My two year old son just climbed/fell out of the crib for the first time today. He is developmentally delayed, and I didn't expect to have to deal with transitioning from the crib for another 6 months to a year. Tonight we're just going to have him sleep with us, because it's too late to go looking for a new big boy bed, but we're in a dilemma over what to transition him to next. We don't want to buy a toddler bed, we'd rather just go to a twin, but need something low to the ground. Until we find the right thing, do we just put his crib mattress on the floor of his room, and put up a gate or something so he can't get out and hurt himself, or what?
What have you other moms done to help ease this transition? Remember that I'm dealing with a kid that for all intents and purposes is closer to 12-18 months developmentally.
We can't do a crib net because the crib has a sleigh back, so the tents won't work. So last night we tore down the crib, covered all the outlets and removed anything that he could hurt himself with, and put the crib mattress on the floor in his room. I cuddled with him until he fell asleep, then put a baby gate up in his doorway.
And lo and behold, he slept there just fine all night. I don't know if he rolled out or not, but if he did, it wasn't enough to wake him up. And he's at this moment napping peacefully there as well.
I think we're going to go look for a mattress/box spring set, and transition him to that (with a rail.) We're moving in two weeks, so it will be a lot of transitions, but hopefully we can get them all done at once, instead of dragging it out.
The move will probably help the transition from crib to twin size bed.... I have read and tried the advice I found about transitioning my children from the crib after a vacation or trip out of town and it worked great.
What we have is a twin bed that we've pushed against the wall- we keep his old crib matress underneath the bed and pull it out before he goes to sleep at night, just in case he rolls out of bed, which he hasn't. You could also try a trundle bed, a bed with another one underneath that can be pulled out, which would be nice for times when he needs mom/dad to sleep in his room. Good luck!
MR
Hi A.,
My son was only 16 months old when his sister was born and needed the crib shortly thereafter. We gave him his "big boy" bed (just put the two full size mattresses on the floor against the wall) so that he could be safe yet transition to the role of big brother and we could use the crib for my daughter. It worked beautifully. It wasn't til 1 1/2 yrs later that we added frame and headboard - when we moved and he got his own room. Hope that helps!
D.
Glad things are working out for you! You might take a look at some foam bed "bumpers" instead of rails. There is a company on Ebay that sells them -- just search for "toddler portable bed rail." We have loved ours they are so much more comfortable than actual rails.
We bought a crib tent and called it our "camping tent bed". My daughter loved this, my mom even got her a little lantern(flashlight) to take to bed. Babies are us carries them, as well as several online companies. I found this to be a great solution for my delayed sweet baby girl.
Our 2 year old transitioned to sleeping on a twin bed on the floor about 9 months ago. He loves it, and it seems much more roomy than the toddler beds, so it seems safer to me. A couple months ago we raised the bed onto a boxspring, and put a bedrail on the side, because he has started tossing and turning more lately and the bedrail keeps him from falling out, and also makes him feel kinda cozy. You can buy a bedrail for $20 or less at Target, Walmart, etc, and it easily adjusts to any size bed. It is made to go between the mattress and the boxspring; I'm not sure if it would work without a boxspring.
Also, someone mentioned talking to your son about staying in bed, etc. I completely agree. I strongly believe that kids understand and respond to our words from a very young age, especially if explained with love and clarity. I would talk to him about the whole situation, explain that you do not feel safe about him getting out of bed on his own until he is older, and make sure that he has some way of communicating with you if he needs you, so he doesn't have to climb out of bed himself. My son sits up and calls "Mama!" when he wakes up, and he knows I will come right away, so we have never had an issue with him climbing out on his own.
Like someone else also said, "developmentally delayed" or not, it is important for him to feel competent and confident. I am not sure what his particular situation is, but it is important to remember the beauty and strength within any child, and to remember that each child learns and grows at their own pace in each individual arena of life. I have a friend whose son was born very prematurely, and so was profoundly "developmentally delayed" for some time. He is now over two, and is right on target with other kids his age, and is a total joy and inspiration!
Good luck!
My daughter "crib-dived" at about 13 months. We put her in a toddler bed with her crib bed next to it to cushion any falls. Biggest problem is that they can now get out....not that they fall out! Good luck.
We got one of those bunk beds that has a full on the bottom and a twin on top, and our two year old loved it. The full gave her more room since she was a roller and she has not fallen out of it yet. You can get a rail too is that helps :)
buy a twin let him start w/ mattress on floor
My brother and sister in law had twin boys and kept them in cribs much longer than most do with using these "tents" that you can buy at Target.com or at Babies R Us. Its like a heavy duty netting with a zipper that goes over the top of the crib and they cannot climb out/fall out. I'm sorry I don't know what they are called, my twins are only 6 months old and I haven't gotten to that stage yet!! But I'll gurantee that the guys at Babies R Us know what they are and where in the store they are, they seem to know everything :-) This seems like a better proposition than toddler beds or sleeping with mom & dad to me, good luck!!
