My Carpet the Minefield

Well, we've officially hit the Cheerio phase!

Not the hand-feeding, which Baby has been doing for a while, but that wonderful point where your floor becomes a minefield.


Baby lovs his Cheerios. Also carrots, and since I have lots blanched and frozen in the freezer from our garden, those are really easy. He's pretty much on all table food, except baby food fruit, which is just way easier when he needs a touch of prunes. The little food mill I bought works great.

But our carpet is a mess. No amount of care with the splat mat, sweeping, vacuuming, or crawling around on my hands and knees seems to give us a respite from stepping in scrambled egg or mushing leftover carrot between our toes.

I have a vague memory of a dog I had before we moved to Alaska (I would have been 5 1/2), a beagle named Snoopy, who'd spend all of dinner under the table waiting for fallout from my sister's dinner. Our cat tries to keep up, but he's slightly pickier than Snoopy was, and won't touch the Cheerios or carrots.

Then we have to be careful with Kiddo's snacks. A bowl of raisins, for example, is not a baby-safe item, and Kiddo has a hard time understanding that the bowl can't be on the floor anymore. The major hazard, since Baby doesn't seem to have any allergies, is choking.

And Baby is very curious about food. If I'm having Chex Mix he tries to get his own Cheerios out of the bowl. If we're eating dinner and he doesn't see some go in that food mill he gives us dirty looks until we give him some of whatever we're having. I think he's about a month from grabbing the spoon and really trying to feed himself.

Then we get the fun of him launching food and seeing how far it will go. Kiddo was an award-winning food launcher. Once I turned my back for a minute and he somehow got egg on the ceiling. I just hope Kiddo doesn't rediscover the fun when Baby figures it out!

Baby is also pulling himself to standing all the time now, and trying to walk while we hold his hands. It's going to be a challenge when he gets fully mobile, since baby gates are a bit challenging for a 3 year old, and we don't want to restrict Kiddo's access to bathrooms and stuff. At the moment I'm using a dining room chair laid on its side to block Baby's access to the kitchen and bathroom; Kiddo can climb over it but it's still an obstacle to Baby. I've been double-checking the baby proofing to make sure it's up to stuff.

Between the chair, various bits of baby edibles, and the toys of two active kids, navigating the floor in this tiny place can be hazardous to your toes!