From the time Mac was born, I tried really hard to not keep her strapped into one kind of chair or another. She occasionally sat in her swing. And obviously she would be in her (not bucket) car seat in the car. But otherwise she was either sitting with me or down on the floor, free to explore her own space. I believe whole heartedly in giving a toddler and even a baby freedom of movement. But it can be a little scary. Here’s how I gave Mac freedom of movement without also giving myself a heart attack.

One Step at a Time

I started small and over the last 16 months of Mac’s life, I have slowly made her environment bigger. As a newborn, I would lay her in the middle of the living room, sometimes underneath a wooden baby gym. There was no need to strap her in or gate her off; she couldn’t even move yet.

As she started rolling and scooting, I would create barriers so that her play area was large enough for plenty of movement, but kept her away from anything dangerous or things I simply didn’t want her to get into. This picture was from a time I went to the bathroom and when I came back, Mac had rolled over to the table, reached up, and grabbed a clean diaper off of the lower shelf. This was her face when I caught her in the act.

Mac-proofing is a constant process. After addressing really dangerous things (knives, electrical outlets, etc.) I simply wait and observe her to see what else I need to troubleshoot, which brings me to my next point. (And for more on the living room, click here. For more on her floor bed situation, click here and here.)

Childproof for Safety Only

As I troubleshoot childproofing every time Mac gets bigger and smarter, I keep in mind that I want her to have freedom of movement. I don’t want to childproof just because it is easy for me. Childproofing is simply making sure your child is safe. That means electrical outlet covers and drawer locks on the knife drawer. It doesn’t mean every single door and cabinet and drawer is locked just because you don’t want your child to pull out the pots and pans. It doesn’t mean corner covers on anything your child could possibly hurt themselves on. And it doesn’t mean making your growing toddler hang out in their pack and play so that you don’t have to watch them.

Follow Her Lead

When Mac was breaking through the barriers I built, that obviously meant I needed to re-think the setup. I know some parents think it means they need to build the barriers bigger and stronger, but I think it means she is ready for more space and more responsibility.

Trust Her Abilities

We pretty recently opened up the stairs for Mac to use. She is a great climber, but it was still scary. We brainstormed for a long time to figure out if there was a way to block off the stairs halfway up so she would have room to climb a few stairs, but wouldn’t fall all the way down the stairs. Nothing worked.

We finally took the leap and gated the stairs off at landing. That means she has 7 stairs and half of the landing to climb around on. For the first two days that she was allowed on stairs, I tailed her close enough to prevent a big fall, but far enough that she was on her own. Then for a day or so I would only come over if she was halfway up the stairs. And guess what? She figured it out.

Now I keep an eye on her, but I am not worried at all. Plus, she has Ralph to keep an eye on her.

How have you given your child freedom of movement without causing yourself a bunch of stress? Let me know below.