When I wrote about Little Lion’s Montessori inspired nursery a while back, he still wasn’t mobile. A lot of the baby-proofing we did at that time was in anticipation of him being able to get into everything eventually…but we had no idea what a curious daredevil he would turn out to be! Now that he is able to freely explore we have had to make some adjustments, so I thought I would share how things have changed!

ADVERTISEMENT

1. Floor Bed – I so so badly wanted this to work. I knew I was choosing to try yet another unconventional method, but it seemed so appealing in theory. It definitely has its perks. I love being able to snuggle with LL before nap time while we read stories, and I love that it allows him the freedom to get up from his naps and move right into playing without needing me. It was also really nice while he was sick…I could lay next to him through those sleepless nights and try to make him feel a little bit better. Unfortunately, 9 month olds can only handle so much freedom, and if it was up to LL, play time would start at 4am every day. Even though he almost never had trouble falling asleep on his own, once he was able to fully crawl he started having a hard time falling back to sleep once he woke up…his curiosity was too strong. He also, on occasion, isn’t quite tired enough when I put him down for a nap, so he fights sleep in order to have a little more play time. So about a month ago we got out the pack and play for night time (and stubborn days).  Since we still aren’t all that close to sleeping through the night (meaning 6pm-6am), we decided to get the crib back out of the attic. LL now has two beds in his room. My hope is that we will be able to work through night weaning and hopefully get to where he sleeps through…at that point we will move him back to the floor bed full time. I think we would have had more success if he had been sleeping through the night before he learned to crawl, but ah well. That’s the trouble with trying new things, I guess. They don’t always work out the way you expect.


Naptime? Ain’t nobody got time for that!

2. Basket Close to Bed –This we still have. I keep 3-4 books in here so that he has something close to the bed to explore when he wakes up from his naps. The rest of his books are too high for him to reach right now, so this way he has access to some without help.

 3. Basic Childproofing – We thought of ALMOST everything, but there were a few things we didn’t anticipate. First, we had all of the outlets that had items plugged in covered with furniture. We didn’t realize, however, that LL would be able to reach BEHIND the dresser and pull on the cords. He managed one day to pull the lamp down, and of course it landed right on his head. At least we can say our first goose-egg is behind us. Another thing I thought of since my first post was the type of bulbs we were using. We had been transitioning to CFL light bulbs throughout our home, and had some of these in LL’s lamps as well. After the lamp incident, I realized that a broken bulb could have been a huge danger, not only from the glass but from the mercury contained in said bulbs. To prevent the lamps from being able to be pulled down, Mr. Lion got out his trusty staple gun and stapled the cords to the back of the dresser. We also changed out the bulbs in his room to regular light bulbs, just in case.

3. Lowered Pictures – LL loves these! Much to my surprise, they are fastened to the wall so well that he is actually able to use them to pull to standing. He often crawls over to this part of his room to inspect the pictures. He has been able to pull down the lowest big frame, but can’t get the smaller ones off the wall. I have been very impressed with the picture hanging strips I used. They are pretty awesome!

5. Designated Play Area/6. Easy Access to Limited Toys – Love this! Almost all of LL’s toys are contained within the drawers on the shelf, and each day I pull out a few for him to play with. One thing I didn’t anticipate was him using this shelf to pull up. The edges are a little sharp, and when he was first learning he bumped his forehead a few times (nothing major…it mostly just annoyed him). He also tries to crawl inside the bottom cube openings. I like to leave some toys on the bottom now so he can practice pulling them out of the holes.

7. High Shelf – No Change – We do have to be careful when we pick him up from changing his diaper not to hit his head on this shelf, but it really isn’t close enough to be a problem.

8. Doors that Close – Yep. Super important. These rooms are off limits during play time, so I have had to learn to be much better about remembering to shut them. I often put the cloth diaper pail in the bathroom and put the trash can on top of the dresser so that he cannot get into them. Sometimes I forgot to pull the door shut, and it isn’t long before I find this!


This is what happens when Mommy doesn’t shut the door

Overall, Little Lion’s room has been a huge blessing. I have a safe place to put him during independent play time without restricting him to his pack and play or a play pen. He has a space that is all his own where he can explore without me constantly telling him “no.” It is a constant work in progress, and I am sure we will need to make more adjustments as he grows and learns new tricks.

How have you created a safe environment for your little one in your own home?