Outgrowing an Infant Crawling Track

[PokerDad]

Since this thread has been bumped... two quick questions for anyone that can answer:

where did you get the naugahyde for the cover (or did you use something else?)
where did you get the padding?

I think these two are my only hold-ups. If I'm going to do the crawling track (which I've gone back and forth on, but am thinking it's better to do than not), then I need to hurry and build it this weekend with baby-to-be's grandfather!

Thank you in advance if anyone can give me some tips!

[Korrale4kq]

If you are in the US, I know the craft and fabric store carries a foam padding. You can also buy a heavy duty vinyl there.

[mmartens3]

What store is it?

[Korrale4kq]

Oops my bad... Was trying to write a quick reply before the kid got on the iPad.


Joann.

One example of vinyl... There are more options in stores.

http://www.joann.com/marine-rv-vinyl-asst-d-colors-/prd23669/

And foam

http://www.joann.com/search/_foam/

[Korrale4kq]

Joann also stocks pleather and PUL.

http://www.joann.com/search/_pul/

[mmartens3]

Thanks so much!

[mmartens3]

How do you adhere the foam and the covering to the track?

[carpe vestri vita]

I had to special order naugahyde because I was not comfortable with the smell of regular vinyl. It was quite expensive comparably.

I also used two layers of recycled low VOC carpet underlay. Which I bought at the hardware store. I also didn't like the smell of upholstery foam. It was slightly less squishy. I think next time I would use organic cotton quilt batting on top of one layer.

We used a low VOC glue that applied with a caulking gun. This was a bad idea. It dried lumpy. I would definitely use a brush on product if I were to do it again. Then I stapled the ends to the underside.

[PokerDad]

I built the track a week ago using standard commercially available materials. They weren't my favorite materials to use for sure - but contrary to Doman's advice, I will not have him on the track for hours and hours (and sleeping in it at night)... so the materials are perhaps a smaller issue.

I am curious how often you had your little one on it, or if there was any sort of method that you used. For example, one thing I've been doing is prior to feedings when he's all upset, I put PokerBub on the track and have him make his way down it before eating. My thinking was that he's already upset and tummy time/crawling track will only shift the focus (but he's gotten better at ignoring this and still being upset)... second, doing A leads to B... so perhaps there will be a positive association? Maybe I'm justifying... not sure. Total time spent on the track right now (turns two weeks old tomorrow) is fairly sparse. Way back when, I remember vividly you posting on the recommended tummy time (5 min per day per how many weeks old)... that means 10 minutes per, and right now I'm maybe at about 3 or 4 looking to increase the time on the track.

Any ideas or strategies you used?

[nee1]

PokerDad,

I reread Doman's 'How to teach your baby to be physically superb' only yesterday, so I think I can answer your question. This is my copy of the book  - http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Baby-Physically-Superb/dp/0757001920/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341605163&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+teach+your+baby+to+be+physically+superb.

On page 67, they write:

``Frequency: We propose that at least ten times a day you get down on the floor with your newborn and encourage and cheer him as he moves.

 Intensity: Watch how far and how fast your baby crawls on the floor-the crawling track can easily be marked on the sides every six inches, to monitor his movements.

 Duration: A newborn should have a minimum (emphasis is theirs) of four waking hours daily hours to move in his track or on the floor. Ideally, he should spend all of his waking hours in the track.

THE GOAL AT THIS LEVEL IS FOR YOUR NEWBORN TO CRAWL TWO TO THREE FEET NONSTOP ON THE FLAT FLOOR OR TRACK''. Quote ends.


So, you see, minimum is FOUR HOURS. Ideally, according to the book, the child should spend all his time on the track. It makes a lot of sense to me as the more he has the opportunity to crawl, the faster he will meet physical milestones plus avoid the dreaded flat head syndrome. And according to the book, not just does crawling help milestones, it promotes convergence of vision which will be useful for reading, etc. So, the more the tummy time the better.

[PokerDad]

I own a copy of the book.... but my wife dislikes the few minutes he's on his track already, and she pretty much has him 90% of the time (due to his constant hunger and constant displeasure if he's not eating or sleeping). The amount of time I have for things like this, at this point, is very small. Wife DOES agree that tummy time is important, but I can tell you there's no way she'd agree to even a single hour per day at this point... after all, according to her, "he's only 13 days old" 

Though limited, I can tell he's improving as he spends time on it; am curious if carpe vestri vita did anything different than Doman's suggestions, her child crushed all the milestones so I know the method works; just want to know how far I can adjust and still feel like I'm doing something productive

[Mandabplus3]

4 hour! Holly crap! I just couldn't leave a newborn  baby in the crawling track for 4 waking hours!    I think that's wrong. Newborns only have a few waking hours a day, if they spend it all in the track, when to we get to interact with them? Talk to them, make eye contact, hold them, show them the world, let nana have a hug? Oh dear. Ok I am all for multiple times a day for short periods, and see nothing wrong with having baby crawl to get dinner ( even though parenting experts will try to tell us babies don't understand cause and effect!, mine sure did!) I can even go with sleeping in it. I mean baby has to sleep somewhere safe.
So if your baby gets 4 hours a day exactly what age are we expecting mobility?how much gain do we expect? Crawling at? Walking at?
For the record I didn't have a crawling track. My kids spent time on the floor, on back and tummy, inside and outside (I think outside is good for vision personally) they crawled at 6 months ( crawling like we use in everyday speech, up on all fours and totally mobile. Doman calls that creeping right? One did the doman crawl at birth.. ) . And all walked confidently between 8-10 months. I attribute it to spending more time on the floor, less time locked in prams and particularly high chairs. I never left them in a highchair unless they were actively eating. We didn't own a bouncer chair, they were on the floor. Sometime propped up in a V cushion if they were windy.
I am curious as to after all the effort, what are the expected gains?

