Help! Struggling with very energetic 9 month old!

[Jacksmybaby]

HOW ON EARTH did you ladies cope with your DCs when they were at this age?!! He has just learnt to crawl and pull himself up on the furniture, but is still very wobbly and is forever overbalancing and either nosediving into the floor or worse, bumping the back of his head! Obviously want to let him learn and explore, but basically have to stand over him the WHOLE TIME to pull him back from things/catch him when he goes flying. He is also a wobbly sitter, but won't sit in either his bumbo seat or his playnest - can escape from both in seconds, usually by flinging himself out of them and crashing on the floor. He is very big (23lb 10oz) for his age and incredibly strong so very difficult to hold - am covered in scratches and bruises from where he has pinched, punched, trampled, kicked and climbed all over me! At the moment can't do ANYTHING unless he is asleep (like now) - even going to the loo or making a drink are impossible - can't leave him alone for a second, but taking him into the kitchen or bathroom is asking for trouble because both have hard tiled floors, and can't carry him around with me too much cos he's too heavy. Any tips for how to keep him safe but happy while retaining my sanity and perhaps even getting some housework done?!! Playpen?!
(p.s. I know I know, you are all thinking, "just you wait til he's walking!"...)

Sounds a lot like my dd, but she's smaller and walking/climbing .

Dd (14 mths) does short spells in her playpen, long enough for me to shower or hoover, etc, but she's been going in there since before she could crawl. If your ds isn't used to a playpen, be prepared for lots of screaming. And don't put any solid toys in it that he could climb on in an escape bid. I've also got a cosatto aurora high chair, which is heavy and incredibly stable, with a 5 point harness, and when little minx is strapped in, she can't (yet!) get out or tip it over, so I can cook without a knee high hazard right behind me. It's not the smallest or trendiest high chair, but it is a godsend.

The rest of the time, my peripheral vision works overtime, and I've baby proofed the house as far as I can. I know what you mean about bathrooms, though - ours has a stone floor (ouch).

Thanks Scary, what make is your playpen? Do resort to highchair when cooking in kitchen but although he's fine in it when he's eating, he squirms like an eel and howls in frustration at being strapped in at other times, even with toys to amuse him.(He is v high maintenance in terms of needing constant attention and amusement, games of peekaboo etc, to keep him happy!)
Forgot also to mention the wrestling match that is nappy changing, undressing/dressing, and bath time... have tried distraction techniques til I'm blue in the face but nothing works, we always end up with me hanging on to his legs to stop him getting away and trying to do the nappy up from behind!

Hi - do you use a babywalker??

A trick I learned on here for nappy-changing -- sit sideways on to him with one leg across his waist to pin him down (gently of course), give him a toy to keep his hands occupied and it makes nappy-changing MUCH easier.

When I need to wee / heat lunch / catch a 30-second breather from DS (8mo) I stick him in a travel cot that's erected in the front room and has a few toys in it, he's pretty happy in there for a few minutes.

Karen - have not got babywalker - heard somewhere that they cause lots of accidents??

Meg - tried your idea re nappy changing but the little b*gger is so strong, he just wriggled out from underneath the leg! Travelcot idea is a good one.

Just had a v. bad night as well (teeth I think) so feeling mighty fed up this morning

Oh dear, sorry to hear you're having a tough time at the moment.

I have a baby dan playpen - it has got quite high sides, a gate so you don't kill your back getting lo in and out, it is very stable despite dd's chimp antics, and it can open out and be attached to walls to protect stairs, fireplaces etc.

I know the feeling about wrestling matches at changing time - dd can squirm out of an armlock. I can get a nappy on her with her on all fours or standing up - it takes practice, but needs must . Distraction works sometimes, or if dh is around I get him to hold her down while I change the nappy.

Dd had a baby walker, but she's grown out of it now: under supervision it's safe up to about 80cm tall. It did keep her away from things because of it's wide base. The sideboard is no longer safe from little hands

we used a babywalker a lot when ds was that age and it was a lifesaver for us. I also walked miles and miles with him in the buggy as it calmed him down a lot, and gave me the chance to relax, somehow.
There is a baby gym club where we live, would anything like that be good for your little one?

Good to know there are other very active LOs out there (all the other babies in our mums and tots group always seem so docile!).
Will look into playpen and baby walker ideas - interesting about height limit though on the walkers as ds was 75cm when last measured 2 months ago, so prob about 77/78cm by now?? (yes, he is a giant despite being 5 wks prem!). Not heard of baby gym club Franca, is it an exercise class for babies?? If so sounds like it cld be good for ds, to use up some of his energy!

