Babyproofing hardwood floors?

[elliesmama]

Any tips on babyproofing hardwood floors?  I want dd to have freedom to explore and fall and stuff, but we have all hardwoods.  Any ideas?

[momtonb&ab]

marking my spot, we have hardwood as well and i am interested to see what others do.

[lyndsy_p]

I have hardwood in my kitchen, but carpet in the family room. I kept her in the family room when she first started to pull up. If she was to be in the kitchen with me, I would put her in her highchair. Once she got better at it (about 2 weeks) I would let her sit on the floor in the kitchen. She's fallen many times, but nothing too serious. Just keep your eye on her.

[deb]

What Lyndsy said.

There was the occasional fall and bruise, but the kids also bonked their heads on the coffee table in the carpeted living room and on the dressers in our bedrooms, so it was really 6 of one, half dozen of the other.

[lilmonkey]

Ditto to Lyndsy.

Now protecting your hardwood floor from stratches and dents...that's a different story. 

[elliesmama]

Thanks for the replies!  We have hardwoods throughout the house--not a stitch of carpet except for a couple rugs underneath furniture.   She's sitting up very well now and I usually put down a quilt when she's playing on the floor but it still doesn't add very much padding.  So I guess I just will have to be okay with the occasional head bonk on the floor?

[mcruari]

Yep, Clarissa grew up on marble floors and they soon realise that the floors are HARD LOL

[Bryony]

Ditto here - we don't have a speck of carpet in the house, it's either wooden floors (hard) or ceramic tiles (even harder). When Katie was learning to sit up I would put a pillow behind her. But now that she's mobile we can't do that. So she does fall and bonk her head. And sometimes she does howl. And she does have a few bruises from time to time. But she's learning fast to put her arms out to break her fall.... 

I am not sure what else we can do TBH, I figure it's part of the learning process 

I do walk behind her when she's using her new push-along walker, as she's not very secure with it yet and falling from standing is a lot further than from sitting / crawling....

Bryony

[tylersmommy]

I never really did anything. When she was still wobbly at sitting up, I'd always have a pillow or boppy behind her. But there was no way I could watch her every second and catch her every time she fell. She did hit her head a few times but, like Bryony said, it was all part of the learning process. She's had several bruises and bloody lips but you can't just can't shield them from everything sometimes. It does help to keep her feet bare (and her pants off when she was crawling) so she can get some traction...pants and socks just make it really slippery.

It didn't take her long to learn that floors hurt. When she flings herself on the floor in a tantrum, she always stops right before her head hits the floor...and slooooowly lowers it down.

[elliesmama]

It didn't take her long to learn that floors hurt. When she flings herself on the floor in a tantrum, she always stops right before her head hits the floor...and slooooowly lowers it down.

Ha!  LOL.  Perhaps this is one more of the times to learn to let go of her and let her figure things out on her own, right?  Geez that's hard for me to do.  Recently I've been sitting in the same room with her as she sits on the floor and plays because I can't see her from another room.  Is it okay for me to leave her in the one room while I'm in the other?

[nona]

we have hardwood/tile in most of our downstairs living space. i bought those alphabet cushy floor tiles and created a small play area. when cade started crawling, it didn't matter after that. he crawled all over them and didn't seem bothered - i think his knees got calloused!when they start walking, barefoot is best (slippery socks). when it is cold, i put cade in slippers w/ rubber soles or at least have socks w/ grippers on them (you could prob make some w/ puff paint).  i just bought an 8x10 rug and that's where we play now. (got tired of the brightly colored alphabet tiles!). previously, we had a seagrass rug which wasn't much softer!

fortunately, cade has never hit his head, etc on the floors. he usu hit the coffee table (the legs, not even the corners!).  ii moved our coffee table b/c i'm about to buy a leather ottoman...no bumps since! i'd just buy some more rugs if you're worried about it.

i'd briefly leave cade for a split sec if i left the room.

[Bryony]

Laurie - I leave the room briefly but we are more limited by separation anxiety than by safety!!!

[lyndsy_p]

I only started leaving the room completely when she could crawl. I have gotten into the habit of calling her name after a few seconds (like it's a game) and she follows me, at least to where I can see her. It's no fail. No matter what she's doing she will come my way when I say "Graaaaeeeesha. Where's my Graesha? Graaaeeeesha. Where's my Graesha?"

[Bryony]

That's really cute 

[EllenS]

My lo will laugh or come find me when I say, "Where's that baby?" or "What'cha doing?"

I have left her briefly (like to go potty) for several months.  We have mostly hardwood - my main concern now she's learning to walk is traction - Robeez are great, much better than slippery socks or even the socks with gripper feet.