Help! I have climber!

[Kestrel]

I'm getting so frustrated! 16 month DS has discovered how to climb! We are franticly re-babyproofing.

Any BTDT advice for things we may not think of???

[Katigre]

DD just turned 16 months has been a crazy climber for a long time. It is challenging at first because they're not as adept at it. This is what worked well for us:

1. Keep the baby with you as much as possible and keep them contained when you can't - this meant using a babycarrier on my back when I went to a different floor of the house, or putting the baby in a crib if I had to do something. Otherwise I couldn't be sure she was staying safe and not laying on top of the TV or scaling bookshelves.

2. Monitor their skills so you know what they can do. This is extremely important because there will be times they get to something and you're not there fast enough. Whenever I'd find DD climbing something, I'd spend some time spotting her so I could see what she was capable of and help her learn how to climb well.

3. Be consistent with what is Off Limits. You'll have to remove and redirect every.single.time and that takes a lot of energy. We would take her off and say "Not for DD" and move her to something else.

4. You'll get comfortable with the climbing as she gets more skilled. While some things are off-limits to climb in our house, other things aren't once I have seen she's capable of doing it and don't have to worry as much. (Like when she climbs on the kiddie table, our dining room chairs, or up on the back of the couch). Other things. like climbing the bookshelves, is not allowed and I remove her promptly each time. Some things at the playground she can't do without supervision but by and large she's very capable at what she attempts to climb and I try to give her as much space to do that as possible.

[hillview]

DD just turned 16 months has been a crazy climber for a long time. It is challenging at first because they're not as adept at it. This is what worked well for us:

1. Keep the baby with you as much as possible and keep them contained when you can't - this meant using a babycarrier on my back when I went to a different floor of the house, or putting the baby in a crib if I had to do something. Otherwise I couldn't be sure she was staying safe and not laying on top of the TV or scaling bookshelves.

2. Monitor their skills so you know what they can do. This is extremely important because there will be times they get to something and you're not there fast enough. Whenever I'd find DD climbing something, I'd spend some time spotting her so I could see what she was capable of and help her learn how to climb well.

3. Be consistent with what is Off Limits. You'll have to remove and redirect every.single.time and that takes a lot of energy. We would take her off and say "Not for DD" and move her to something else.

4. You'll get comfortable with the climbing as she gets more skilled. While some things are off-limits to climb in our house, other things aren't once I have seen she's capable of doing it and don't have to worry as much. (Like when she climbs on the kiddie table, our dining room chairs, or up on the back of the couch). Other things. like climbing the bookshelves, is not allowed and I remove her promptly each time. Some things at the playground she can't do without supervision but by and large she's very capable at what she attempts to climb and I try to give her as much space to do that as possible.
:yeahthat:
DS2 was a climber. My parents called our house alcatraz (sp?)
/hillary