So my son, 6.5mo, has just started to sit up by himself, push up to all fours and army crawl around the house. My concern is that my house is tile except the bedrooms and an area rug in the living room (where he spends most of the day). He will not stay on the rug or a blanket now that he is really moving. I also have a circular coffee table that is 3 levels, 2 of them are smooth glass. The base is wood. I'm concerned because he already has little red knees and has bumped his head a few times. Not hard enough to cry, but kinda looks up like "what just happened?" He's a tough little booger, but I am starting to wonder if I need to invest in a helmet and kneepads. I googled a helmet and everything I found was either for bikes or 8mo and up. Any suggestions? Also, do you think I should get something for the table? All I've seen are the pads that look like a big scrunchie to go around the edges and don't have much padding. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks Mamas! :)
OH! And what's the best remedy for rugburn?
Thanks everyone! I honestly thought the helmet and knee pads were overkill because I want him to learn what hurts and what doesn't. It was honestly moe my paranoid mom and grandma because this is the first house we've had with so much tile. I don't have anywhere to store the table, so I will be getting some of the scrunchie looking things. After I posted this he got up on all fours ans rock back and forth, hitting the 2nd tier of the table with the top of his head. It didn't seem to bother him, but I'm worried about his soft spot. Thanks to whoever mentioned anchoring the TV and bookshelves. I am definitely going to do that. For the record, I am not one of those moms that doesn't let her kid get dirty. My grandma informed me that 6mo was too young to play with mashed green beans. IHe was done eating so I let him "paint" the highchair tray. Oh well, what grandma doesn't know won't hurt her. :)
Babies have been crawling and bumping their heads for 100s of years.
To me a helmet and knee pads is a bit over the top. What will you do when
he starts to walk, ride bikes etc. That is how they learn. Let him have a
ball and he will learn very quickly!
Get used to bruised knees. :)
I agree - moving the coffee table is probably a good idea.
Bumps and bruises are part of life. You can't protect them from that.
J.
I'm a 63yo granny, and while I realize a great deal has changed for the better in the arena of children's safety since I raised my daughter, I think we do kids a tremendous disservice if we try to protect them from normal, everyday bumps and bruises. How else are they going to really learn where their body ends and a hard object begins?
Or protect them from a little dirt, for that matter (exposure to modest amounts of germs and dirt during childhood helps build a healthy immune system and prevent asthma and other auto-immune disease later on.)
Of course we don't want our kids to get hurt, but we really don't want them to grow up not knowing that sharp things can hurt, that hot things can burn, that they shouldn't run and play in confined areas with hard corners. We do well to give our children some freedom, and ultimately some responsibility, to discover and learn things for themselves. This information can be as basic as the texture of the floor and the location of furniture. Or as complicated as how to use knives and tools.
Here's a great Ted Talk on children, play, and safety: #
# http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/gever_tulley_on_5_dange...
You might want to consider moving the coffee table, not because it will hurt him, but because he might break it! But beyond that, the best thing that you can do is relax. Bumped heads, bruised knees, sore bottoms, they're all part of growing up. If it's not crawling, it's learning to walk, run, skip, bike, scooter, skateboard, rollerblade - you get the picture. He'll be fine.
You definitely do not need knee pads and a helmet! Little bumps are part of learning how to move around. For rugburn just rub a little Aquaphor on his legs at night, it is definitely bothering you more than its bothering him. And either move the table, or find some pads or do something makeshift. Good luck!
nah.....Babies heads arent fully formed yet , for good reason. Because they slip and conk it often. The soft spot is on a location that is very safe from a falling injury. In this way we are perfectly designed for our environment. I would however put away your coffee table, or sell it, if you cant figure a way to keep it baby proofed.. In other words, dont change the baby change the environment.
peg m is right though, they need to understand that pain is a response to things being done incorrectly. Aside from life threatening dangers of course....(I also couldnt agree with her more about the exposure to modest amounts of germs)
I mean, the middle road is the best one to take. We shouldnt give them dirty needles to play with and refuse to put a baby gate near the 18 steps that have a concrete floor at the bottom....but we also shouldnt outfit them with kneepads, and helmets, thats like wrapping them in bubble wrap.
the answer is somewhere in the middle.
I remember how worried I was about my baby hurting herself when she started being mobile, so I will try to keep the humor down... seriously though, a helmet?!
You baby will be fine. You don't need to do anything for rugburn on his knees. It bothers us moms more than it bothers them. If you REALLY feel it's necessary put some babylegs on him... but my daughter was always more bothered by those than the red knees.
The glass table is a different story, personally I think that glass furniture and babies don't mix well (sharp edges, risk of breaking...) and I would get something different. However if you really LOVE your table, put foam around the edge. You can probably just get one of those scrunchie things and put a little extra padding in. They are not meant to be supersoft, just to take the edge of and reduce the risk of serious injury.
