Top 5 Tips on Baby-Proofing for your Crawler/Cruiser

RJ is at the super exciting age where he gets into EH-VER-EEEEE-THANG! I am on the go nonstop trying to keep up with his little butt and make sure that he isn’t getting into anything that will hurt him or me or my sanity LOL. He isn’t quite walking yet but he can crawl between rooms in about 5 seconds and he cruises along the furniture like hes on a mission! I never imagined myself writing a post on baby-proofing but in an effort to help other mamas out I’m going to share what has been working for me at this stage.

1. Cover all outlets and keep cords out of sight! And I literally mean every outlet. Outlets are at perfect eye level for crawlers and there’s nothing more exciting to a baby than the unknown. I didn’t think my son would even acknowledge the outlets but he knows where pretty much every outlet is and his little fingers, toys, tongue are always exploring. If possible keep all cords out of sight as well. Charge your phone on a table or counter top and out of reach for the little grabbers.

2. Lock the cabinets. Because exploring is the theme of this post. Babies are nosier than grandmas (you KNOW your grandma lives in her window, MINE DEFINITELY DOES). I’ve caught him countless times trying to open cabinet doors. Thankfully I haven’t left him long enough to destroy a room but if left with the opportunity, my kitchen would be in disarray from him pulling everything out of the cabinet.

3. Cover all sharp corners. This is mostly for the cruisers. Learning to walk is fun for babies but I swear RJ forgets that he doesn’t have it down pact yet. He frequently just lets go and then hes flailing around when he remembers that he doesn’t know what the heck he’s doing. Covering the corners may be more for your own sanity because I swear (even though he can’t reach up there yet) that he’s going to hit his head or face on the corner of a counter or table or something. This tip is great for moms with coffee tables or end tables.

4. Don’t leave anything on the floor. Before baby, we used to leave any change that fell on the floor there (because “money on the floor brings more through the door”). Old sayings aside, did I tell you that RJ is quick? And those little hands are faster! At his age everything goes to the mouth so that leaves NO room for error. Shoes included, put them somewhere out of reach for the little.

5. Sweep/vacuum frequently. And this final one is definitely for your own sanity. With babies being curious they see every doggone speck! I can’t tell you the number of times my heart almost fell out my butt once I saw that hand-to-mouth motion and I thought RJ was putting something dangerous he found on the floor into his mouth and it turned out to be dirt or a piece of hair or something that’s just as equally gross but not life-threatening. I try (and sometimes fail) to sweep everyday because our house traffic is pretty high, and our floors are light colored so it’s easy for him to find little dirt pieces and my heart just cant take it.

What are some ways you babyproof your house? Looking for products to help babyproof? Check out my must-haves.