Posted by Krista Dulaney on April 10, 2009

New Skills = New Challenges

It’s hard to believe how quickly babies grow and develop over their first year of life.  I guess it shouldn’t be so shocking, given how much growth occurs during nine months in the womb, but I never cease to be amazed by my son.  He is 8.5 months old now and has learned so many new things in the past six weeks!  As he learns, I learn as well and adjust to the new challenges my little daredevil throws my way.

In the past six weeks, my son Miles has learned to sit up unassisted, crawl, roll over very quickly from back to tummy, and (the latest development) pull up to standing.  His new found mobility has totally changed my day-to-day life!  No longer can I put him down on an activity mat, leave the room, and expect him to be there when I come back!  The days of a quick trip to the bathroom while he plays on the floor are over!  

It’s so funny the things he finds fascinating.  We have found that our cell phone and laptop cords elicit the fastest crawling response time from Miles – I had no idea he could move so quickly!  And anything that belongs to our dogs seems to have a baby magnet in it!  

His crawling improves daily, but for now he is working hard on standing.  This latest endeavor has totally thrown me for a loop.  He still has to hold on to sturdy objects and he doesn’t know how to get back down once he is up.  So I can no longer put him in his crib for a quick trip down the hall without returning to see him standing up and crying – quite the pitiful sight.  And with standing comes falling.  I think the greatest advice about babies I have ever received was to clap and cheer when the baby has a little tumble.  Most of the time he giggles at us, gets back up, and thinks it is great fun.

Here is a short video from DadLabs that might give you some ideas.

One piece of advice that I should have followed was to baby proof early, before your baby is mobile.  I am still finding things that I now realize could be rather dangerous for Miles!  This standing ability has given me a whole new level to baby proof!  So I would like to know…

What was or will be your process for baby proofing?  How do you deal with the new challenges that your baby’s new skills bring to your life?

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