Are early movers more accident prone?

[OctopusLimbs]

My little girl is just over 7 months now, and has been crawling and pulling herself up on furniture about 2 weeks now. Despite my best efforts, she is always hurting herself. She bangs her face on furniture, crawls into stuff, lets go when she is standing holding onto furniture etc. I am sometimes quick enough to stop her banging herself, but often not. She will hurt herself trying to pull herself up on a table or something but as soon she stops crying she's back trying again.

My friends who have babies who crawled a little later seem to be so much less accident prone - I feel like she has learned to crawl before her spatial awareness etc. has developed properly, and perhaps later crawlers have a little better sense of where their heads are. Or perhaps she is just a little too fearless.

Anyone else have a very accident prone crawler - please tell me they grow out of it soon! I feel like we have a bumped head two or three times a day (and would be a lot more if I wasn't constantly running around after her to catch her). And if she's trying to climb on something and I am worried she is going to hurt herself I move her away, but often she gets really grumpy that I have moved her.

I'm not sure but I think most of them do this! To be honest it was my worst phase with my first as I found it stressful that I had to constantly keeping trying to stop her hurting herself!

Do you have a play pen to give you a few minutes off! I also found that DD wouldn't play with toys unless she was in the playpen cuz she would just try to climb up the tv instead!

Sadly I don't remember it being a quick phase cuz next you will have the wobbly walking to content with! Cute thou! X

My dd crawled at 5.5 months and is still an accident prone 5year old. Foam guard and sharp edges a d move anything dangerous. Get down to her level and look around for things that could be dangerous. At 7 months, I was playing with dd1 on the playmat, closed my eyes and fell asleep for a minute and woke to find she'd climbed onto the settee and up on to the bay window!

My DS1 was a very active baby who crawled and walked very early but also seemed quite 'careful' even at that age. Whereas DS2 was a bit later but always bashing into things! So in answer to your question- not in my experience!

This will sound like a stealth boast, I was an early walker all of 39 years ago and was renowned for being "graceful". Was reminded of this recently at a family wedding with my uncles, aunts and older cousins; there were baby / childhood photos of all of us up at the reception and this prompted a big reminiscence from my extended family about how I'd been such a graceful toddler. I can also remember being told that as a young child (as siblings/friends were gently ridiculed for being clumsy) and my parents still refer to it occasionally. So based on this one case, no, early movers aren't always clumsy.

Not true in my experience, dd1 was early crawler (5-6 months) was very careful, few bumps.

Dd2 never crawled (just got up and walked at 10 months) and is totally accident prone. Now aged 3 and has had bloody nose several times!

Never heard of this theory before, but it makes sense to me, my DS1 (now 12) was standing and cruising at 7mo, and is just the clumsiest, moat accident-prone child. Nothing major, just walking into walls, falling off chairs kind of stuff

I think there may be something in it - DD was late to crawl (12 months) and walk (17 months), and certainly with the walking, it was lack of confidence; she would walk holding on to us, but not on her own. That lack of confidence meant that when she finally did walk on her own, she was pretty stable immediately, and as a cautious child, she doesn't jump off heights or climb much. It took her months to master a scooter; we're working on a bike at the moment (she has managed to use it as a balance bike in the last couple of months - she's 4.5. I had friends with children confidently using balance bikes at 18 months....). We haven't had to take her to A&E yet, so there is a good side!

Dd2 crawled at 6 months and started walking at 9 months. I also spent all my day trying to catch her. She's now 14 months and constantly runs/climbs/jumps with no fear and regular bumps! Sorry I can't say it got easier.

Dd1 was on the move much later and I don't remember it being this difficult!

Some of these stories of accident prone babies seem very familiar! She just seems to have no fear. She lets go and starts waving both her hands in the air, then looks
really confused when she falls over. I did wander if her lack of fear has led to her moving earlier because she wasn't worried about hurting herself - who knows though!

Any tips on managing a quick shower? She was trying to climb into the bath with me yesterday (shower is over the bath). Perhaps a play pen is the way to go for a quick shower!

At least she does generally seem a much happier baby for being on the move, apart from when she has just hurt herself...

A proper playpen or a room divider. My baby crawled at 5 months. Now, at 10 months, he likes to climb chairs and try and get up on the windowsill. If I didn't have a playpen I'd never be able to cook or go to the loo.

Glad she's enjoying being on the move - it opens up their world so much, and is great fun! She sounds super-adventurous and that's always going to result in a few bumps

I don't think it's an early-mover thing though. DD was an early crawler (6 months) and walker (10 months) but has always been careful and aware of her surroundings, not at all clumsy.

At 7 months, I wouldn't be worried, but I'd keep an eye on it.

My friend's little boy has always been clumsy: crashing through things rather than going around them, and falling over lots. They had his eye-sight checked when he was about 18months since that can cause clumsiness. When he was 4, the nursery suggested he should be assessed for dyspraxia, and it turned out he had some difficulties with proprioception (awareness of your own body in space).

It isn't a big problem, but once it was identified they were able to suggest some ways to help him, so it's great they followed it up.

I don't think so. My DS was a late mover, didn't crawl until he was nearly one and walked at 17 months, and he still bashes into stuff! I do think late walkers tend to be steadier on their feet quicker because their core strength is more developed, but all babies seem to injure themselves while they are learning to crawl and walk.

Not in my experience ds crawled before 6 m and walked at 10.5, never wobbled or fell