a baby also, we just kept a close eye on the animals and helped him with the hugging and loving on them until he finally learned how soft he had to do things with them. That really only took a couple of weeks to learn.

I hope this helps you some in getting ready for your little crawler soon to be walker.

Nip it in the bud now.These kids this Error is real challengeing. They are so smart itys unreal.So yes i really do think you should start now. Grab his hands at a firm grip and let him now youre the one in charge cause if not when its time to walk, and go in public it will be embarrassing.Take control Mamma.. good luck

Welcome to a new phase of parenting! He is creating a new rhythm in your home. Find ways to adjust your family's world, so that you can go with it. Baby/toddler proof, yes, but also get creative with how to redirect him to do something else, or give him space (a lot) where he CAN do all of the exploring and such that he is ready for. While it is appropriate to say no, you will soon find yourself saying no 100 times a day. Mix it up...wrong choice, we can't do that, or simply show him what he can do. I will say after a decade of motherhood...just when you think you've got it down, there is another stage or phase and our world of parenting is rocked a little. You've got to be open and find a way to go with it all. And it's always worth it! Good luck! :)

P.S. for sure no correcting, discipline or punishment

welcome to the world of crawling. and if you being kept on your toes you can bet that it will get even crazier when he is walking. i have a 3 year old who i hardly had to baby proof for. boy has that changed with my second son. he is into Everything! it, too, is driving me crazy. but i have a degree in child development and while you can start trying to teach them what is ok and what is not, for the most part you have to just baby proof. the way children and babies learn is through exploration so if you are constantly telling them no or restricting their play to a playpen then you are limiting their learning. we put our coffee table in the garage, there are soft edges you can put on tables, put a box or furniture in front of the fireplace, etc. that may seem drastic but then you can stop saying no all the time and your baby can still play! www.askdrsears.com is a great resource as well as the baby book. good luck. i know how frustrating it can be!

very normal!! everything is so new to him now that he is on the go. plus, your dog is prob. fascinating to him - he means no harm in messing with the dog. enjoy this time w/ your little one - sounds like he is a healthy, active baby!

Your son is absolutely normal. Is it possile to remove things from his reach instead of putting up gates? Stairs would, of course, be the exception. Anyhow, at this age babies are very curious about their world and just want to explore. When he doesn't get his way and cries, it's because he's not finished exploring and using his new skills yet. It's kind of like teenagers when they get their car. They are dying to try out their new driving skills and kind of test themselves on getting around independently. Babies just don't have the ability, yet, to tell you what they want. Redirection is a great tool to use with children. Another suggestion would be to hire a neighborhood teen or homeschooling child to be a "parent helper" a few hours a day so you can get some work done.

Enjoy your little guy and remember that he's doing exactly what he needs to be doing. Enjoy each moment with him and take lots of pictures! This age doesn't last long.

I feel like kids need to know early on or it will only get worse. The tap of the hand may be necessary or not. You just can't give in....crying never hurt anyone....If he knows he can get your attention by crying...he will continue.

You need to get him adjusted to your schedule not the other way around. My daughter went through the same thing and I went through 2 weeks of tough love and she stopped throwing little fits. I think the little fits are normal...You just can't let them get out of hand...ie...picking them up everytime they cry...if they throw a fit let them...they will tire out and go to sleep...it will be nerve racking for a weeks but babies cry...

I hate when I go to the store and see little children jumping up and down throwing fits and moms just keep on saying okay honey that's enough, don't embarass mommy.....pick the child up and punish the child - even if it means leaving without your stuff...let them throw a fit in the car and pop theirt little hand...IT all starts at a young age and they will test you along the way...8 months - let him cry some of it out....

We use to appear to pop our daughters hand and we were actually slapping our own hand. The sound would startle her enough for her to know to stop...great trick....

Good luck...

Welcome to the world of mobility! You are lucky, mine started walking at 8 and a half months, so count your blessings :) In my experience you can't discipline an 8 month old (And most experts agree on this), but you can distract them. My little one is very self willed and was into everything, so we baby proofed as much as possible to cut down on the number of times a day I had to chase him away from places he didn't belong. Don't wait a few weeks to put a gate up, put it up tonight. Take your little one outside and let him explore the backyard or a park in the morning. I believe I should have learned to wrestle cattle before my son was born, it would have been a good skill to have when it came to diaper changes :) Try changing his diaper in different locations in the house, instead of taking him to the same place, bring a blanket and change him in the kitchen and give him something to play with like a wooden spoon. Be creative, distraction is the key to avoiding most power struggles, sing, dance, whatever. Most of the time this worked to divert his attention, but sometimes no matter how many times I tried to divert him he would just keep going back to whatever it was he was not supposed to be into, so I just took him to another room.

The reality is that "No" is a very fluid concept at this age and for several more months to come. Use it, say it, but don't expect for it to really mean anything yet. Babies don't have impulse control, so if they see something they want, they go for it. He sounds totally normal to me. Your job is to provide the safest environment possible and understand that he is going to challenge your wits. Try and have fun, things are just about to start getting really fun, you are entering a really fun stage.

Good Luck!

We say "Danger, not for baby." and give a toy they can play with. At this age discipline is redirection and distraction. He is not going to understand why you are tapping his hand.

You can't expect him to play in his play pen for long ammounts of time. He is still very little and his attention span is very short. Staying in there and playing for any length of time is great.

It is a rough age mama, and developmentally frustrations can make baby cranky. There may be something he wants to do that he can't.

Yes the is normal, he is trying to see everything and do everything and gets upset when you do no allow this to happen.
I gave pots and pans plastic dishes etc. A whole cabinet to keep busy. and explore. Be sure and put safty locks on the others that you do not want him in. Enjoy this only last a very short time and then they are waving by as they go to school. Lots of hard work and pulled hair on your part.

