Your babies begin to discover their world on all fours at the age of 6 to 10 months. You may see your baby's knees go red, irritated, or scuffed when the bottom shuffling transforms into marathon crawling sessions. Most babies get past their crawling period without causing much difficulty, and you won't have to intervene. However, there are options like baby knee pads to relieve knee pain and shield your baby's knees from more injuries, especially when they are active.
So now it's time to think about crawling safety and follow the tips below to ensure your baby efficiently transitions into crawling without any bruises or bumps.
Make Everything Around Safe for Your Little Crawler
Do you want your baby to enjoy his or her crawling phase? It is time to get serious and create a baby-safe environment at your home by incorporating babyproofing.
Here are some safe crawling guidelines you should follow:
- Keep the door closed or place a safety gate at the room entrance or any other location to separate the danger areas (such as the bathroom).
- Move window cords or electrical cables out of the way, lock the cabinet that contains sharp objects, medicines, or breakables, and make sure to plug up outlets. Also, clean the floor thoroughly so that your baby doesn't swallow small items that can potentially choke her.
- If your home has more than one floor, you need to put a barrier at the top and bottom of the stairs to prevent your child from crawling up and tumbling down. However, you might want to place the bottom barrier two or three steps above the landing so that your baby can practice crawling on the bottom steps.
Dress the Baby for Success
Although you may adore the way your baby looks in skirts or frilly dresses, these garments may annoy her and slow her down as she learns to crawl. However, this does not mean that the style has to take a backseat. You can still style your child in comfortable pants or soft leggings on warmer days.
If you want to make your child wear shorts in summer, you can purchase baby knee pads for crawling to cover their knees. Furthermore, if you have a baby boy, avoid baggy trousers as they get easily folded near the knees and may obstruct his crawling efforts.
Level-Up the Floor or the Playfield
Be sure there are no nails, splinters, or other sharp objects on the wood floors, so your baby has a safe place to play. If you do not have enough carpets in your house, getting a floor padding or a rug can be a great idea to allow your baby to crawl or play on some smooth surfaces. Also, it can prevent her tender knees from bruising.
Crawl with the Baby
Getting down on the ground and crawling with your kid is the best way to help you appreciate their view of the surroundings and see what possible hazards they may experience — even though you have baby-proofed the floor. You might be surprised to notice that the tip of your coffee table is sharper than you think or find a long-forgotten choking threat under the chair.
Crawling with your kid also gives you the opportunity to teach your kid some safety tips like what things she can grab and what she should avoid. It may take some time for your kid to understand that she cannot eat from the dog's bowl, but it is okay to play with the Tupperware that he or she may find in the kitchen cabinet. Remember not to give up; with enough repetitive acts from your side, they will get the idea.
Maintain an Eagle Eye
Regardless of the crawling safety measures you implement in your household, you will need to keep an eye on your little crawler at all hours. This will ensure the baby does not hurt or injure itself inadvertently. When your baby is in the play yard or crib, you can easily take your gaze away from her.
Know that while you're not at home, your child will be particularly interested in discovering the new world, so you will have to keep a close eye on her!
Now that you know how to protect your baby's knees, you can follow these tips to ensure your baby is safe from any danger. You can also purchase baby knee pads to provide your little crawler extra protection.