https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:02:15 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823736 Mon, 21 May 2018 09:36:26 +0000 snowjewelz 2823736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Newborn/infant stage was fairly easy. DD1 was 2 when DD2 was born; DD2 lived on the boppy lounger for the first 3 months probably. Then transitioned to a cheap Fisher Price bouncy seat. I like that I can DD2 could be on the floor with us but safe in her seat. Then she moved onto the Sit Me Up seats when she could hold her head/neck up. </p> <p>I always just made sure DD1 didn't play with small beads/legos etc close to the baby. Even now at 1.5 years old, I still tell DD1 to play with beads and other small stuff somewhere high away from her sister. </p> <p>It's definitely hard to proof when you already have another older kid; as a result, DD2 gets into way more things than DD1 ever did. She can reach the markers now and open them :shocked: Thank God they are washable. She also has been playing with playdoh for months and learned pretty quick not to eat it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823671 Sun, 20 May 2018 20:15:55 +0000 maddyz 2823671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mine are 19 months apart and I could not leave the baby in reach when he was little. I wore him SO MUCH. We had a baby bjorn bouncer that we used a lot. Sometimes DS1 would sit on him in it... not great. Our appartment is super small so I could put DS2 down in our room with the door shut and still feel super close. I also used the uppababy basentte a lot with and without the stroller. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823660 Sun, 20 May 2018 19:18:41 +0000 Mrs. Goose 2823660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A cheap pack and play with the upper level insert is invaluable in my opinion. They can go in for naps and you can put the activity mat in there for safe tummy time and back play time while your toddler still gets to do what they want and you don’t have to worry. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823629 Sun, 20 May 2018 13:39:03 +0000 DesertDreams88 2823629@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm going to be the outlier here because I am currently in the thick of this. LO1 2y4m and LO2 3 months.</p> <p>For us, almost nothing works. No swing, bouncer, or rock n play. My son would knock it over and/or smack her in the face and/or try to pick her up and/or throw things at her. I'm not exaggerating. ETA: also what @newlypregnantlady said (poke eyes, climb in, etc.)</p> <p>The pack n play bassinet kind of works, but sometimes he shakes it hard and he could still throw things in it.</p> <p>I haven't tried the carseat in the stroller, locked in place with brakes on, put in the corner so he can't knock it over. </p> <p>Only 3 things have worked for us:<br /> 1) Her in the Ergo.<br /> 2) Taking him out of the house as much as possible (parks, indoor play places, mall, errands, etc)<br /> 3) Her in one room, alone on her activity mat, with a childproofed door, and him playing in the main area. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823626 Sun, 20 May 2018 13:13:37 +0000 Mrs. Turtle 2823626@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>O has been around little babies on and off in our house for the last 6 months. She's 30 months now and is very gentle, but I still don't put baby on the floor because she gets excited and I worry she'll step on her or fall on her. But 6 months ago it was much harder. The rock and play works pretty well, especially if she isn't in the mood to rock it hard. We have a rolling bassinet that I also use to keep baby even more out of reach. I have been amazed though, at how much better she is now though. I didn't expect the time between 2 and 2.5 to make such a difference. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823591 Sun, 20 May 2018 08:43:02 +0000 justjules 2823591@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS was 18mo old when DD was born. I really needed a safe place out of reach of him if I was ever going to turn my back on them to cook, go to the bathroom, do dishes etc. so swings or bouncers on the ground weren't safe for us. </p> <p>A friend let us borrow her Halo bassinet for the first two months which we kept in our living room. Babies are so sleepy at first so we just put her in that or a doc a toc on the bed out of reach while she slept. A pack n play with a baby lounger would also work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823590 Sun, 20 May 2018 08:40:41 +0000 periwinklebee 2823590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have personal experience, but our good friends with that age gap had this problem - their toddler was just super curious and the bjorn bouncer and blankets didn't work so well - they ultimately had great luck with a rock n play. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823584 Sun, 20 May 2018 08:01:34 +0000 Littlebit7 2823584@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>even though I found it frustrating because I hate “stuff” I needed several safe spaces to put the baby down when I was around the house. We had the bjorn, a swing, rock n play, and a dock a tot. I used them all in different locations. I couldn’t leave them alone together if I needed a shower (I found my older daughter trying to “warm up” her baby bro with a blanket completely covering him when I ran out of the room for a few seconds.