Heads up on crawling

[Rootatoot]

My DS is late at crawling at nearly 1 year old. He is almost there. Can move backwards. I think he'll do it any day now. So my question is....how on earth do I get anything done ever again once he is mobile?!

I mean, how do I get the laundry done or cook the dinner etc? LOL. I know it's daft but my friend was here the other day and she says she isn't doing anything. She has lots of family to help though unlike me.

I'm looking forward to seeing my little fella scooting about but bit concerned what it'll mean for me! I mean, do they sleep more when they are tired from moving around?! :)

I would invest in a playpen. Then gather some magazines, an ipod and a thermos. Sit yourself in said playpen and have a nice relaxing day till your OH gets home while your DS enjoys his new-found mobility

Nope, they may sleep less because life's so exciting when there are so many drawers to empty...! Laundry's not so bad actually as they can 'help' (though dd goes bonkers if I leave her downstairs with the stair gate shut while I run up to get the dirty laundry - can't manage laundry basket and kamikaze toddler on the stairs). Most of my problems actually come from dd being clingy at the moment rather than just mobile - if you baby proof as much as possible you don't need to worry too much. We have locks on all the kitchen cupboards except one, which is full of seldom-used and baby safe things she can pull out and play with. It is fun when they're moving, seeing them so happy with their freedom!

Playpen, definitely.

And keep toys all around the house - bathroom, kitchen. Although he will probably find everyday objects more fun!

In order to get the ironing done, I either have to put DS into a crèche for a couple of hours, or I found an ironing lady. £10 for the crèche or £15 for a large Ikea bag of ironing.

Washing clothes is fine and also the dishwasher as they can "help". My DS is obsessed with both machines.

Cooking dinner or making breakfast is timed to coincide with his favourite TV on CBeebies. He goes in the high chair and goggles at the bid for ten minutes.

Expect everything to go to sh*t a little bit. He is our DC2 and DH had forgotten what it's like!

bid box! As in the telly box.

Am I being daft ? Why don't you do the ironing and cleaning when he is in bed, if you can't manage in the day. My ds hasn't started crawling yet but I can't wait . It's so lovely for them to be able to follow you around the house .

bishboschone maybe the OP's DS is like mine and not a good sleeper. I am up and down with my DS and my DD all evening. My DH doesn't get home until late so I have to do it all. I get no chance to do any housework (or anything else for that matter) when my baby is supposedly "asleep" and some evenings I have to sit and hold him until he's been asleep for a good hour. Yes, a rod for my own back, but maybe that's why the OP can't do it all then.

My DS doesn't nap very well either, except in the car or buggy, and then not predictably, so getting stuff done then is pretty tough too. I tend to use that time for small tasks, rather than getting stuck into a pile of ironing.

All of this is much easier if you are blessed with a good sleeper, but neither of my two have been like that.

As for following you around the house...be careful what you wish for! My DC1 never really crawled and she was soooo much easier at this age than my DC2 who crawls and climbs everywhere! Even when I'm right next to him, he will still contrive to try to eat the cat's biscuits or pull off all the toilet roll....

Ds1 was a rubbish sleeper until he crawled, then suddenly went from 30min naps to 3hr sleeps! bliss. He followed me round and emptied all the kitchen cupboards.

Ok , mine have always gone to bed at 7 and I do jobs then .

bishboschone yes, he's a rubbish sleeper I'm afraid so come 7.30 when he does go to sleep for a while, I'm DEAD. I'm really not going to be looking to start ironing etc then. I usually need a rest so I can get through the night shift. DH doesn't really help out on a practical level with anything much.

Baby proof the house, then get on with your day.

We have a travel cot come play pen which he already goes in when I grab a shower in the morning but don't think he'd be up for spending much time in there. Think need to do some serious baby proofing this weekend!

Kiss ironing goodbye, there is no safe way to do it with a crawling toddler or a knackered mummy!

As for washing, they do love helping with that, same with dishwasher. I give dd a washing up bowl of plastic plates and cups (have a large family so there is no shortage of those :o), and she passes them to me to load. And then yells at me to give them back!

A playpen does help when I need to do somethings though. We have a babyden and her toys live in there. Most of the time the gate is open and she goes in and out, chucking her toys around the place as she pleases. But if I need the loo or to make a work call or whatever then I pop her in there and shut the gate. I also put peppa pig on (thank god for Sky+) so she is momentarily distracted!

Babyproofing:

Always assume that he can do things that a child 1 year ahead of him can do. This is because you wont know he can do it until he has done it and then it could be too late. I learned that lesson by trying to catch a toddler falling down the stairs :(

Within one week of my dd mastering crawling, she mastered pulling herself up against the furniture. One week after that, she figured out how to climb up onto the settee. My biggest piece of advice would be to get down on your hands and knees and look at your house as your baby will see it. Look for everything he can reach or could potentially hurt him and then move it. There was a tragic case recently in my home city of a little boy crawling to get something out of a chest of drawers and the TV that was placed on top fell on him and he died. We have a similar set up in our bedroom and on reading the article my hubby immediately re-secured both the unit and the tv to the wall and the started securing other shelves an units to the wall too. We had dvd units full of dvd's that were not secured to the wall. DD loved to crawl over to them and pull the dvds out. I never saw it as a danger because they are just dvd's but it only takes one stupid thing to happen. That being said, she has already climbed up on to our bed and then fell off, backwards, twice. The first time I was stood behind her so caught her, the second time I was in the process of getting dressed and didnt see that she had climbed up straight away. As I moved to get her she fell and landed flat on her back. It was terrifying.

With regards to getting things done, I put my DD in her walker and take her from room to room with me. When I am making dinner I put her in the high chair with something to either play with or snack on. Sometimes, if the floor is clear (im thinking in the kitchen) I just let her potter around once I have surveyed for potential hazards! Good luck! xx

Yes, baby proofing and then getting her to "help" with whatever you're doing, DD never really crawled, but started walking pretty early and is now completely mobile, but having the house reasonably baby proofed, and her understanding what other things she shouldn't touch (bikes mostly where just gets dirty hands from touching) she's very good at entertaining herself while we get on with mumsnetting the chores.

You just need to baby proof. Remove anything breakable or dangerous. Also, I use doors a lot. So in the morning when I shower the door is open to the bathroom and DS's room and the other doors are closed. At 1 he might respond to being given into trouble for touching things. Ds is not allowed in one of the kitchen cupboards, for example, and knows not to open the door.