I’m hoping I can get an idea of what to do!
My 8mo has started crawling recently. Not just crawling but climbing, trying to stand, hanging off things, and pulling himself up against things. He’s gotten really confident and is trying to hold on and do it with one arm as well. I usually let him play in a playpen which has a soft mat and some soft toys, and a toybox that he likes to hold onto while he stands which is also quite soft. But then the walls of the playpen are plasticy and so are some of his toys, so there are harder bits too.
First question, can he get seriously hurt?
Second question, what is the best parenting style? I am quite an anxious person so I think my natural instinct is to hover over him and catch him if he trips. I’ve been actively trying to hover less and let him explore (as I was scared I’d dampen his enthusiasm and make him anxious like me!) but that obviously has risks and gives me anxiety! What is the better style, is it better to lean towards caution or to let him take risks? What did you do with your kids?
I was thinking a soft play centre might be a good alternative option, but not sure if they’re designed for his age?