<br /> I’d just buy whatever you can find second hand but safe spaces for baby are crucial the first few months </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823582 Sun, 20 May 2018 07:24:50 +0000 Silva 2823582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@misolee: I hope we have a similar experience! I have a lot of guilt about kicking him out of the baby role so soon, but this was the best timing for our family plans. I really don't want to do the thing where I immediately have higher expectations of him because he seems so much older than a newborn, you know </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823581 Sun, 20 May 2018 07:23:29 +0000 misolee 2823581@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Silva: just saying hi bc I think we have similar aged kids. My oldest was 3.5 years old when younger brother was born. Brother was only 25 months when his younger sis was born two months ago. I worried a lot bc my son is crazy and high energy and just two. But I’ve been surprised at how much he cares for his sister. We still have to remind him to be gentle by he will come running when she cries to help shush her and pat her. He wants to hold her all the time. It’s really sweet to see :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823579 Sun, 20 May 2018 07:16:47 +0000 Silva 2823579@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@misolee: we do have a rock and play, maybe I will just be able to use that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823578 Sun, 20 May 2018 07:06:36 +0000 misolee 2823578@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had the exact same problem. Baby came in March and I realized I had no where to put her downstairs. I also didn’t want to invest in anything too pricy bc she’s my third and last. I also needed a place to pop her in while cooking, getting lunches and bags ready, etc. and I preferred it to be mobile so I can lug it between rooms. It also had to be sort of high bc of crazy two year old boy. I ended up buying the cheapest rock n play on Amazon. It’s been a lifesaver. It’s easy to move between rooms, it’s high so I don’t have to worry about two year old, and he really loves to “help” rock her when she fusses. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823574 Sun, 20 May 2018 01:38:33 +0000 Calibee 2823574@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter was 27 months when her brother was born. We talk a LOT about being gentle with baby before he was born. Then once he was here...she really was! I watched closely in the beginning, but she has always been surprisingly wonderful with her brother. </p> <p>I think taking a step back (while also of course ensuring safety) really helped. Baby was not a “forbidden” thing to be around and their relationship is so sweet and developed really naturally. </p> <p>Things would of course be different if older kiddo was prone to biting, hitting, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823572 Sun, 20 May 2018 00:38:14 +0000 newlypregnantlady 2823572@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had a pack n play set up in the living room so I could put the baby down in a safe place. My daughter was 22 months when her sister was born and just wasn’t able to understand how fragile a baby is. She was constantly hugging too tightly or kissing too rough or trying to poke her eyes or shove a paci in her mouth (or share her food). It was all just loving her a little too hard. </p> <p> I found the bouncer or swing to not be super helpful to keep the baby safe because my toddler would try to climb in with the baby. I also was terrified of putting a bouncer the bucket on a table because I just knew my toddler would pull her down off the table to get to her. So she was only ever in the pack n play alone. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823557 Sat, 19 May 2018 20:03:54 +0000 erinbaderin 2823557@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son was 26 months and not that careful when our second was born, and we just used a babybjorn bouncer and a play mat and they were fine together. We did have a mamaroo also that we used, but that was actually the biggest problem because B kept wanting to climb in it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baby-amp-toddler-safe-places-for-baby#post-2823553 Sat, 19 May 2018 19:29:06 +0000 Silva 2823553@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My oldest child was 3.5 when her younger brother was born, so she had a lot more self control and comprehension of rules/expectations/safety than I can reasonably expect my 2 year old son to have when our third is born in October.</p> <p>We don't have a ton of baby gear and don't want to buy a lot, but I am wondering if I'm going to need a better place to set the baby. I'll babywear plenty, but we really have only ever used a baby bjorn bouncy seat, or set the baby on the floor on a sheepskin. We don't have anything that is raised up off the ground. We have a co-sleeper that will be attached to our bed. </p> <p>If you had a younger toddler when your baby was born, did you have to take any extra steps or measures to make sure the baby was safe? My son is an incredibly sweet boy but he likes to throw things, swing his arms around, and I fully expect some hitting to happen. </p>