Hi A.,
Sorry to hear your son climbed out of the crib already. There's always wonder about when that will happen. I have 3 children. My youngest is 2 1/2 and they all have transitioned to a toddler bed before a twin. You mind be able to find an inexpensive used one at a consignment shop like Gumballs in Littleton or Once Upon a Child. If that's not going to work you can put his crib mattress on the floor in the corner of his room and use a bed rail on the open side so he doesn't fall out. I hope you find something that works for you and your little guy. Best of luck! C. M.
I would go for the twin bed and put it on a trundle frame; that way it is not just on the floor but is also low enough so that falls are not as dangerous as from a daybed or one of those grow-with-you beds that converts from a crib to a toddler bed to a twin. You can find some very nice stand-alone trundle frames that just look like low beds and not like an unfinished part of the furniture. Good luck!
Does your crib transition to a toddler bed? Then you might get a twin mattress and put it on the floor. this works for a long time...many of my friends did this until their children were three or so. I transitioned mine at just 2 as we needed the crib for the baby. We put the twin bed next to the wall with a rail. we then put pillows lengthwise on either side. she didn't use the rails very long at all. As far as keeping the child in bed, you may just have to use the back to bed techniques. You might be surprised how submissive to the technique yours might be. Otherwise, they have net tents you can put on the crib. they zip open. I have seen them at One Step Ahead. I had a friend use it for her daughter until she was three as she had similar issues.
We transitioned both our boys out of the crib when they were 17 months old (on the advice of a friend that had older kids... the reasoning was that transitions were met with less resistance earlier) It went great! We did put a gate on the bedroom door - it would be opened from the inside, but no other roaming was permitted! It kept them safe and didn't take that long for them to get the idea - total transition time was less than two weeks each.
In the interest of saving money and staying safe, for now just put the crib mattress on the floor, then later you can transition to a twin on the floor if you like!
Good Luck! It will go great! They grow up so fast - enjoy every minute!!
Your idea is a good one. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Good luck!!!
you can find crib tents at onestepahead.com
Hi A.,
Instead of going straight to a toddler or big boy bed or mattress have you thought about one of those crib tents? Or I don't know what kind of crib you have but we have the kind that has a taller side on the back (it converts to a regular bed so that would be the headboard)and friend of ours suggested turning the crib around so the shorter side is against the wall. We haven't had to do this yet but it might be easier then the bed thing. If you do turn the crib around you would probably need to get a step stool or something to get him in and out of the crib. Hope that helps and good luck.
A.
A couple months ago my 18-month-old started climbing out of his crib and there was no keeping him in it. So what I have done is put his crib mattress on the floor. The problem with that is that if we put him to bed befores he decides he wants to go to bed he just gets up and comes out of the room. So I put on a doorknob cover and he can't get out. Sometimes he lays on the floor by the door and goes to sleep; in which case I go in and move him when I go to bed. When my 5-yr-old was this age I did the same thing except I used a regular twin mattress. Eventually I will move my son to a twin bed with a guard on it so he can't fall off. But right now this works!
i have simply put pillows on the floor to soften the blow and explained to my kids that now that they only have the small half rails on the bed, they will have to be more careful when they roll over in the night so as not to fall out. i was surprised that they understood. at times i would even find one of my sons holding onto the rail closest to the wall in his sleep, in an effort to keep himself in the bed. when the falling out was rare enough and i was comfortable with it, i took away the pillows. the reason i didn't put them in a bed closer to the floor is that i used to babysit a 3 yr old and put him on a mattress on the floor that was about 6 inches thick. he would just end up rolling off and all over the floor in his sleep. so i figured my kids might do the same if i didn't train them somehow to stay in a bed, even if it meant falling out at times. i eventually decided to put the boy i babysat on the couch with the fold out mattress on the floor next to it to soften the blow and he got better and better at staying on the couch. good luck!
Hi A.,
It may sound odd, but we found the perfect match for a toddler bed with our 20 mo old after she would not fall asleep in a crib at all. It was around 16mo when we tore down the crib and decided to try the queen size inflatable air matress (it's a Coleman). Once we put sheets and a body pillow on the bed she was as happy as can be. She can only fall the 8" to the ground and can feely get up and out of bed without step or assistance. This is working out well as we're hoping to move soon and don't know how much room we'd have for a 'real' bed. Good luck!
We transitioned our dd about 21 months, but we put her in a queen size bed that way she had more room to roll around on. We didn't use the frame so the box frame is on the floor. We made it fun for her by letting her choose the color decor and she loves it. If your not comfortable with switching yet if you don't think he will climb out of a pack in play you could always try one of those. I hope this helps and gl.
I think I've heard that someone makes some sort of 'net' or something that's supposed to keep things like cats out and kids in? Try a search on google.com.
K.
When my kids were big enough to climb out, I left the side down so they would not hurt themselves. That way we didn't have the expense of a bed until we were ready.
