From the moment we gave birth, we look forward to that moment when our baby learns to crawl. And when he does, the next thing we anticipate is our toddler taking the first steps. However, what most of us fail to anticipate is the enormous effort and attention required to monitor a sprightly child. Find out how to get through the toddler stages and uphold toddler safety from the time of his wild crawling to the riveting moments of his wobbly walking.
Your crawling toddler
Most babies learn to crawl around six to ten months of age. You’ll see him trying to move forward by pushing off with his knees. Once he gets the hang of it, he would move around more steadily and quickly.
Toddler safety while crawling
Toddler safety should continue to be your top priority. To ensure toddler safety, make your child wear supportive knee pads. The pads will prevent his knees from scraping, bruising, or wounding while crawling on rough surfaces. If your toddler is keen to crawl on smooth floors, make him wear knee pads with traction beads. That way, your toddler will get the right traction he needs while crawling on slippery floors. Don’t forget to clear the path of any obtrusive clutter and sharp objects.
Your walking toddler
The moment your toddler takes his first crucial steps, it means your child is soon bidding goodbye to infancy and moving onto the next phase of budding independence.
Toddler safety while walking
The first steps of your child will be wobbly and flimsy as expected. Thus, cushion everything around the house in case your child bumps on fixtures or tumbles on the floor. This would also be the time to provide your toddler with his own pair of shoes.
Encouraging toddler mobility with toddler toys
If your child isn’t crawling or walking yet don’t force him to do so. Give him time to adopt the skill. What you can do is to encourage his confidence and become more mobile. You can give him toddler toys to encourage crawling or walking in your toddler. Toddler toys to help your child crawl include balls and moving cars. Your child will be stimulated to crawl as he chases after toddler toys that are mobile and strikingly colored. Once your child shows proficiency in crawling and standing up, toddler toys such as push and pull toys can promote walking in your toddler.
Every time your toddler makes a huge milestone, make sure you show how you appreciate his efforts. A warm embrace and an affectionate kiss are enough to shell out for his remarkable feat.
