Child containment?

[cristeen]

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm all for AP, but there are times when I HAVE to put him down to do something. I've been using the stroller, but today he made it clear that that will no longer work, as he attempted to do a header out of it (and into the kitchen garbage can). That's fine in the office where I can back it up to the bed, but in the kitchen it's not so fine... those floors are hard. He's outgrown the bouncy chair, and he's about to start crawling. Ultimately it's for the times when the mei tai is impractical (like when I have to go to the bathroom). Is a play pen my only option, or is there something else? What has worked well for you?

[Chamomile Girl]

How young of a kiddo are we talking about?

[mamadelbosque]

I have a pack'n play and a doorway jumper thing. DS2 started using the jumper ~4 or 5 months, and I just converted the pack'n'play to a play pen a few days ago (I had had the basinette thing in it, but he's starting to look like he's about to pull up...). He doesn't go into either very much, but they are sure nice to have around for bathroom/showers/cooking/etc!!

[no5no5]

Why can't he be on the floor? Call me crazy, but my babe was in my arms, in the car seat, in the stroller, or on the floor. Until she learned to climb.

[Llyra]

I never used containment devices once my kids were crawling age-- well, I did have a pack and play, but that's because they sometimes napped in it, not to contain them. I would use it for containment only in an emergency-ish kinda situation. For everyday situations, I just put them down on the floor. With a babe of crawling age, I'd recommend just baby-proofing, and giving him the run of the house.

[Darlingricki74]

My son loved his jumparoo from about 4 months on. He had a blast jumping in it, and it was so cute-his little feet would be going like he was riverdancing! LOL I think it's perfect for 5-10 minutes here and there!

[texaspeach]

I got a bounce bounce baby off craigslist. it's like an exersaucer. I was against it, but he really likes it and we only use it for 15 minutes or so a day

there's only so much you can do with a baby on your back! as for why I don't just put him down on the floor... well, my apartment is not childproofed. unfortunately our stairs aren't the kind where you can put a baby gate up at the bottom and I haven't figured out what to do with the dvr and other stuff. We're working on it.

[Mom@Work@Home]

Most people I know find an Exersaucer great for this.

With DS (now 3) I just childproofed and put him on the floor, but when DD gets to moving age, I am thinking of getting something. This is more to protect her from DS stepping on her than anything else!

[no5no5]

Honestly, I never really babyproofed either. I just kept my eye on her and it was fine.

[Pepper44]

My DD hated being on the floor. She always wanted to be upright, otherwise she was angry and she would let you know it!

I found an exersaucer type thing at Goodwill for a couple dollars, it was the kind with a empty tray instead of the attached toys. She *loved* that thing! She could stand and spin around and jump in it and bang on the tray. It was really the only baby device we ever used and I decided not to feel bad about it because she clearly enjoyed it so much.

[To-Fu]

My crawling-age kid hated to be left on the floor, too. He LOVED his Rain Forest bouncer/exersaucer-thing, though. He'd hang out in it, bouncing fervently, while I made dinner or did some dishes.

We also ended up gating off the living room and dining room (a huge area) and totally babyproofing it, whcih was a help once he started walking around and had outgrown the bouncy thing. Do you have that option in your house? I couldn't leave the place ungated for him to roam in b/c we had doors that didn't latch and two very steep sets of slippery stairs.

[sarahr]

Another vote for an exersaucer!

[Bokonon]

Until a couple of months ago, Peepers was fine in the exersaucer while I had to poop or help DS with something or whatever.

Now I usually put her in the playpen, because she loves to cruise around it.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by no5no5

Why can't he be on the floor? Call me crazy, but my babe was in my arms, in the car seat, in the stroller, or on the floor. Until she learned to climb.

Well, I've already said arms don't work at times, the car seat is in the car, he's not safe in the stroller unattended, and my bathroom floor is neither big enough nor clean enough for me to put him on it. And how on earth do you cook with a baby rolling around the kitchen floor? That just doesn't seem safe (for me or for him).

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

How young of a kiddo are we talking about?

He's 6 mos, and while he's not crawling (yet - he's trying), he can (and does) roll very quickly.

[Theia]

Does he have a high chair or a booster seat with a tray that he can sit in for a bit? You can give him toys or whatever to keep him entertained. And at some point you just learn how to cook with a little person underfoot. You take extra precautions etc, but we've not have anything more than little bumps and DD is now 2.

[averlee]

Maybe this is a little wacky, but how about a laundry basket? If it's just gonna be a few minutes, and if your little one can sit but not stand, it could be kinda fun. Another thing a lot of babies like are the early-sit chairs, like the bumbo. And in the bathroom, I often plopped my daughter into her baby bath, which she seemed to think was funny. And she loved her swing. Once she started crawling, I set up the kitchen for her, so there's nothing in her reach that can hurt her. All the low cupboards & drawers are full of unbreakable and/or junky stuff she's free to play with- she's too busy wearing the colander to get underfoot much.

[SleeplessMommy]

At that age i used an umbrella stroller with buckles for some things (short shower) and an exersaucer for other tasks:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/...63da978d72.jpg
One of those battery-powered baby mobiles (over a crib or pack-n-play) can also be used for short periods of time.

I totally understand that you need a safe place to put the baby in order to cook or use the bathroom, etc.

[GreenGranolaMama]

My DS is 11mo and I run into this from time to time as well... we don't have any baby holders and he is fine crawling around the house- except when I go in the basement to do laundry. Even though the house is baby proofed (as good as it's going to get) I still would never leave him alone upstairs (obviously) so I end up having to put him in the Ergo when it comes time to go in the basement.

As for cooking dinner, I usually bring his highchair into the kitchen (but away from the stove) and feed him a snack/give him something to play with while I am preparing meals.

In the bathroom, I stick him in the tub (with not water) and a few toys this is only when I really need to use the bathroom for a good amount of time (brushing teeth/ hair/ getting ready for the day) if I'm only going to be a moment, I leave him crawling around in the living room (which I can see from the bathroom)- currently he is totally infatuated with the toilet and the diaper sprayer and although I keep the bathroom super clean, I am not ok with him playing with the toilet (eww).

[no5no5]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Well, I've already said arms don't work at times, the car seat is in the car, he's not safe in the stroller unattended, and my bathroom floor is neither big enough nor clean enough for me to put him on it. And how on earth do you cook with a baby rolling around the kitchen floor? That just doesn't seem safe (for me or for him).

I guess I'm just getting more confused here. Do you not buckle him into his stroller or is he a crazy escape artist? How can your bathroom floor not be big enough for a baby? I understand that you might think it's not clean enough...but it only takes 5 minutes to clean the floor. Or you could put him on a towel. As for cooking, I never had any problems. DD had her own pots & spoons, and she explored the cabinets. I had to look down before I took a step, but I never considered that to be a major hardship. It's not like she could reach up and grab a pot handle. And it's not like I'm constantly spilling hot food or dropping knives on the floor.