Published on 20th July 2016

This lasted for several weeks, and I was convinced we would never, ever sleep again. It's an understatement to say I'm glad she learned how to put her head down and snooze on her stomach, and that she can now roll both ways. Phew. 

But with this new ability, comes some new challenges for us... She can get anywhere and everywhere by rolling and scooting. And she does it fast. Gone are the days of putting her on that tiny activity mat and knowing that her only major movements were swatting at the animal toys that dangled from the top. Now, she can maneuver across the entire living room in no time. 

Once your kiddo is on the move, you realize how unsafe your entire home is. The fireplace, the edges of the coffee table, the stuff on the coffee table that you never even thought twice about, outlets (why are there so many?!), shoes at the front door, floor lamps, table lamps, power cords, steps, chairs... you get the point.

This is only the beginning. Once she starts crawling, pulling herself up on things, and walking, it's going to be nonstop action. Consider this a heads up--one day your baby isn't mobile, and then you blink and she's made it to the other side of the room.

To make the environment more fun (and safe) for her, we bought these cool SoftTiles that interlock to create a big play mat on the floor. They're non-toxic, thick, and easy to wipe clean (which is essential, considering she's a drool machine). So if we distract her with enough toys, she'll happily sprawl out and play on the mat instead of trying to scoot to something dangerous. We also set up a pack 'n play (and this time I didn't injure myself), to keep her from getting into trouble if one of us has to leave the room for a minute.

Basically, I think we should just get rid of everything and pad the walls. 

But since we can't... let the baby-proofing begin! 

By Jess