Should I Encourage Climbing???

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!

Have fun! xoxoxoxo

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.

I agree with Lulu.
I have a climber, he's 15 months now and climbs on everything!
I couldn't stop him if I tried!

I've got a climber too!! It does my head in trying to get him to stop climbing up and running along our modular lounge suit :wall:

I am predicting stitches for this boy some time before his 3rd bday :(

DD was never a climber so I've never had to deal with it before, it's a worry...

OK these double posts are driving me NUTS!!

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. :lol:

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! :)

I don't have any advice but just wanted to say WOW I can't believe how big he is already, time has gone so fast!! What a cheeky little monkey.

My Hannah is a fantastic climber. Costing me more money in having grey hairs coloured!!!!
You can buy a thing called a Head Bumpa - if you're worried about him bumping his head.

My DD is a climber. You try to watch them every sec and the sec you dont they fall dont they?

Because we have floorboards I bought those foam abc mats from Reject shop ($15 for 26 letters) to cover our lounge room.

Probably wont help that much from her fall but at least it provides some cushioning?

Thanks everyone!

Ok well he is learning already!! Today instead of falling back straight on his back and head, he is learning to sit as he falls and landing on his butt!!! lol

I have seen those foam things, so i will look into getting one next time i am in Albury- as we have hard wood floors it will come in handy! Until then i will just stick close and lay pillows everywhere that looks dangerous!!!

MaryDean... i will look into the Kindergym!! Oh and he is climbing up on the cot with the side up!!! it was lucky too- i usually have it down as he wakes up when i lift it up- and DH said a bout a week ago to make sure i put it up coz he looking like he is going to start climbing- so i did- and sure enough he pulled himself up two days later!! If it had of been down- he would gone right over the top! He can now stand up in 2 seconds flat!! So i think thats one he has mastered!!

Heaven... Yes it does go quick!!! He seemed to take sooo long to get from moving around like a worm to really crawling- and then all of a sudden now he has teeth he is climbing and he is a VERY CHEEKY monkey!!!! With a cheeky grin to match!!

MummaB.... Thanks for the advice! I definately agree with the projecting fears as i noticed if i hovered and worried he would tremble and be unsteady- but when i just sat and watched with a smile, he was quite confident and would look and think about what he was doing.

Thanks fellow mums to climbers!! Glad i am not the only one!!!:)