Climbing out of crib... help!

amother

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 1:40 pm

22 month old ds just started getting out of his crib. He was up till 1:00 last night... in and out in and out...

He comes out like 20 times a night. I am not ready to put him in a toddler bed or big bed yet! 4 yo dd is just now in one for the first time! He wouldn't even sleep next to me in my bed. He was jumping around and running all over the place.

His room is upstairs and ours is on the main level so he is walking down the steps alone at night to get to our room. He also wakes newborn ds...

Ideas?

mummiedearest

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 1:55 pm

I know ppl who used crib tents, but I'm not a believer. you may not be ready for a toddler bed, but it sounds like your toddler is. 4 yrs old is pretty late for starting in a bed, imo. meanwhile, put him back without talking/playing with him each time he comes out. and for safety, put up a gate at the top of the stairs. you don't want anyone falling late at night.

mommygirl

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 2:23 pm

same thing happened to us, and it was a nightmare. so we tried the toddler bed, and it was a disaster. Many sleepless nights later in absolute frustration I bought the Camp Cot (Pack n' Play) out of storage, and voila we were sleeping again. It was a perfect solution ! He can't climb out of it, the walls are way to high !

Good Luck

amother

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 2:36 pm

op here

I know 4 yrs old is way too old for a crib, but she never minded it and was able to climb out when it was time to get up and climb in when time for bed, and she never came out when she wasnt supposed to. She just liked the crib, so I wasn't messing with it Smile

As for ds, I don't think he is ready for a big bed bc I think he likes the security of his crib. I think he really just would not like it.

The pack n play would be ok except on vacations when we have used it, he rarely slept, and he is getting too tall. Right now our only pack n play is being used by my newborn...

I think we are just going to keep putting him back in and hopefully it will only last a few nights.

BH right now he went for a nap in his crib with no problem at all. Im hoping its not just because he is too tired from last night to try to come out...

BabsB

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 3:30 pm

Is the mattress of the crib lowered all the way to the bottom?

I second the vote for a gate at the top of the stairs. Stairs are dangerous for little ones and even more so in the dark.

I had an Aunt that had this problem. She tied a sheet to the four corners of the crib to keep the kiddo in. It worked!

busydev

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 4:01 pm

wld bribing him work?
ds who just turned 2 started climbing out. (literally on his second bday) he stays in at bedtime and nap time when we tell him that if he doesnt sleep he will be to tired to have fun at morah or with his uncles or when he wakes up he can have shabbos treat. but he does like his sleep so that helps.
I wld say to put a gate by his door so he cant wander all night. and dont leave your newborn in the same room
hatzlocha.

TzipG

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 4:06 pm

I used a crib tent for a bunch of my kids - but they started jumping out of the crib as early as 16 months, so I really had no choice. By 22 months I would probably start transitioning to a bed...

bubbebia

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 4:12 pm

My son started jumping off the railing of his crib at 9 mos. That was too young to put him in a bed so we taught him how to climb out safely and when we moved a couple of months later put him in a regular bed. My next 2 girls were out of their cribs by 18 mos (climbing out) and my last would have been but we couldn't afford another bed at that time so we took off one of the sides and called it a "day" bed. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. A lot of it is peace of mind and a portion of it is for your child's safety.

amother

Sun, Nov 10 2013, 9:32 pm

is he tired enough? is he napping late? if so he may not be so tired and therefore climbing in and out..consider moving his nap earlier, shortening it, or if hes ready take it away
good luck!
we went through this
it is superrrrrr hard but it is a STAGE and will end iyH!!!

Rodent

Mon, Nov 11 2013, 6:16 am

My 3rd was climbing out at that age and it only got worse and more frequent. Put him in a toddler bed and put a gate on the door of his bedroom.

suzyq

Mon, Nov 11 2013, 12:49 pm

Unfortunately, they don't make crib tents anymore. If he's climbing out, it's really not safe to have him in a crib. He comes down wrong once, and you have a broken leg. My son climbed out when he was about 18 months old, and the one thing we tried before moving to a bed was taking the platform that the mattress rested on out of the crib completely and putting the mattress on the floor inside the crib. This got us about another six weeks before he climbed out again, at which point we put him in a bed. The transition to bed worked much better than we expected, but we close the door (not locked, but he can't really open it) at night so he doesn't get out. He actually really likes being in a bed now because he can play on the floor with toys until he's ready to go to sleep and then climb into his bed. It took a week or two for him to adjust (he slept on the floor for a few nights) and then he was fine.