Help me make mobile-baby-safe plan while repairing/decluttering home

[Isabeller]

Halfway through writing this I realised it could sound like I'm complaining, I'm not, honest! I need help to make a practical plan to work out what's essential and how to get it done and my mental focus is not quite sharp enough to see the wood from the trees.

It could come down to something simple like get a playpen.

• DS is 4.5mo corrected (6.5mo birth age) and is wriggling like mad and starting to learn to roll. I know that in no time flat he will be mobile.

• I need to figure out a way to keep him happy and safe while I get practical things done and make enough of my home safe for him when he really starts moving.

I was quite ill in pregnancy and he was very early so my decluttering project stalled halfway. I still have a lot of excess 'stuff' which needs sorting through.

There are also a lot of major and minor repairs needed in the house. Since moving in 3 years ago I have been getting major repairs done, as I could afford, in order of urgency (the previous long term owner hadn't done any maintenance for years and I couldn't afford to do everything in one go). Before DS was born I tried to tackle DIY jobs myself, I'm ok but not brilliant at this and it isn't so easy with a baby in one hand particularly because I've just had carpal tunnel surgery.

Every room is affected in some way. The kitchen is the most liveable.

My current focus is to clear out the tumbledown conservatory so that it and some leaky roof at the back of the house can be repaired. Think shed type contents + general dumping ground + leftover materials from builders plumbers and electricians. And some other stuff.

BTW DP has a disability and is the main family carer for his Mum. We don't live together and he's not practical. He can sit with DS for a couple of hours here and there while I do things but on the whole I need to tackle this under my own steam.

Thank you for reading! All advice appreciated.

Is this the right topic?

Sounds like a tricky one! We haven't wanted to baby proof the whole house, it seems like a waste of time and money as we want to move soon.

What we have done as a temporary measure is to make our living room baby proof. We have stair gates on both doors to this room, plug socket.covers, corner protectors on furniture, have sorted out trailing wires, bought a tv unit with doors and put cupboard locks on them - oh, and the idea of drinks on a coffee table is now laughable! DS is 1 - I have two older children as well, but they had long outgrown the toddler stage when DS arrived.

DS spends nearly all his waking hours in the 'babyproof' room, there is no room for playing anywhere else anyway. All his toys are in there too. We have also as a precaution put cupboard locks on low kitchen cupboards containing crockery and glass, and medicines and chemicals were all out of reach anyway because of the older children.

So my advice is - Get your main living space sorted, keep baby in there then you can focus on the other bits as and when. Good luck!

Ah thank you Tea (hope you don't mind that I just like how they look)

So the practical thing for us is to make the bedroom the main living space for now as the living room is taking the brunt of the tools etc. Once the conservatory/roof repairs are done we can get the living room back in use.

I will start with the kitchen doing similar things to you then put a gate on the bedroom door and rearrange the space slightly.

Really appreciate you taking the time to reply.

With my triplets, I made the living room like on giant playpen - gated doors, everything up high, even the video recorder gaffer taped to the top of the telly!

That's a really good idea Madlizzy feeling a bit weak at the thought of triplets! I love gaffer tape

My advice is try and get as much as you can done in the worst rooms (eg conservatory) before DS gets mobile.

(that may take longer than you think - DD (6 weeks early) was a very wriggly baby and an early roller but didn't crawl till 9 months corrected and didn't walk till 12 months corrected)

Once he is mobile then I agree with pp that you really need one baby proof room as you will spend most of your/his time in there. There is a while between becoming mobile and learning to open cupboards etc so you can do it in stages. Covering sharp corners and dealing with steps and any heavy/breakable items are the priorities. Cupboards can come later.

It may be worth getting a playpen but try to borrow one first and see how DS takes to it before you buy one - some babies hate them.

Yes, I was going to suggest a playpen/travel cot in case you need to do stuff whilst he's about. Mine were used to daytime naps in theirs, so it was easy to pop them in with a load of toys.

This is really helpful. I've been dithering over getting a travel cot/playpen think I will do this now.

Your experience is very encouraging minipie it will help if I've got the current 'project' finished before he really gets going.