Safety proofing time!

It's official, Sol is crawling!!

Even worse, he loves to pull up on anything and everything so he can try standing!

Since his play area is next to the fireplace, I've been searching high and low for a safety solution. Thanks to Pinterest, I'm hoping my hard work today pays off. 

I purchased this mat at Burlington for $24.99. I also picked up 2 roles of tape at Home Depot, each $6.99

Since our fireplace is lower, I used an Exacto knife to cut down the mats on the sides. I wasn't sure exactly how to take the mats down, so first go around I started putting tape on the mat. 

And I ended up separating the blocks and laying them individually. 

I realized it was better to put the tape on the brick instead. 

I went back and used a glue gun to try and connect the mat better---but didn't love the results. 

So on the second side I cut the mats a bit shorter and connected all of them together. Then, I used the hot glue gun to reinforce the mat. 

I then put larger pieces of tape down on the bricks 

This time I put down the whole mat at once. I added tape in spots I noticed were weak, but I think this side looks better. 

I have heavy objects on the mats in hopes they will help them stick. They won't stay there. Sol already loves Azaria's bowls and tub of toys. Of course her toys are cooler because they aren't allowed for Sol!

I'm pleased with how it looks so far. And we have matting leftover!  Not sure yet where it will go. 

The real test will be when Sol tries getting up on the fireplace again. 

By the way, I am, by no means, encouraging him to get on the fireplace-but I want to supervise and discourage activity and hopefully not have to spend $150+ to get a gate around the entire fireplace. We will see!

In the meantime, David is working on the staircase....safety proof safety proof!

Happy 8 Months, my love!!!