9 mth old & baby proofing, etc.

Hi. My 9 month old is at a stage where she constantly wants to pull herself to standing or walk with help. It's a great thing, but it means that we are CONSTANTLY watching her. Because the flats are so small here, there are tons of things she can crawl to and pull herself up with that we can't remove from the living room and she's not stable enough to allow to stand alone even holding onto something. So, I'm just wondering what other parents do at this stage- is a playpen the only option if we need to leave her alone for a couple of minutes? I tried taking her into the bathroom with me, for example, but she tries to pull herself up with the edge of the bathtub (god forbid she falls and hits herself against it!) She screams bloody murder if she's put in her walker or exersaucer.

If she doesn't like the exersaucer a playpen might be too small too, but worth a shot. Another option is to make one room safe and use that when you need a break. Do you have those mats that look like puzzle pieces? Maybe some of those in the areas she's most likely to fall would help. Good luck!

Kilwinning my 9mth old is in at the same stage as yours. I've been discussing what to and haven't really come up with a decision. For now if i need to do something i just put him into his crib with a toy and tell him i'll be back in a few minutes. usually he's ok or will complain and i just ignore him for those minutes i need to get things around the house done. That or i just strap him into his stroller and let him watch what i'm doing. We have thought about mommy sara's idea about baby proofing his room and putting a baby gate on the door so the door needn't be shut...we haven't cleared out the old funiture in there yet, will have to do that this weekend or next i reckon...