Tips for when baby starts crawling
It’s all snuggles and cuddles until your baby reaches that age. The age where they have mastered ‘the crawl’.
I remember the day our son began crawling I was so happy & excited for him! It truly was the cutest thing to see.
Then, it slowly turned into endless chases around the house, endless messes to pick up and constantly being followed/pant leg tugged on – unable to get anything around the house done!
So I had to improvise and come up with a plan.
Below are my TIPS & Tricks for living with a crawling baby:
1) Safety / Baby Proof the heck out of your house!
I know it seems like it can’t happen to you, but trust me these tiny people can move quickly and get into everything!
• Make sure to cover all electrical outlet covers
• Use a guard latch for cabinets & drawers
• Use play mats over hardwood floors (they will fall & they will fall hard, minimize the impact with foam play mats!)
• Secure large furniture to the wall
• Pad sharp corners/edges
• Make sure blind strings and curtains can’t be pulled.
You can find additional safety features for the kid's rooms here.
2) Use a Baby Gate or Pack n’ Play
Gate off a section and put their favorite toys surrounding them. This encourages independent play & boundaries.
However, try not to exceed 15-20mins at a time.
Then you can pick 1-2 chores to knock out while they’re playing.
Go back to play with the baby and repeat.
I do this usually 2 times back to back to get as much done as possible!
3) Make a game of it!
Often times my son hates being confined to one space, so another way to keep him happy and allow me to get things does is we play a little game!
I sit him down as far as possible but still within sight & easy access should I need to grab him.
Then he begins crawling to me!
As soon as he reaches me and pulls on my leg, I pick him up, give him lots of kisses and praise and sit him back down far again.
SOMETIMES he will start playing with his toys next to where I sit him down other times he will keep coming back.
Regardless, it’s a fun little way to keep him occupied and allow me some time to race the clock doing chores!
Hi, I'm Karissa, blogger at FitMommyStrong! I'm a stay-at-home working mom, dog mom and wife to an incredible husband. I share tips/advice for mamas in all stages throughout motherhood (pregnancy, baby, familylife, fitness and more!). Read more by Karissa at www.FitMommyStrong.com
These are excellent tips. When my kids were little, they were crawling machines. I was really unprepared for just how fast babies can move when they want to get somewhere. LOL
This is awesome! Although i don’t have any kids a friend of mine just adopted a 1.5 years old baby. Thanks a lot for the info.
We are just about to hit the crawling stage. These tips are so incredibly helpful, thank you so much!
Great tips! When my kids started crawling I got down on my hands and knees on the floor and crawled to see if there was anything I needed to move, plug up, or pick up!
You know, I actually miss this age now that my boys are 13 and 8 years old.
I do not have a child yet but your tips are most welcome. It makes me think I will be more prepared when the time comes
Great tips! I’ve never done anything like this to my 2 kids now age 9 and 6 but I have a 1 year old nephew and the floor mats are something that I can buy for him.
Thanks for sharing your tips. Those are going to be helpful for new parents.
These are great tips! When my two little sisters started crawling things got a bit crazy lol mostly because we werent ready for it . It kind of just happened one day and then they haven’t looked back since. I would definitely recommend Baby proofing the house BEFORE the baby finally starts crawling lol
These are such sweet and useful tips! Baby proofing a house is very important and a must when they start to crawl.
Such a helpful and informative post! My friend’s baby just started crawling – I’ll have to pass this on to her!
II love the the thought of making a game out of it! Seriously, that’s my favorite trick! I do the same thing for my cat! That infographic is gorgeous and super helpful by the way.
I absolutely agree with all of these tips, very much helpful most especially to all new moms and parents outh there.
These are excellent tips. I did all these things when my daughter starting crawling.
Great tips, it is full on when they are on the move and sometimes it can happen all of a sudden!!!
All those tips is already what I did here at my house because I have little one. All the outlet is covered and I put my foam bed on the floor for his safety together with their toys. While he playing I do all house chores little by little because I need to stop a minute or an hour to check him 😊. Having a little one is not easy but I love it.
All those tips is very useful and nice guide too to newer mother.
These are great tips for a new mum or a mum to be, I wish I had read this when my kids were really young.