Gardening/landscaping with a baby

[SageR]

Does anyone have any tips for keeping a baby safe while working in the yard? I have a ton of work to do this spring - I've got a lot of clearing to do and am doubling the size of my garden. I've been wearing ds as much as possible but 1. he will only tolerate being on my back for so long, and 2.there are times when it's really hard to do stuff with him on there. For example I'm clearing out sumac ( and I'm afraid he'll get whiplash or worse when I'm yanking on the roots.

I don't have a playpen or anything like that. And he is mobile, crawling and cruising.

[Daffodil]

When you do have him on your back, are you using a mei tai? You can do a lot more stuff that way than using a backpack. Mine was a life saver for me when DS was little.

But the advantage of a backpack is that you can take it off after the baby falls asleep. I used to do that with DS - work with him on my back until he fell asleep (and being carried made him more likely to fall asleep), then take the pack off and prop it against something while he napped. I never managed to get more than about 15 minutes of work done when I had a baby who wasn't either asleep or on my back.

[jjawm]

When dd first became mobile is when my garden suffered the most. I ended up doing as much work as I could when she napped, using a baby monitor. I also did a lot of work once dh got home.

Dd would not do the 'play nicely on a blanket'. She was all over, eating dirt and rocks.

[christinar]

I don't know how old your little guy is, but I got a used saucer for not much $$ and just had it for outside time for the summer my two were each in the 9-18 month range. It wouldn't have entertained long inside, but since the kids could look around etc., they were happy in it for a surprisingly long time. I also would put little snacks (o cereal, etc.) on it, and they had fun picking them up. I would agree that the summer they were mobile but still babies was the most challenging, garden-wise. Good luck!

[ColwynsMommy]

Originally Posted by Christina@BYBaby

I don't know how old your little guy is, but I got a used saucer for not much $$ and just had it for outside time for the summer my two were each in the 9-18 month range. It wouldn't have entertained long inside, but since the kids could look around etc., they were happy in it for a surprisingly long time. I also would put little snacks (o cereal, etc.) on it, and they had fun picking them up. I would agree that the summer they were mobile but still babies was the most challenging, garden-wise. Good luck!

That's what we did. Actually, what we got from the consignment store is a walker, but in the grass, it's the same as a saucer. She's happy in it for a surprising amount of time. And I can easily move it to different sections of the yard depending on our needs.

[NicaG]

:

Same problem here. I have been putting dd in the Ergo on my back, but sometimes I wish I had a little more mobility. I was thinking of buying a cheap pack and play. Sounds like maybe a used exersaucer would do the trick too.

[AllisonK]

I have a one year old and I just let her crawl around. I little dirt is not going to kill her. Our backyard is big enough though that I can put her down in one half and by the time she is back over to me and the garden its been a while with her getting sidetracked by all the toys, chickens, swing set, etc on the way. I too use a monitor and try to do stuff at nap time we also have an exersaucer but she hates the thing so its not been much use.

[Liquesce]

If I were going to be working with things that my baby absolutely could not get into (my yard tends to get wild rose and poison ivy that need clearing, for example), I'd definitely pick up a pack'n'play at a secondhand shop.

[widdlelou]

I have a 14 month old and a 4 year old. When my 4 year old was a baby I would put her in a safish place and bring out toys and little pans of water and such and that kept her busy or balls and such... it also works iwth my 14 month old as well. she walks around and digs in the dirt and gets utterly filthy but she's having fun. I'm sure she eats some of the dirt but ya know the sayign God made dirt so dirt can't hurt... She loves the watering can and will put it by the spicket ... I alos sometimes put the spicket at a drip and let her play in that. IF I'm doing super heavy stuff and its something she would be itnerested in I do it while she is napping. You have to just work aroudn them. you may not be able to do a full day of yard work streight unless you ahve someone to watch them b/c 1) without some sort of containment they evnetually want to get into whatever you are doing and if its just weed pulling and planting its one thing but if its major stuff htats another 2) a full day in the hot sun (well maybe its differnet for you but I'm in Central FL and it jsut gets too hot) is just too much evnetually they are going to loose patients no matter what .

[lmonter]

Besides the inexpensive used PnP suggestions... a stroller. Give kiddo some crackers, a sippy of water, whatever. Or bike trailer. Haul the high chair outside if need be. Or a wagon or garden cart if your kid wouldn't try to lunge over the side like mine do. It is tough, especially when they're barely starting to walk and learn what's okay and not okay to touch and all that. I've done an awful lot of nighttime gardening. Hubby will take care of dinner and bedtime for the non-nursing kids, fire up a few kerosene camp lights for me, and I'll be out there until 10-11pm sometimes. You just need to be more creative, and maybe end up with a little less sleep.

[guestmama9911]

I like my Sutemi pack, which is like the Ergo and very supportive. An alternative is that I give my 16 month old her own plastic gardening toys and a bucket full of - fill in the blank - now I give her dirt, when she was younger I gave her water, sometimes just different toys. Right now she wants to copy mommy so I give her dandelion flowers and little pots and she plants and unplants them.

Both of my kids loved jumperoos when they were 6 months old, and also liked playing in an inch of water in the plastic pool while I gardened.

My older son, I gave cut up potatoes from the store and he planted them in his own plot and watered then when I watered and weeded around them when I weeded (he was 2-1/2). He was very excited to watch them grow, and would sometimes unplant them to see what the roots were doing and then replant them again. They didn't produce much but grew pretty tall.

[Aeress]

I was just coming to post about this. My dd is running and into everything at 19months old. I filled her sandbox which keeps her semi-occupied but she has been known to wander into the neighbors yard. (need to have a fenced in area)

I am considering tethering her to the porch. (just kidding) I have to work in short spurts or I won't get anything done. It is so hard now that she is more than mobile. Playpen, stroller and backpack are a no go- she wants to run and play.

Any ideas?

[maylea_moon]

my 21 month old loves to sit in a little umbrella stroller and just watch me. i can't let her run around because we don't have a fence yet and she's sneaky! if i turned my back for 30 seconds she'd be off trying to run to the park