Crawling is yesterday's news guys. Once we bought a nice big rug for the living room (the slippery hardwood floors had been holding him back) Henry went from a weird little half crawl leg lift scoot thing to a full on- no surface is an issue, head down racing style, speed crawl, in a matter of (what seemed like) days.
For us, crawling is kind of a relief. So many warned or said in their knowing voice, "oh, your life is about to chaaaaange!". I suppose this would be true to the parent of the baby who is content to sit and play self entertaining for more than a mere moments at a time. Henry was not that baby. His ability to sit up helped, but even still, he lost interest in whatever was before him very quickly and required lots of interaction, lots of being moved around, lots of being held. And so chasing after a crawling baby in a not quite 100% baby proof living room is actually a lot easier/less time consuming. I can set him in the living room, then proceed to start dinner in the kitchen, keeping one eye on him. Usually he will (as I intend) play for a couple of minutes then follow me in, then proceed to play with tupperwear. All of this before he finally comes and pulls up on my legs and I have to pick him up! It is amazing! Occasionally he will instead of following me go for some baby danger, and I will have to redirect him, but honestly it is way easier than keeping an immobile baby entertained.
Anyways, crawling is yesterday's news. Today? Stand. Stand. Stand.
yay for crawling! I agree, things got easier for me once my baby started to get mobile.
ReplyDeleteI switched things around on the shelves and cupboards so that every shelf or cupboard he could reach had baby-ok stuff to play with. Seemed to satisfy him enough away from the flecking paint and powerpoints.
yes, crawling made a total difference with Wolf too! he's so independent and will sit and play with his toys, sometimes for 30-45 mins! but man, I'm not a fan of the standing. he pulls up on *everything* in sight! and the worst is when he pulls up on our junky ikea side tables that have nothing on them now {baby proofed the heck out of our plants and glasswear} and weigh like nothing and the table slips and he falls. at least it seems like the falls are becoming less and less of a big deal. "just a little head bump, mom, no big deal" sigh... when did our babies become boys?!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to hear this! My boy Jack is the same way.
ReplyDeleteHe always wants to be standing or sitting up, and since at 5 months he can do neither unassisted, I'm always on call. Excited to know crawling may help him entertain himself, at least in little stretches.
man, girls must just be DIFFERENT. cheech was the best little self-entertainer/self-soother. now that she's mobile, however, she wants CONSTANT interaction and attention, and wants to be picked up about a thousand times a day. i swear, if i held her all day long she'd be a happy little clam (and she's not exactly a featherweight), and if she's crawling around on the floor, you better believe she expects us to be doing it right along with her. needless to say, i'm exhausted these days.
ReplyDeleteI am massively entertained by seeing how different all our similar-age babies are! Meret definitely got easier once she started crawling, because she can get to the toys she wants, and she doesn't get stuck under the furniture any more. She was pretty good at entertaining herself before, and she still is. I just have to watch MUCH closer since she's always standing up, and she moves so fast.
ReplyDeleteAnd every time I think we're done baby proofing, she shows me something else I've overlooked. :)