My six-month-old son is trying to sit up and crawl. I'm scared of the potential for an injury

Question

My baby boy is 6 months old and he can sit up but loses his balance sometimes and when he tries to crawl he half crawls. He will crawl just a little then jumps forward and will hit his head/face and tries to army crawl (mostly in the play pen).

We have hardwood floor in the living room and carpet in the bedroom so I've been letting him play on the floor in the bedroom. He is starting to sit up a lot better but still falls over. I usually catch him before he falls but the other day I didn't catch him in time and he hit the back of his head on the floor which scared me more than it did him. He wants to play on the floor in the living room but, with it being hardwood floor, I'm scared to death. I'm also still scared of him playing in the bedroom because I'm afraid it's going to hurt him by hitting his head with him being so little but he is trying to learn to crawl and explore. I don't want to take that away from him but my anxiety kicks in when he hits his head.

I'm a first time mother so I'm still getting the hang of things. But is he okay to play on the floor in the living room and if he hits his head? I'm afraid of brain injuries, please remember I'm new to this and worry myself silly on everything.

Answer 1

You are never going to be able to protect him from all possible falling, tripping, stumbling, etc scenarios. And you shouldn't try to. Just ensure the environment is free of sharp edges, that it's baby-proofed, that there is as little chance of a serious injury as possible. And let your child explore the safe zone freely.

Hard wood is actually not that hard. Stone, tiles, metal - these are really hard surfaces and about falling on them you should be more worried.

An infant is very unlikely to sustain serious injury when falling from its own height. If your boy falls a few times and you "save" him, he may start enjoying it - the sensation of falling - and thinking it's some kind of play and even start doing it on purpose. If he, however, hits his head a few times - he'll very, very soon learn to be careful when sitting and crawling. I've been in your position about a year ago, trust me, that's how it works.

Answer 2

A fall from crawling height never hurt anyone. Worst case, they might bite their lip a bit. A fall from standing height is usually okay too. Check with your pediatrician, but if your baby falls, even if they cry, if they are easily consoled, and they are moving their arms and legs normally, seem happy a few minutes later, don't lose consciousness, don't throw up, etc, they are fine.

Again, a fall from baby standing height onto their hands or butt is fine, even on hardwood. Your baby has to learn, and that's going to mean some falls, and maybe even a few bruises. It's fine. You don't have to hover, you don't have to catch them. Protect their head from falling onto the corner of the coffee table, but other than that, they'll be fine.

One really important safety tip, make sure if there are any stairs in your house that they are gated.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_falls-what-to-do-when-a-baby-or-toddler-gets-a-bump-on-the-h_397.bc