Where Did You Put Your Baby down Once He Started Crawling?

We got a lot of use out of a play yard! I would get one of those... and it will last you awhile too!

We had this huge playpan...it is really a bunch of gates that lock and you can build a very large play pan out of them. You can set it up in any room or move it if necessary. I bought it online, do not remember the name, sorry. I still use it to keep the toddler out of my flower beds :)

For the most part, in order to make it much easier on your self, baby proof certain rooms and gate him off. For showers, since you cant hear them, I either put them in with M. or waited till they were sound asleep.

I showered first thing in the morning before everyone else got up. If I wasn't able to do it then, I would do it while the girls were napping. It won't hurt him to spend time in his crib or playpen & he's allowed to cry some as well.

I used baby gates to keep them in the room I was in, child proofed my house, and let them go. As for the shower, I started taking them while they napped, or I just took them in with M., killed two birds with one stone. One of mine liked ths shower so much, I could leave her in for a minute or two while I dried off, got dressed, put on the deoderant, and all those little bath room tasks. Then, I could take her out, get dressed, and start the day with a clean baby. Used one of the bath seats that stick to the floor with suction cups, don't know if they still make those. She just liked to play in the rain of the shower. I put mine in the high chair too, and talked to her while I cooked, gave her cups to play with, or a snack, or I opened the pots and pans cabinet and gave her a spoon to bang on them with. A big pile of tupperwear can keep a baby busy long enough to cook too.

If you have not yet baby proofed, I would do it now. Crawl around your house, and just pack away everything they can reach, put away furniture that will get them in trouble, put on plug covers, put up baby gates on the stairs, and keep your vacuum and your mop handy.

Good times...have fun!

M.

Get a "Super Yard." (that is what this product is called).
We used that.
It is quite big.
WHEN you are busy, have to step away, have to do things and are not RIGHT in the same room as him.... this is a great thing to have.
AND put the baby monitor, in the room he is in (and the other receiver in the room you are in) ... so that when you step away... you can hear him. That is what I did too....

Look on Amazon, they have it and you can read the reviews of it there.

It is real handy, for indoors or outside.
You can also use it to block of any areas...

But it is time... for you to safety proof and baby proof your home. Once a baby starts crawling... it is imperative.

All the best,
Susan

I'd let him be as mobile as possible. Keeping him "confined" doesn't help him grow and develop.

I have hardwood floors and bought some of the foam padding puzzles and let him crawl and play on that.

Just be sure to bring all hazards/breakable items up 2 feet.

If your house isn't childproofed, now would be a great time!

Get a play yard. The highchair is good too. A lot of times I would just wait for hubby to get home for M. to take a shower.

My husband and I got tired of chasing our son around EVERYWHERE and basically just got child gates and put them around our entire living room. The space inside the gates are completely free of anything that could be dangerous to him (the tv and bookshelves were placed outside the gates). This way we could be sure he wouldn't hurt himself if we had to run to the bathroom and the other person wasn't there to take over watching him. Plus it allows us to relax instead of having to get up and run after him when he disappears into the kitchen, down the hallway, etc.

i put my very active 10 month old dd in her playpen, which I bought on craigslist for $50. Its huge, i have a few of her favorite toys inside, and it really helped her to learn standing up, same as my middle daughter. She only like it for a limited time. My livingroom is also like a giant playpen, I have a gate blocking one exit, and a bix box blocking the other, and some spare shelves I had around are wedged under a table where there are computer wires, so she cant get at them. (i only let her roam around l.r. when im there. Jumperoo is good for keeping her in one spot too. or the crib for quick bathroom breaks. I stopped the bouncer when she started sitting forward in it, fearful she would tip it. I never leave her alone in the highchair, to risky IMO. I save the shower for when hubby is home, because I cant hear her, though Ive had a couple quick & quiet baths when shes asleep.

being in the exersaucer does not hurt there legs thats a myth. the only thing thats bad about it is that if they are in there they dont have the oppurtunity to practice crawling and walking. being in it while you are pumping or doing whatever you need to do wont hurt him. as for the shower a lot of times i would shower at night when my son was asleep, or i would take him in with M. and he would sit on the tub floor, this way i could clean him too, and he loved it

You just put him on the floor, really! Baby proof, put a gate up at the steps, covers on the outlets, anchor any tipsy furniture such as stand alone lamps, put locks on cabinets that are a danger, vacuum regularly and let your baby go! That's what I did for all 3 of my kids. They need to explore, and it gives them a sense of idependence. It also gives you a chance to let him be brave and not always be in the same room as M. all the time.