[carpe vestri vita]

PokerDad:
At that age, any tummy time is more than most parents are doing. It will seem weird. Your wife will warm up to the idea slowly.

I did things a fair bit differently than Doman suggests. I actually did less at that age.

Zed had GERD that was undiagnosed until 6 weeks, and not controlled for a few more weeks after that. He was absolutely distraught at going down an inclined track because of the pain it caused him.

We occasionally put him on the incline track heading UP. Primarily it was because it was a good angle to avoid vomiting, he didn't object, and he couldn't roll away so I knew where he was if I needed my hands free.

As for the rolling, I'm pretty sure he learned very early because of something genetic and not because of anything I did. He was just too young for me to think the few times I rolled him over (as suggested in the vestibular section of both HTTYBTBPS & HSIYB) actually did much. He was only 10 days old. Even now he has very high muscle tone compared to other kids his skill level (he looks like a body builder compared to another 2.5 yo).

We still did flat tummy time straight through from the beginning. I would place him on the bed, I'd sit on the floor in front of him, and we'd make googly eyes at each other. Or I'd put him on the floor and place interesting things just out of his reach. He would kick his legs sometimes and not get traction, so we would help by placing something that he could kick to get forward motion. If he could have used the track it would be just like its edge.

Once his GERD was controlled, we put him in the inclined track and he loved it. It took a couple weeks to get him back able to move his own weight (he gained weight very quickly) down the track, after which it became a when-ever-he-wants thing. Honestly, it was at least 15 trips down it per day, but he spent half his day on the floor, and the other half being held. The track was like the punctuation, not the sentence.

He was crawling well by 3 months, and started creeping shortly after. We put the track away at that point.

The suggestion, of 5 minutes (per day of tummy time) per week of age, was straight from my doctor. Current tummy time suggestions say any time the baby is not putting pressure on their head counts as "tummy" time, but he disagreed and claimed this was why the current generation is not only lumpier-headed but less active than previous generations. My doctor was sure that society needed to develop a standard for tummy time and a frequency that actually works to not only prevent flat spots, but to get kids moving. There wasn't one, so he made one up. I've heard other doctors in my area use the same metric, so I think it's catching on.

If we count by the current standard, he spent 23+ hours doing "tummy" time after his GERD was controlled. We carried him (using a soft structured carrier) rather than a stroller. He hated baths, so he was washed in the shower with my husband or me. He slept on his stomach*. He played on the floor. Literally the only times he was on his back were to change his diaper, in the car, and to be weighed at the doctor's office.

We did not make him stay in the track or on his tummy if he was unhappy about it. I just counted the minutes (or seconds) towards the total and tried again later. I wouldn't recommend making him wait to eat, that affects his ability to bond with you. In his eyes you will be that person who won't let him eat. He may start crying when you hold him even if he isn't hungry because he knows you won't let him eat when he does get hungry. I've seen it happen to overeager grandmothers who insist on trying to calm the baby everytime it cries (and at that age most of the time it is from hunger).

If you thought Zed 'crushed' milestones at that age you should see him race.  He and I have entered a couple 5Ks and next spring it will be a 10K. He beat me both times    He is definitely "physically superb."

I hope this is some help.

* Babies with GERD very rarely die of SIDS due to rarely entering the deepest levels of sleep. The deepest levels of sleep are when babies are most likely to die of SIDS. Sleeping on their stomach causes most babies to sleep more deeply. Babies with GERD on the other hand can die from inhaling their own vomit. It's very hard for a child to inhale vomit lying on their stomach. We chose to 'risk' SIDS to 'prevent' vomit inhalation and to 'deepen' sleep. I am not recommending that anyone alter their child's sleeping environment because of what worked for us. There are risks to everything. Be informed and make your own assessment of the risks.

[Korrale4kq]

James was in 3 positions during waking hours for the first 5 months of his life. On his tummy on the bed beside me, sitting upright in my cross legged (Indian style) lap or nestled against me in a moby wrap, inward facing. He even nursed lying on his belly. He was only on his back if he rolled onto it or when he was sleeping. At 6 months he was cruising  and spent a majority of his time standing upright.

[Korrale4kq]

We never had a crawling track, but with a little resistance from my hands, or a pillow, James was crawling (doman style) across the bed within a few months. Granted it would take him about 40-50 minutes to get from one side to the other. But he was doing it.

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