seriously, what do you put on your bottom shelves?

[Mona]

: Is there ANYTHING safe for the babe to get to these days? LOL I don't have much space as it is, so feel "stubborn" that there must be something i can use those bottom shelves for!!!!!!!!! :

[wwhippetcrazy]

Baby toys....that was what we put on our bottom shelves when dd was younger.

Jen

[Mona]

hehehehe good idea~!!!!!! you mean you don't leave them all over the floor? :

Thanks for the reply!

[wwhippetcrazy]

~ They don't stay on the shelf long....even now dd has a habit of taking things off te shelves the moment after they get put on there, but it works for a few minutes

Jen

[mamabutterfly]

I know what you mean ... seems like *eveything* needs to be on a high shelf & there are only so many in a small place.

But I used all low places for storing the obvious unbreakables:
her toys and books, a few in each room
In the kitchen, tupperware & pot lids, or clean washrags/dishtowels/potholders , and then these were just assumed to be her play areas ... and none of it was ever organized/folded for that whole year, lol.
Also a low cabinet she can get into holds some foods that don't damage easily - potatoes, onions, squash, etc. She loves to explore them. Obviously I'm right next to her if she's in the kitchen, & my dd is a bit older now, too.

mamabutterfly

[huskrkid]

I totally agree!! Just put what she can't hurt on the lower shelves. I'm forever picking up (or not LOL!), but it's worth it to let them explore.

[TieDyeMom]

I don't know how long it will last (dd is almost 11 mo and cruising) but we use the bottom shelves for the really BIG books a(like major dictionaries, Shakespeare, historical references) and put them horizontal not vertical. She checks them out and sometimes can move them around a bit but they are too heavy for her to pick up. We have a lot of bookcases and a lot of these BIG books so I can arrange them so they look okay.

[Mona]

Thanks mamas! Some great advice!

[BusyMommy]

Just wait awhile and you'll retitle it w/o the "bottom" part.

I took away ds' scissors this am after he cut his hair and put them WAY up on the top shelf. He had his scissors again. I looked in the office and he'd put a tub on top of his chair and climbed up.

I have given up on most shelves. They're for kid books and toys. Tupperware is a biggie-buys me lots of time. Boxed & canned food is also a lot of fun for them.

I have mounted brackets and shelves up so high they're almost out of my reach for my valuables; ie. deodorant, keys, etc.

[sea island mama]

We have a couple of lower bookshelves where we just jammed the books in so tightly, we could hardly get them out!

[oceanbaby]

tupperware, towels, sheets, plastic cookie cutters, light pots and pans, metal bakeware, measuring cups, strainers, straws - pretty much anything that he can tear apart without hurting himself. It makes for an inefficient and disorganized house, but that's how it goes I guess.

As a side note: I've been recently lamenting about how I can't wait to have organized tupperware again - you know, actually be able to find a matching container and lid in under 3 minutes. I had a flash today of the day when I have my organized tupperware again, and immediately felt saddened, because it meant that my little boy was all grown up. It has made me appreciate the jumbled tupperware mess in my cupboard.

[mamacrab]

Toys!

And books. Just like mama2 nicole, we put them in really tightly so toddlers can't pull them out.

I remember when my dd was that age, so many time just wondering around with something fragile / dangerous in my hands, saying "where can I put this???" Seems like they eventually learn to get into everything!