I used to put the jumperoo outside the bathroom door and stick him in there. Us moms know how to shower in 3.2 minutes FLAT, inluding drying off and dressing. We're PRO'S. Now that he's outgrown that, I'll stick him in his crib... or lately, I've been waking up crazy early just to shower before anyone else wakes up. It's trial and error, and a lot of super fast showers and not enough leg shaving!! ;)

The crib or pack & play is what I used to do while I showered.

If it was things I could do in the same room, I would let them explore. If it was things I could do while holding them, I used the Bjorn. If it was things I couldn't do holding or watching them, I used the Playyard. I am not a single mom but I am a FTW mom of 2 under 4 with 1 on the way and I handled maternity leave myself with the 2 under 2 (they were 17 mos apart).

Oh and I showered first thing in the morning before hubby left for work or put the baby in the bouncer that I can see through my glass shower door in the bathroom and took a 5 minute scrub & shampoo :)

We had a playpen that we used for the longest time. We couldn't use baby gates for the living room because we have a huge opening. So, what we did was move the couch away from the wall so there was a good size little area behind it and used either a baby gate or simply barricaded it off so my son couldn't get out. It was a good little area for him to play in with his toys while I was doing the dishes or folding laundry or what ever I was doing in the house. It worked until he figured out that he can climb onto one of his table toy things and then climb over the couch to get out....lol.

I feel your pain! Here's what has worked very well for M.. For things like pumping or cooking when you need them safe and yourself focussed on the task at hand, high chair with snack and/or things our son doesn't normally have access too so he's distracted for awhile (remot control without batteries, his toothbrush, closed tube of petrolium jelly). For things you can stop doing, we made a kitchen cabinet space with safe things for him to rummage through that he doesn't normally play with so are novel and grab his attention (strainer, mixxing bowls, measuring cups, plastic containers with rice in them, etc.).

These 2 things have made my life sooooo much easier and afford him safe exploration.

Have fun with whatever you try...it's really fun to watch our baby explore and discover things that are soooo amazing to him...like a tupperwear lid:)

Since my husband was deployed until my son was about a year old, I learned early to come up with safe and creative ways to keep our son happy and content. I have to say that our excersaucer was a life saver for M. when I need to keep him safe and contained. I have not heard that they are damaging for babies legs and I am pretty into child safety. I never left him alone when he was in it, if I needed to shower the exersaucer was in the bathroom with M., if I needed to get things done in the office he was in there with M. and so on. I also child proofed a majority of our home, it was not difficult at all and saved M. lots of time and energy as our son could be set on the floor in the living room to play with his toys and not be able to get into anything that he was not supposed to be in. Remove unsafe decorations, attatch big furniture (bookshelves, entertainment center) to the walls, put in plug covers, use gates to block off stair or rooms that are not childproof, put out baby's toys and let them be safe and enjoy. I could than get things done right there in the kitchen and not have to constantly be redirecting him or telling him no.Take the risk away now and save yourself a head ache later!! You could also use a pack n play with some toys as well. I would really just say don't worry about your excersaucer and use it when needed. Your little one won't be in there for to long and you will be able to get your stuff done!!

My kids LOVED their jumparoos, we had those instead of an excersaucer. My youngest is 18 months, so we still stick her in the play pen with some toys and she is usually good for 30 minutes, long enough to shower, make lunch/dinner, or put older brother down for a nap or bedtime.

I had a "play pen" they are not your modern day holder but it got the job done. I would place my son's inside with their toys and they could roll around and not get to far. I saw some of the other posts and I the modern term would be "Play yard" I was an older mom. LOL

With my first son I always used the baby swing and he loved it. when he cried and I was showering or getting dressed I used the swing. My second son hated the swing.

Oh boy, I just babyproofed, cleaned the floor and let DS go to town!
If I were in the room doing other stuff, I'd just put him down and let him go.
It wasn't really a problem until he started pulling himself up. And then he'd just start yelling because he got stuck- until he learned to cruise. :)