[margaritamama]

I have a 6.5 mo old boy. I am wondering how much time I should let him play on the floor, what to use as a floor covering and if I can ever leave him alone to play.

I carry my boy in the sling a lot. How much should he be on the floor to make sure he learns to crawl?

Also, I have hard wood floors. And there are a couple of areas I have covered by mats where he can crawl but they aren't very large and presumably not thick enough since he has landed head first on the mat a couple of times and still cried. I let him crawl around on the bed too but I have to be careful when he lunges toward the edge. So you see I must watch him every minute he is playing, I don't mind when he wants to play with me --but sometimes he is actually amusing himself and I could have time to myself. Do you have any recommendations about safer floor coverings (besides rugs-I have terrible dust mite allergies!) does anyone use mats they can recommend or pillows to cover their babies' play area? Also, how do you all feel about playpens and gates. I wasn't going to use a playpen but because I can't leave him alone to play at all right now I am considering it. Thanks.

 

[oceanbaby]

We have hardwood floors, and never worried about the baby crawling around on them. He never seemed to be that hurt by falling on the hardwood. I did buy some of those foam puzzle piece type mats for his play area, so that when he fell over while sitting up he wouldn't bonk his head too hard.

 

[littleaugustbaby]

I've seen some rubber play mats at BRU and TRU that you could probably use to cover the floor. They're not really soft, but they're probably softer than hardwood floors, and you can pick them up and store them really easily when you're not using them.

As for a playpen, we have one, and the only time that we use it is for naps. DD HATES being confined to the playpen, so I've never really bothered, unless I needed my hands free for a minute and it was a last resort. DD hates the sling usually, and even when I can get her to stay in the sling, or when I hold her, she likes to "help" with whatever I'm doing, and sometimes (like when I'm cooking), that's not in her best interest.

If you can gate off a safe play area for your DS, I think that would probably be the best route. Even if he didn't mind a playpen, they're not very big and wouldn't really allow him a lot of space to play, and at 6.5 months, he's probably going to want lots of space to roam around and explore soon.

 

[KathinJapan]

I would let your baby have as much floor time as he wants. He will start to crawl when he is ready. My babe at 8 months pushes away from me to get on to the floor and play. sigh. You could also make a softer area with cardboard and bubble wrap. Lay the cardboard out, then bubble wrap then cardboard again. Tape the edges together, then cover it with a nice floor mat or quilt. I like to have quilts on the floor as I can pick them up and wash once a week or so.
We have a playpen that we have never set up. My mom was so sure I was going to need it. But so far we have not. I do have gates up. We have large sliding glass doors and with summer they are open all the time. Maya banged against the screens a few times, they are not that sturdy! It is a foot drop to a concrete surface. OUCH. So I do think gates have their place.
HTH,
Kathryn

 

[pilesoflaundry]

My baby loves floor play too, she is 9 months and she crawls out of my lap! I just put a large blanket on the floor or put her down on the area rug in the living room. I then put some toys down and she is happy for a little while. When she has had enough she will let me know, she will start to get fidgety.

 

[bec]

We have carpeting in our house, and when dd2 (dd1 too, for that matter) falls down, they still cry. The padding helps a little, and I try to catch her, but part of it is the price of learning things. They fall down. I'm always right there to pick her up and comfort her, though. I let her play on the floor whenever she wants.

Bec

 

[HokieMum]

I let our 7 1/2 month old dd play on the floor whenever she wants...which is more and more!

She just started crawling this week, and is still slow to get around. Most of our floors are carpeted, but I still put a quilt down in her "play area" (where all of her toys are) because I like the idea of being able to wash it frequently! Also, our carpets are boring beige and I think that the bright colors on the quilt are somewhat stimulating. Maybe I am deluding myself by thinking that, but she likes her quilt!

:

 

[pln]

My ds loved being on the floor at 6 months. IMHO, don't waste your money on the playmats. I laid a blanket on our hardwood floors just to cover the fringe on teh rugs (his favorite snack!!) but he soonf igured out how to roll all over the room and it was fruitless.

I was afraid of letting him roll on the hardwood floors, but after one bump, he learned to suspend himself in the air before landing and hasn't bumped himself since. Babies are smart and will adapt to the surface.

As for leaving him to play alone, it really depended on the time of day. In the morning, he would enjoy palying with his books and a few toys and listening to music for an hour or more, as long as I was in view.

In the afternoon, he really wanted to be "entertained" on the floor, so we read books, played peekaboo, played with toys, etc. In the late evening, forget it. Sling or backpack or jogger.