[ErinYay]

Vivi is 7 months and very mobile. Since she started crawling and pulling to stand last month, I've tried to help her figure out how to sit down safely, go backward off the couch, and get unstuck when she climbs on something and doesn't know how to get back down. It doesn't seem to be working, though. She still wants to dive off of surfaces and gets hung up on things easily.<br><br>
Is it something you just do over and over until it clicks, or should I try something other than physically moving her? She's a good little mimic- I taught her to "clap" yesterday (she claps her chest with her hands, it's hecka cute) and play her xylephone by doing it myself and helping her do it by marionette-ing her, but I'm not having a lot of luck with the moving stuff.<br><br>
edit to add: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6loDLcpH6HE" target="_blank">a little video I shot this am of her "clapping.</a>"

 

[dahlialia]

I did it over and over again until it stuck. It took months though! What I noticed with DD2 (I don't remember with DD1), was that going backwards off the bed, or down the step into the sunroom, didn't really click until she understood that it was the reverse of going up. When she did get it, we played on the step for a while. Crawling one knee up, then back down. Crawling both knees up, then both back down. etc.<br><br>
DD2 mostly had it figured out at 10 months, but even now at 11 months there are times when she can't remember how to turn her body away from where she wants to go, so she can go backwards.

 

[mambera]

I don't think this is something you have to teach her. She'll figure it out on her own soon.

 

[mamadelbosque]

Yeah, I don't remember ever teaching ds1 and am not attempting to teach ds2 (he's nearly a year now). Its just something they figure out one way or another, eventually. I honestly don't know how ds2 gets off our bed (or the couch) as he only does it when he's done napping. But I know he can do so safely, as he frequently comes to find me after napping on the couch, or starts screaming at the top of the stairs while rattling the gate (which requires getting down off our bed to do - and while we don't have a frame for our bed, its still a solid 2' drop from the top <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/shrug.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="shrug">).<br><br>
ETA: Of course, to be perfectly honesty, I suspect he goes head first - as thats how he manages the single step down into the laundry room - head over followed by one hand, then either the other hand or a leg.