DS who is 8 months old has this week discovered he is mobile and he can pull himself up on things.
As a result he has hand more little bumps to the head in this week than in his whole life!!
The other day he figured out how to stand up in his cot, i walked in to see him proudly standing in the corner with a huge grin!! i got him to sit down and stand up again so i could see how he did it!
I guess my question is- i know it is important for development to climb, but my issue is that he hurts himself!! Even if i am right there beside him i havent been able to be quick enough to prevent him falling or missing his mark when he reaches to lean on something- and my biggest worry is that he will try and climb something while i am not there and do serious damage!!
Like when he wakes up now in his cot and tries to stand, last night he fell and his arm slipped through the rails, and he cried sooo hard!! I felt bad coz i allowed him to do it the first time, so now he always does it!!
So do i encourage the climbing and allow hm to become better at it and hence he will not have so many falls, or do i discourage it so he doesnt get into danger??!!
I wouldn't so much say to encourage it, but rather to support him in his desire to climb/explore.
My first was a very imobile baby and as a toddler still is, thats just his personality, he's quiet and more emotionally aware than loud and active. So when my baby started crawling at 5 months, and standing not long after, then walking along furniture at 7 months i was getting grey hairs from all the near misses! He's 8 months and yesterday i went to the loo and came back and he was on our couch, how he climbed up there i have no idea as he's tiny for his age! He's had a lot of bumps and falls but i just make the house as padded and safe as possible and i figure he will not attempt anything he's not capable of.
The book "the continuum concept" goes in to the theory about babies attempting things with their own inate sense of safety and explains that our fears about them falling is often what causes accidents as we project this worry.
So i would supervise as much as possible and just make your home very soft and safe, we have lots of rugs as we have hard flooring, and have removed anything that has sharp corners, glass etc. Enjoy this stage, its very special!
Oh NOOOOOOOO, let him learn but I wouldn't help him!!
You might find him on top of the fridge one day .
I reckon they are either climbers or not - and if you get a climbing one WHOA they get good at it!
There is no stropping my DS. He is doing chinups on anything he can get his hands up to. And he is 10mo. He has had many bumps and bruises, but he is getting steadier, and they are few and far between now. I am like Mummab and just keep the house padded, and let DS roam free.
If you've got a climber you're just going to have to let him get on with it. Take a few precautions like putting some cushions down around regular climb-zones, lowering the cot-side once he can get to the top of it, and redirecting him away from the things you don't want him climbing on to things it is OK for him to climb on - and get him into Kindergym just as soon as you can.
ENJOY having a little monkey, neither of mine have been climbers but I have a good friend who had three climbers - they are all fantastically physically-aware and well coordinated children now - all fantastic life skills!
Should I Encourage Climbing???
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