Keeping a Crawling Baby Safe

When your baby figures it out they will roll on over, and roll on over again and again. This is an exciting moment - you grab the camera and document it several times and take hours of video to share with others the wonder of your babe rolling and rolling. What a special time! What a wake up call!

Safety, safety, safety! Time to think about what can happen to your wonderful little one now that they are mobile. You may not think of rolling over as the biggest liberation of mobility but for a small being with no understanding of stairs, outlets, tall plants, and furniture rolling is a fantastic journey full of amazing new things. Making sure that your baby's path is safe will ensure a positive rolling experience for everyone involved.

Get down on the floor and lay on your stomach with your rolling baby. Take a look around while at their level and check out all the obstacles in the way. Remove any items from your space that are special, or mean anything to you, or that are breakable within baby's reach - seriously. They will eventually crash to the floor, get yanked about or licked like crazy.

Invest in socket plugs. You can find them just about anywhere and cost around $3 for 20. Plug up all those outlets so you don't have to worry about anyone sticking anything in electrical sockets. If you have books, cd's, dvd's or records that you care to ever listen to again and are within reach of your baby move them to a new location. Take a closer look at your television set up and make sure if it is placed on a stand or console it is either sturdy enough to handle your baby pulling up on it or rolling into it. If it isn't, stabilize it by attaching it to the wall. The same goes for bookshelves.

If you have stairs it is time for a gate. You will be living with this gate for several years so find one you are happy with. Lots of stores sell gates and they are also available online - but be ready to pay a price. Baby gates can range from $50 and go up to a couple hundred bucks. There are tension gates that use pressure to hold them in place and gates that you drill on into the wall. Pick one that works best for your space and lifestyle.

This is a wonderful time to crawl around on the floor with your developing baby and experience the fun and joy of rolling and crawling for yourself. We forget what things look like from the floor, so take some time to get on your baby's level. They will appreciate it and you will have some fun with them at the same time. Before you know it your little one will go from rolling to crawling to standing to walking! By taking the time to get everything safe for your baby now, it will ensure safety as your baby grows.