T minus six days
Megan and Bubby are coming to visit on Sunday -- for five full days! Which means it's time to babyproof the place.
It's not like Bubby's never been here before, but each time he's visited Grandma's, he's been relatively immobile. Now he gets around ... a lot. And my house has stairs ... a lot.
The other day on the phone, Megan gingerly brought up the topic of our zillions of stairs.
Megan: "Ummm, have you thought about your stairs, Mom?"
Me: "Yes, Megan, I've thought about the stairs." (How could I not? There's at least one step into and out of every room in our house, plus massive staircases from one level to the next.)
Megan: "Well, Bubby climbs stairs now."
Me: "I know. I remember you telling me that. But we have baby gates. Lots and lots of baby gates."
Megan: "No. That's why I'm saying this, Mom. Bubby doesn't need baby gates. He does stairs now."
Me: "Uh, I don't think so, Megan. Not our stairs."
Megan: "He does fine, Mom. Really. He's a big boy. He's allowed to go up and down stairs."
Me: "I'm not comfortable with that. Nope, not comfortable with that."
Megan: "I kinda figured as much, which is why I'm mentioning it now, Mom. Just think about it."
Is this a crazy conversation or what? I thought new mothers were supposed to be hyper vigilant, chastising Grandma again and again about all the dangers lurking in her home and how to babyproof those dangers away.
But here's my daughter telling me I don't need baby gates in my house of 10,000 stairs? With a 21-month-old toddler on his way? For five days? And with me so proud of myself that I have SIX baby gates in my possession for ensuring his safety during his visit?
Apparently that's six too many.
At least Megan knows me well enough to not spring such things on me at the last moment. She knows I need time to deliberate, time to think things through.
So I've thought this through. And -- call me crazy -- but we will be using baby gates while Bubby's here.
At least five two of the six I have on hand.
Now, is there anything else I need to be sure to not babyproof before Bubby gets here? Any suggestions would be appreciated, as I've clearly not yet figured out this whole grandma thing.
Today's question:
What's the worst accident that's befallen you or another in your own home?
My answer: I fell off the top of a ladder while Jim and I were remodeling our previous house and was quite bruised and battered by the fall and subsequent entanglement with the ladder that fell with me.
Monday, March 8, 2010 Bubby, Megan, babyproofing, our unusual house, stairs 
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Reader Comments (11)
I'm with you. Those stairs look much scarier than my carpet-covered ones. Baby gates would definitely be in use. Of course, I'm sure there will be hardly a moment when someone won't be with Bubby, but still you can't be too careful.
The worst accident that happened in my house was truly tragic, and it involved the stairs. We had a birthday party for my Dad's 90th birthday, and his baby sister, who was in her seventies, missed the last step going down the stairs and fractured her hip. She had a long and difficult recovery. So kids aren't the only ones who should be watched on the stairs.
Whatever you do, don't babyproof the (inexpensive) knick knacks. My daughter loves these in my MIL's cabinet on every visit. You'd think my poor child was deprived.
Ironically I've arrived her from a blogroll on Mrs. Blogalot after reading her post about an addictive desire some of us have to find new blogs. Not me, of course.
Have a wonderful visit!
I think the worst was, at the farmhouse in Minnesota, when you fell running up the STAIRS and knocked out a loose but resistant tooth. Susan falling into a drainage ditch, with her bike, Susan falling out of a tree, Susan falling off a horse, all happened outside the house.
Please lock or duct tape all cabinet doors or drawers where Bubby might discover Draino or Clorox that he might taste... or knives, or sissors or something else that he could stick into an electrical outlet.
I had a dream last night that you and Jim announced you're expecting your fourth child. And I thought, "Wow. That's really going to complicate her grandmother blog ..."
I don't know what this means other than I should lay off the internet before bed.
As clumsy as I am, I've never done anything that horrible in my own home. Knock wood.
I think I'd keep those grand stairs off limits, but that's just me!
My daughter got her finger pinched in a bi-fold door. Squished the top part of the pad of her finger off. It was messy, lot's of blood and tears and a trip the the emergency room where she had to be stitched up. Quite the ordeal. She was only 18 months old.
I'm trying to decide between the incident of our daughter's friend breaking her leg on our trampoline the very first time she came for a visit. Or when our daughter broke our son's finger because she was mad at him. Or when I was flying down the stairs in the dark at 5:15 a.m. because I was late meeting my walking partner, missed the last couple of steps and sprained my ankle. We're not terribly accident prone, but enough to spice life up a bit.
By the way, how is your husband doing now? Can he maneuver the stairs?
Okay, I'm not a mother or a grandmother, but the thought of a 21 month old having free stair rein in your house makes me hyperventilate a little bit.
Actually, my worst accident was falling down OUR wooden stairs. Luckily, nothing broken but it hurt like a you-know-what. Hmmmm...maybe that's why I'm hyperventilating.
I'm so glad to read that you all agree with me. I'm really not a super paranoid hyper grandma. I call it common sense.
Alyssa: So happy you joined us.
Gina: Ha! There's no way that dream will be coming true!
Nina: Yep, Jim's up and around and climbing stairs -- and driving himself! That was a rough patch in our marriage, that's for sure! But we made it. And now he owes me big time. :o)
Shylee and her mom were here this weekend and she has mastered the stairs. Her mama informed me that we need a gate before I babysit later this month!
When I was 5 months pregnant with my first, I stepped backwards off the 3 ft. high porch and broke my leg. I was in the hospital for 30 days in traction!
Usually it was my children, who most resembled monkeys, climibing to the tops of the kitchen cabinets while left alone for 30 seconds or less and finding the cough medicine which they seemed to LOVE for some reason - managing to undo the child proof cap, that not even I can open, and drinking the whole bottle. Happened more than once - yep! Just call me irresponsible . . .
Kristin
It isn't going up the stairs, it's that coming down--and I don't know about you, but I'm not as limber at following toddlers around as I used to be.. Gates for me, if I had stairs!
Worst accident wasn't too bad though it could have been. My then 3 year old now 41 year old got his head stuck in the bannister on the stairs at my mother's .. we had to call the rescue squad to get him out.. I guess it's like delivery, once the head goes through, it doesn't go back so easy!
He was crying and scared.. and if he'd been higher up and slipped with his head in there, it could have been real bad..