Baby proofing the floor

[Anonymous]

Does anyone do this? We have hardwood floors and tile floors and our baby is crawling and will soon start to grab onto furniture (and fall) and start taking steps (and fall) I’m concerned about baby falling face down on the tile or head first on hardwood. What did you all do to baby proof? My spouse seems to think putting foam interlocking tiles all over the house is the only solution. Open to ideas and would like to hear from you all.

[Anonymous]

Hardwood is fine but I might keep LO off tile if you can while they are in the constantly falling phase

[Anonymous]

Nope, he falls, he bumps, he grows, he learns.

[Anonymous]

We did foam tiles under a soft rug for the main play/crawl area. He learned quickly that he had to be more careful off the pad. I think it was a good balance.

[Anonymous]

We did the foam interlocking tiles when the baby was learning to sit but didn’t worry once he started to crawl and walk. They usually fall on their little bums first.

[Anonymous]

My first I was so worried about this. Every little bump I would text my ER doctor friend asking if I should take the baby in. Now...if they're crying they're breathing!

[Anonymous]

I’ve had three babies learn to walk on wood and none of them have ever done worse than a goose egg on the forehead. Ideally the day before a pediatrician checkup.

[Anonymous]

During the "falling a lot" phase I had my son wear a baseball cap when he was outside. The hard brim prevented him from smacking his face on the ground. You might do a rug or foam tiles on a small area though.

[Anonymous]

Mine learned with a wood floor. I don’t recall any falling forward. I think it’s easier to learn how to walk without that stuff on the floor and there’s no real danger. Isn’t that why they are so short?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine learned with a wood floor. I don’t recall any falling forward. I think it’s easier to learn how to walk without that stuff on the floor and there’s no real danger. Isn’t that why they are so short?

That's why my pediatrician Dad says. "That's why they're made so close to the ground".

[Anonymous]

The foam tiles have carcinogens in them.

Let the kid walk on the floor. Harder surfaces are more stable. He will be fine. I promise.

[Anonymous]

Bumps are healthy! They learn quick how to not fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine learned with a wood floor. I don’t recall any falling forward. I think it’s easier to learn how to walk without that stuff on the floor and there’s no real danger. Isn’t that why they are so short?

That's why my pediatrician Dad says. "That's why they're made so close to the ground".

Dad Doc is right. We didn’t do any special floor proofing. Just watched them a lot whenever they were on the kitchen floor (tiles). They did occasionally lose balance and tilt forward. Because they are so low to the ground, they didn’t land very hard and all that padding (the baby fat and that massive diaper in their butts) helped to cushion any impact at that point.

Let them feel the texture of the floor. They will love it.

[Anonymous]

I’d focus on sharp furniture edges rather than floors.

Babies learning to walk don’t trip and fall like older kids do, because they haven’t picked up any forward momentum yet. They just sort of…wobble, then their unsteady little legs give out.

So they usually land butt-first, and they’re far more likely to crack their head on nearby furniture on the way down than they are to land headfirst on the floor.

[Anonymous]

I didn't do any of this. We have some area rugs already and we would play with her on those, largely because it was more comfortable for us. But she loved the hardwood. Comically, it was actually hard for her to crawl or walk on it at first because it was slippery -- she'd move her little legs and not go anywhere. Adorable! But really, it was fine. She has had some bad falls in our house but they are actually not that common and she is always fine. Your baby's first huge bump or big shiner due to something like this is like a parental "level up". You can't keep them in a bubble. They heal, they learn.

I get baby proofing a little more with subsequent children because you will never be able to supervise a baby as closely as you can your first. But ironically, people tend to baby proof less with second and third kids because by then they realize that babies and toddlers are going to fall and even get hurt sometimes, and it's really not the end of the world.