When babies start to be on the move, crawling or starting to walk and can no longer be happily contained in bouncy chairs etc. or on playmats for a short while, and say you need the loo or have to answer the door what do you do with them? I know you can get playpens but to me they look a little like cages, what about Travel Cots, does/did anyone keep one of those in the living room with toys in when you needed to do something urgently. Same idea but to me doesn't look quite like a glorified cage! Or do you just carry them about wherever you need to go?

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I know some people will have done it differently, but I took mine with me. Everywhere!
If I was taking a shower, I used to clear everything from the bathroom and let the baby crawl around the floor.
When the older 3 were small, I would have had a toddler in there too.
With Jack one of the older children could watch him, unless they were at school.

I stuck Ella in a Bumbo chair and have got them again for the twins. Also before she could walk I had Ella in a fisher price jumparoo. She couldn't go anywhere, and she enjoyed it.
Ella never really crawled - and although walked with my hands from 6 months, she didn't cruise furniture until 10 months, and then walked straight after that. This pair are going to be different I can tell already Katie is deserately trying to crawl just now - she can roll front to back. Abbie desperate to walk, but rolls happily back to front. Nightmares already and they are not even 5 months hehehehe
I think when she had outgrown bumbo and jumperoo, I used to make sure she was safe, kept in a room where nothing could harm her, and allow her the freedom to explore the room while I was at the toilet. All doors were shut firmly behind me.
xx

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I can't imgine when Jack is at the age where he is exploring that he will be happy with being in a travel cot for a few minutes anyway so maybe I'll just try and see how it goes. We have a Jumperoo which he LOVES now anyway and also a Bumbo seat though he doesn't go in it much yet, it might be useful wen he's a bit older.

I think he will walk early as he's liked being on his feet for a long time now, jumping especially. Saying that though he's only just started rolling onto his side in the last couple of weeks and can't fully roll over either way yet.
We measured his length yesterday for the first time as the Health Visitors told me they don't do it now unless there's cause for concern, and he's around the 91st centile. His weight, however, is just under the 50th. He's going to be tall and slim like his Dad!

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Elijah didn't crawl until she was a year old, so she didn't move if I left the room for whatever reason When she did finally start moving I had a playpen that was basically 6 plastic sides with activities on 3 of them, which joined together. If I was in the room it was left open, but if I needed to go upstairs, I put her in it and closed it up. Same with Rheiya, but we were living in a flat by that time so it wasn't closed that much as she just followed me
With Lucas I just left him! The lounge was completely safe, worst he could do was pull out all the CDs while I nipped to the loo.
With Jaidyn I had one of those baby activity centres, so I just dumped her in that if I needed to go upstairs. She loved that and once in it would stay in for a good half hour or so (screaming blue murder if you tried to remove her before she was ready!) which was handy for the dreaded bed changing days

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