Must confess that I didn't take ds (who is now 5, and siurvived the baby walker ) as a baby, but started to take dd when she was 1 and a half. Here where we live, they have also groups for babies who aren't walking yet, they have those little tunnels where they can crawl through, soft things to climb on, etc, I think to develop their psychomotor skills in a safe environment. Dd loved to go and it's good in winter .

also lol at other babies being more docile

My babywalker is my life saver - I can get on with things and she just wheels round after me. ...I got one with stuff that you can attach to the tray so that she can't chuck things off!! When she gets fed up with this I removed them and put other things in the tray. I used one for my first child and there were no accidents - as long as you keep your eye on them. Get one with a wide base and this way if they bump up against furniture they can't grab anything!

Jacksmybaby, I can't tell you how much you've worried me - my ds sounds alarmingly like yours! At 6m he is already requiring fairly constant supervision, not because he can go terribly far (yet!) but because he gets so frustrated and screechy when he realises for the 400th time that day that he STILL can't walk! He is also v big and heavy and needs lots of entertaining/distracting. Nappy-change is like wrestling a whole bag of octopuses - and this is all before he can even crawl!

Think I need to go lie down with a cold compress now...

hehe that is like mine

this probably isn't very useful at this stage but cloth nappies make the wriggling thing so mcuh easier to deal with - you can put them on when he's trying to crawl away/roll over/pull himself up and reposition when you get the chance.

wobbly sitting will pass very quickly. mine couldn't sit unaided until after he started crawling, then suddenly learned overnight.

remind yourself that the constant vigilance is keeping you fit.

Phantom, sorry to scare (and BTW, loving, and totally empathising with, the bag of octopuses image!)... on the bright side in his good moments DS is loads of fun and adorable... and I'm convinced that LOs like this are destined to be not only fit and sporty, but highly intelligent too!
(Can you tell we had a better night last night and I'm feeling a bit more positive today? )

karen, my dd happily broke off the attached toys on her babywalker . I agree with lulu about cloth nappies: most things will stay on with an airflow wrap over the top, and that I can put on with Minxy standing, flat on her tummy, crawling away from me, sat on my lap ... and she can't undo poppers, yet! Now she's walking, I tire her out by letting walk as far as she can when we go out.

Another qu along the same lines as my OP: HOW to stop him cracking his head on the cot bars / playpen bars (yes we bought one following suggestions on this thread!) when he pulls himself up to standing and then falls, crashing either backwards into the bars behind him, or crumpling forwards into the ones in front of him?! I'm really worried he's going to do himself some real damage. Have started using a sleeping bag for daytime sleeps as well as at night, but if anything that makes the problem worse as he gets his legs tangled up in it and is even more likely to fall. Did have cot bumpers up but took them down as the label said not suitable once baby is sitting... presumably as they can use the bumpers to help pull themselves up... but then again he's pulling himself up anyway, so should I put the bumpers back up so at least when he falls it's not as hard on his head? HELP!!

Sounds exactly like my DS at that age . He will bash himslef a fair bit but it doesn;t seem to have caused any permanent damage. Plenty of fresh air and exercise helps (think puppies). Do you have a baby-friendly cafe or play place near you where you can sit down with a cuppa and he can roam around? Luckily DS was at the stage in the summer so we just used to go to the park for an hour or so. That part DOES get easieronce they start walking as you don;t have to worry about them getting covered in mud (well, not so much).

The upside is that DS is a happy, sociable, interesting baby. And that gets better as they get older

I have to say that the falling down stage was the worst. Once they're walking you aren't always hovering behind them.

If it's any consolation, DS was a manic baby but now he's started walking he's very 'docile'. I think some babies just need more exercise and don't get it until they're walking. DS also used to be very clingy but has grown out of that too.

Re: the bumping heads, we switched DS to a travel cot because the fabric doesn't hurt. There's slso nothing for them to get feet stuck in etc.

HTH

Just wanted to add that my dd was a super reckless scary baby - crawling and making for the stairs at 7mths!!! And I remember that OMG moment well (and that having to stand behind them bit only lasts about 2 weeks honest). We put stairgates on door to living room and one outside her room so she had two 'safe spaces' (left them open mostly but occasionally shut them - like a giant playpen)

BUT now at 18mths she is totally steady and sensible - is still adventurous but much less scary than my friend's babies... (she won't climb on something that she can't deal with for example and is fine on stairs). So hope that reassures you...

Also make sure you talk and explain what you are doing/where you are going. Independent toddlers are fun!

Thanks to latest 3 posters for reassurances - sounds like it will get a bit better when he gets a bit more steady on his feet! Hurrah. Might change his cot to the travel cot at least for a while (yet ANOTHER piece of redundant baby equipment to go into the attic then!). Looking forward to having to trim his finger nails tomorrow - that will be a good fight .