C. B
We have a crib tent for my 2 yr old duaghter. She started climbing out of the crib and was so pround of herself. The first night I put the tent on I zippered it and she hated it. It was a rough night for all of us. The tent is still on (has been for about 5 or 6 months) but I don't have to zipper it anymore. I simply told her that I wouldn't zipper it if she didn't try to climb out. She hasn't even tried since the first night we put it on. We got the tent with our first child at Babies R Us.
Because of his developmental delay you may not want him out of the protection of a crib where he can just roam free. My best suggestion would be to get the nets that go over the crib to keep them in without feeling trapped. They are at babies R us. Good luck!
Hi A.-I have heard great things about the crib tents but have also heard that it has scared some kids. I did not use one-but it may be worth a try. Also, I moved my 2 1/2 year old to a twin bed but was worried about him falling out so we went with a bed that did not require a boxspring so that it would be closer to the ground. And then I bought those safety rails that you put on the sides of the bed for the extra protection. Good luck
You've gotten lots of advice, here's another 2 cents worth. Developemntally delayed or not your child needs to develop a sense of competence and confidence. You are the best judge of what is needed to allow this safely. How about putting a mattress and box spring on the floor, it will be higher than just a mattress so he can be a big boy and do a little more than just roll out of bed but won't have enough of a drop to hurt himself. Personally I would advise against nets, which he could get tangled in, and wouldn't lock him in unless unsupervised wandering poses a danger, after all you do want him to be able to use the potty when he needs to.
Dear A.
I hope this doesn't sound cruel, but it worked out great for us. We bought a twin bed but put the matress on the floor and didn't put it on the frame until our boys were ready. I was afraid of our boys getting up in the middle of the night and walking around the house and hurting themselves, so we put a lock on the outside of the bedroom and basically locked them in their rooms. Make sure your sons bedroom is safe and maybe just has a few toys out that he can play with if he wakes up early. I don't know if this is the right answer but our boys had no problem with it and have so far turned pretty independent. Anyway, just an idea ...........good luck!
I had a 9 (yes, NINE month old daughter who could EASILY get out of her crib!!!!!!! We did the mattress on the floor and she loved it...but make sure to put the crib away as one (very early) morning she climbed back in and the springs weren't a positive surprise!
Good luck!
My son climbed out of his crib on a regular basis after 12 months. We also looked for a twin bed but felt that he was not ready. You can find a nice inexpensive toddler bed on craigslist, and those are nice because they are so low and you can keep using the crib mattress you already have. Especially for a little while until he adjusts. My son kept his toddler bed for about 2 years when he was bigger and he was ready for a new bed. He even went with us to pick it out. If you still feel that a twin bed is better check out American Furniture Warehouse. They have a good size childrens section with twin beds that are low. My son picked out his bed which is a twin with drawers under the bed. Its somewhat higher than the toddler bed but still fairly low to the ground. Hope this helps.
I see you got a lot of responses. We just switched to bunk beds as we need the crib again, and our 21 month old has preferred it by far to his toddler bed. It's also lower to the ground. Just a thought.
Have you tried a crib tent? Our daughter is a climber and she suffered a very serious fall when she was 17 months that left her hospitalized at Children's for a few weeks. We found the tent was the best alternative because she found a way to climb over every gate we tried.
We just went for the twin bed as well. I didn't want to mess w a toddler bed. I know of a lot of people who just put the mattress on the floor. We kept ours on the box spring. I would help your son practice getting on and off the mattress. You could have special time on the mattress where you all read together, play or take naps. Try to get involved w the big boy bed as much as possible. I know that it is very hard because he is so young. But if he has a favorite cartoon or color, you could get those sheets, etc. And you have the right idea about the gate. They work great for at night. Also there is this Elmo book about sleeping in a big boy bed. That really helped as well. Once he starts sleeping on the twin bed, he may not sleep as well (not sleep thru the night, etc). We didn't have that happen, but I know of a lot of people whose kids had that problem. If you are looking for the sides to the twin bed so your son doesn't fall off the bed One Step Ahead makes great ones. They are longer than anywhere else I've found. He is probably too young for those now, but that's just something to keep in mind for the future. It will take a while to adjust on both of your parts. Good luck!
My boys went to a twin bed at 18 & 22 months because we needed the crib for a new baby. We had the little tikes race car bed in a twin size which has sides so they don't roll out.
I know that there are crib tents out there that will keep kids in the crib and unable to climb out, so they are safe in their crib. If you are not ready to move him, I would look into one of those.
Good Luck!
at about 9 months my dd started shaking her crip so hard the screws were coming out. Yup, she's strong and determined. lol. we took her crib matress and put it on the floor that night. She slept on that matress on the floor until about a year and a half when she asked for a bed. We didn't have money for one at the time and my sis was moving to england so we took their queen. she slept on that for about 6 months and then I got her a bed at IKEA. it is still lower than a twin but it extends as she gets taller so it will grow with her. It's a Eurpean bed so it is skinnier than a twin but it gets longer. I love it because at the size it is right now it has small sides on the bed. She hasn't fallen out but can climb on and off safely. I think I spent about $350 for the bed and matress.