Hi! My Fur-baby girl is now 14 months old. She started crawling at 8 and RUNNING at 10... so good luck! I bought something called a Nesting Pod, and it works great, especially for the crawling phase. Take a look. I actually purchase two and have a brand new one arriving this week or next...
http://shop.lbellebaby.com/product.sc?categoryId=4&pr...

Even though she is running all around ow, she loves this thing and sleeps in it a lot. The soft edges are great for when they are crawling, scooting, and pulling up.... because when they fall everything is soft. It also keeps them contained. The edges are pretty tall, but not as restrictive as a play pen.

Either way, good luck with your little one!!! I am also a fan of wearing your baby. I know you have to work, but at his age, you could probably wear him in a New Native Sling on your back, or a SLingEzee on your hip or front.... ??? I tried telling her NO a lot, but it just made her run faster to the fireplace or tv box. Now she is unplugging things. What I read, is that under 1 year old, all you can do is redirect their attention?

I just run a small baby website and have trouble focusing.... mortgage! Whew!!! What a challange! Have a good day and good luck with all of that + containing a busy abby boy!

-L.

he is not really challenging you so much as exploring his new found freedom. Do you have a play pen?? Put him in it with some toys while you work. It won't hurt him. Then take a break and put him on the floor, that will also show him that you are still in control. Play pens are wonderful. As for the tapping of hand you need to get a Super Nanny Book, she has some awesome suggestions as to how to discipline. I can't remember her name but I think she comes on tonight on 11, 12, or 13. Have a blessed day.

Look around your house from the baby point of view. Plug up electical outlets and place lamps out of reach. Breakables should be out of sight. Small objects the baby might enjoy eating put up high ect., ect, ect,. The frustration for you and the baby will come to a halt. The baby is doing what come natural. This will be important for a while. Fill the room or rooms with things the baby can play with. This will satisfy his need to explore and help you to enjoy him more.

This is completely normal and HEALTHY behavior. This is the period of your child's life where he will learn whether or not he can and should explore the world, which is why it's up to you, as the parent, to make the world safe for him.

I would NOT recommend hitting or tapping his hand, unless you want to deal with a hitting problem later. (How can you say no hitting if you hit??) Redirection, stern tone of voice when he's getting close to something dangerous, lots of opportunities to explore safely, and lots and lots of baby-proofing will get you through this period. Remember, this is a phase he has to go through so he can learn about the world. You create the environment that best teaches him what you want him to know about the world - that it's an interesting place that he shouldn't fear or it's a scary place where anything could get him into trouble. Be consistant, but loving. Try to put yourself in his shoes.

About me: Mother of a darling and daring 2 year old girl who holds a Master's in Clinical Psychology and has taught development classes for a community college.

Hi K.,
It sounds like you got your hands full there, I know this may not be what you want to hear, but the best thing to do at this time is to just give the little man his run of the house and what I mean by this is to move furniture so that he doesn't get hurt on anything, for instance the coffee table may need to be put in the garage for a month or two, get really big pillows to put around the fire place and I'm not sure exactly what you mean about getting a gated area set up for him but all you really need is some of the little gates that you can get from Wal-Mart to keep him from going into certain areas of the house. I would also leave things laying aroung the house that he can't hurt himself with, but seems interesting enough to him that it will occupy him for a minute (pots, wooden spoons, stuffed animals etc.)Also play music when you can, music can be very soothing at times and entertaining at others.
Well- hope this works out for you, I say take your lemons and make some bitter sweet lemonade! Oh yeah and while changing his diaper give him something he can hold or play with while he's on his back until you can finish changing him that may work.

N.
Children are the future their character at a young age tells alot about how they will be later don't surpress them of this, work with them on this.

K., he is so normal. I have a 7 month old dd, that has been crawling already for over a month. She has also got her share of head bruises from the floor and furniture. And trust me, she is my 3rd, so my house is childproof to the max, but it's going to happen. She is almost impossible to dress or diaper because she needs to roll away, and bath is a real joy too.
You ds has just developed new skills and he is going to want to use them all of the time. When he is contained, held down, or put somewhere where he can't use his new talents, he is going to get mad and fussy about it. He does not understand why he can't do something.
As far as discipline goes, the best thing you can do now is redirect. You can use words, but not punishment, because he won't understand that. If he is climbing onto the fire place, you can pick him up and say "no we do not do that we might get hurt" then place him away from it infront of another toy.

I make sure that the living area and kitchen floors are safe, and I close off the bedrooms/bathrooms, and I let Lily have her freedom. If I didn't I would never get to do any thing else. I know she may bonk her head on the floor or a table, but she'll figure that out pretty soon too.

Also, at 7-10 months they are teething and hit their first stage of seperation anxiety. When mom leaves the room, they don't know if she is ever coming back. One technique is to continue talking or singing from another room, then return with smiles and "look here I am". Pretty soon they figure out that mommy is coming right back.

One diaper trick that I learned was to lay them sideways on the floor, place your leg over them like a log, you don't press down or anything, you are just blocking their roll path. Then you get really fast at changing diapers. It is sort of a rally. Then you also dress them when you can. If it means crawling after them to finish the last snaps, then so be it. Trying to get them to sit still to get dressed is worthless.

Good luck, you are doing great mommy.

now is the time you start ,when they need it it takes a bit of time they are satubburn lil people and there is a whole new world and a way to get to it know be constent that is the main thinggood luck,,,,,,,and dont forget to stop and enjoy the world through his eyes thats the fun part
L.