One day your baby can barely wiggle across the living room floor; the next your little one is scaling walls with Spiderman-like skill. As your child begins to explore the world on his or her own feet, get ready to grab your running shoes (and a cup of coffee) to keep up! Here are 15 tell-tale signs your kiddo is on the move!
Photo: Personal Creations
1. All of your furniture is either bolted to the wall or nailed to the floor because (overnight) your toddler has gained superpower-like strength to move just about anything.
Photo: Donnie Ray Jones via Flickr
2. You eat most meals with a spoon because your knife block and kitchen cutlery is somewhere safe and out-of-(even your)-reach.
Photo: Abigail Batchelder via Flickr
3. You’re considering putting a padlock on the bathroom door so that little fingers can’t TP your house.
Photo: Chuck Redden via Flickr
4. It’s sometimes hard to distinguish between your child and your pet; both now need a leash.
Photo: Donnie Ray Jones via Flickr
5. A labyrinth of plastic gates has transformed your home into one, large baby-friendly jail.
Photo: Abigail Batchelder via Flickr
6. Your home is now an edgeless oasis of pillows, pillows and more pillows.
Photo: Michael Rhys via Flickr
7. If you miss the adult world of sharp-edges and breakables, take a quick trip to the garage, basement or storage locker — that’s where they live now.
Photo: Jenny Cu via Flickr
8. You consider outfitting your toddler in a crash helmet based on their average number of daily bumps and bruises.
Photo: Donnie Ray Jones via Flickr
9. You’ve gotten creative with how to accident-proof your child (boxing them in foam core isn’t out of the question).
Photo: Donnie Ray Jones via Flickr
10. You quickly realize there is no such thing as “baby proofed,” there is only baby proofing; the active pursuit of trying to stay one step ahead of your ever-curious child.
Photo: FromSandtoGlass via Flickr
11. Your baby is beginning to stand upright; you, on the other hand, are stooped over. 24/7.
Photo: Sergio Vassio Photography via Flickr
12. You swear walkers should be renamed trippers because you fall over one. Daily.
Photo: Jenny Cu via Flickr
13. Your child looks like a walking sticker book.
Photo: Phillipe Put via Flickr
14. Overnight, your child went from clutching you to (near) running in the opposite direction.
Photo: Oleg via Flickr
15. You don’t need to workout anymore; chasing your toddler is an all day marathon.
Do you have any to add? Tell us in a Comment.
–Meghan Meyers