All in all, all toddlers will bonk their heads and scrape their knees. It's part of growing up. Your job is to babyproof your home to avoid any serious harm, but a few scrapes and bruises are nothing to worry about.
Good luck.
i'd move the coffee table. from my own experience and a chipped front tooth. otherwise, wait till they WALK. i got very used to bloodied front teeth. : J(
Long pants are the remedy for rugburn. He is tough because of what he's going through - his body is LEARNING how to adapt, overcome and improvise - HE HAS TO LEARN!!!
I NEVER EVER changed my house for my kids - yes, I put in wall socket protectors - but my husband is an engineer and my little boys are following in their daddy's footsteps and found ways to pull those little buggers out.
I wouldn't buy a helmet - I didn't put a cushion around the fire place...it's almost like you are going into hyperdrive - let him play in the dirt - let him fall - he WILL be okay!! My boys have fallen down the stairs, driven their cars down the stairs (can I tell you GRAY HAIR !!!???) But they WILL survive. The more over-protective you are - the worse it will get. If he falls - he will learn. PROMISE!
PLEASE do NOT ever consider such silly things! Babies need to crawl, feel, fall, bump and crash in order to know where they are in time and space. If you interfere with the senses integrating you will be looking at a child who was severely deprived of sensory integration and this leads to big learning disabilities. LEave him alone and let him do what he is intended to do. The human body is made to crawl on sticks, rocks, sand, grass, mud and tile! If you put a helmit on him you are ruining his "GPS" ability by not letting his neck muscles do their job normally. I work with delayed/disordered kids and I can tell you that NONE of them where allowed to explore and crawl for 4-6 months before they walk. Make sure your son crawls on different surfaces 1 mile a day for 4-6 months. He can walk at 12 months and not before. Also make sure he eventually gets on all 4's to crawl, not a marine crawl. NO Padding!!!!! Remove the table.
Our daughter fully walked on her own at 6 months. We had a glass coffee table and wood floors, with a few rugs. When they are that young, you tend to be in the same room with them anyway, so you are going to be watching him. If I had to go to another room, I placed her in a walker, the door way jumpy or in the kitchen in her high chair with toys on the tray. She hated the playpen, so that never did get any use.
I agree that they just have red knees and bumps when first learning to walk, it is just part of it.
Please don't put a helmet on your kid unless you're biking or skiing or something. He will learn. A little rugburn or a skinned knee or a few bruises are just part of infancy and childhood. Think about early humans and babies throughout history. My oldest took off crawling on a gravel road one day, and I thought, well-if it hurts, he'll stop! He crawled for a second and moved over to the grassy side. He figured it out on his own! Never too early to start that.
We have hardwood floors and tables (sturdy wood ones-no breakable or sharp glass). Everyone got a few bonks. I never thought of a helmet or anything, and no one got hurt very badly. A couple goose eggs from falling off the couch, but nothing major. They actually learned quickly what to avoid. We didn't baby proof the house. We didn't change the environment for the babies, we taught the babies how to live in the environment. Worked for us!
Google "Bees Knees padded crawling pants"
We lived in a house once that had awesome Mexican tile throughout but the tile was very uneven with lots of raised edges. I could see being a little worried about your little one's comfort on the tile floor.
Maybe get a pair of the padded knee pants if he really seems uncomfortable or just try thicker pants like blue jeans.
As for the helmet, maybe a little OTT but you are sweet to consider it. I agree that moving the table is more logical.
Baby proof your house- get a carpet , and change coffee tables.
Helmuts so you don't change your environment- nutty. And not good for his cervical spine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
best, k
OHH WOW!!! My house is all tile and my baby learned fine !! Blankets , pillows. Get a extra large play yard . That helps alot !!!! Good luck .
Hi J.,
I had hard wood floors when my son was learning to walk, he took a few spills and bumps but overall turned out alright. :) I did buy him some sock like things that went over his knees and had extra padding on the knees. He hated them and learned how to take them off pretty quickly.
However, every Mom is different - so I googled helmets for you and found the following:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
http://www.amazon.com/Jolly-Jumper-Bumper-Toddler-Cushion...
If $12 brings you piece of mind - then go for it. Life is too short to have extra worry.
God Bless
Babylegs leg warmers http://www.babylegs.com/ are great to give just a little bit extra on the knees. Target now sells their own brand as well as Baby Legs brand made specifically for Target.
I love leg warmers for my daughter. We use them for added warmth under pants when we're out, I'll pull them on her legs in the evenings when she's wearing a dress or shorts when the day was warmer. They keep legs warm when changing diapers. They also protect knees from getting all rubbed raw when they are crawlers without adding a lot of bulk when it's warm.
You may have to do like we did when we had out first child. We have a wrought iron coffee table with a marble top. It is in storage until the children are older and we bought a nice wood coffee table that was safe for them and we didn't care if they banged it up.
I think the helmet is overkill but I have seen them online at One Step Ahead though http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
as well as the knee pads http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
