Toddler Climbing Out of Crib

Hello S.. I say put her in a toddler bed. As soon as both of my kids were walking (with ease), I put them into toddler beds. It helped ease my mind that they wouldn't break their necks trying circus tricks to get out of bed. Best of luck to you :)

Same problem here. I just dropped the mattress to the groun in the crib...she can't anymore, problem solved and she's still in the crib!!! Some of my friends did buy the tent, but dropping the mattress to me sounded like an easy solution.

As soon as my son was old enough to climb out of the crib, I got him a toddler bed. I was so scared that he would climb out while I was sleeping and break his little bones. The toddler bed seemed to be the safer option (at least until his brother was born and he started climbing in to wake him up lol).

Can't say I've ever heard of a "tent crib" but it doesn't sound to be to safe... she could get caught up in it and supposedly bumper pads and such are a cause of SIDS so it wouldn't really make it safe for the same reasons, right??

My son did that too, until he actually FELL out once and got "hurt" and scared about it. Then no more did he do that.

Toddler beds with railings.... well, kids can get out of those too and come into your room.

Crib canopy... this works well... my friends used it and liked it.

Your daughter has turned climbing out into a game....she climbs out, you go in and put her back. It's funny!
And she doesn't want to stay in her crib now....

Getting a child that age to 'stay' in their crib/bed/room is tricky. And, they don't have 'full' impulse control developed at this age either... so, things get repetitious.

Some parents put a baby gate in the doorway of their bedroom or the child's. Or, they lock the door. But, I personally don't like that idea.

Here's some links on it:
http://www.babycenter.com/404_my-toddler-is-climbing-out-...
http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/sleep/refusing_crib.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_stop-child-climbing-...
http://mommylife.net/archives/2006/05/toddler_climbin_1.html

Good luck,
Susan

I am going through the EXACT same situation with my 19 month old son right now and I'm trying to figure out what to do also. I was considering the crib tent until I came accross this article:
http://www.safetyresearch.net/Library/SRS082.pdf
Makes me nervous to use something that isn't proven to be safe for toddlers.
Haven't tried this yet but a friend just suggested that I try one of those sleep sacks for biggers kids. This would prevent him from being able to get his leg up over the side to get out. I'm not sure if it will work but I think I might try it out. If that doesn't work, I think I'll go for the toddler bed even though I still feel like he's not ready for it.

Hi S.,

We borrowed a crib tent from my sis-in-law when my daughter started doing the same thing. It worked just fine for us. You might also consider putting just a mattress on the floor for her to sleep on. We did that before transfering her to a regular bed because she moves around a lot and we too, were worried that she'd fall out of bed. Good luck with your precious daughter!

Hi S., at 21 months i took my kids out of the crib, so they could go to the potty at night, and feel like big boys and girl. I layed the crib mattress on the floor, put all their stuffed animals around and they love it, I put them in a twin bed at 2. The one thing you don't want to do is to go in her room all hours of the night, because that develope some hard to break habits. we were reading to our kids at bedtime, and then praying with them, so they went to sleep feeling very loved and very secure so they slept very well. This is what we did. J. L.

if you are not ready for her to be in a bed you can consider a crib tent they work wonderfully

I lowered the rails at that age so they would not hurt themselves getting out and we put them in toddler bed around 2years...coming soon for her. She should understand that it is time to stay in your bed. Put her back in and don't talk to her or comfort her at this time or it only encourages it (of course you do have a bedtime routine with books, hugs and kisses, etc. when first putting her in bed and telling her goodnight). It may take a few nights, but she should get the idea pretty quickly.
H.

Hi S.,
My daughter started doing that last month. She's only 19 months (started climbing out at 18 months). We've had the crib tent on for the last month and it's worked great. The one we bought has velcro ties, but they don't fit around our crib railings so we had to double-knot the string ties. It does make her mad, but she sleeps all night in her crib. We couldn't find a crib tent in a store near us, but I was able to order one from Wal-Mart online and they shipped it to the store closest to us. It was around $50.

My mom said she moved me to a toddler bed at this age, but I'm more afraid that my daughter will keep coming into bed with us all night (I can't sleep if she's there next to me nursing, which she wants to do if I'm sleeping with her).

If you decide to move her into a toddler bed, there are things you can do to train her to sleep in her bed. I like the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". The doctor recommends establishing sleep rules, and going over them with the child. You make a big poster that says "Eve's Sleep Rules" (using your daughter's name), and decorate it with whatever she's into. You put on the poster:

At bedtime we...
1. Stay in bed
2. Close our eyes
3. Stay very quiet
4. Go to sleep

He also advocates the "silent return to sleep", which is similar to what Supernanny does. The first time they get up, you say "it's night-night time, darling" and put them back to bed. The second time you're a bit more firm, and say "it's night-night time" (no darling). The third time, you don't speak to them at all because the interaction is what they're looking for. You just keep picking them up and putting them back in bed without talking to them.

You can also either close the door or put up a baby gate in her doorway, let her fall asleep on the floor or wherever, and then put her back in her bed after she's asleep.

You might also try letting her pick out Elmo sheets (or whatever she's into) for her "big girl bed".

Good luck!

When my son started crawling out of the crib, we took the side of the crib off and put on the toddler rail. He did start getting out of bed with his new found freedom, but we stuck with the Supernanny method of just continuously returning him to his bed without engaging him. After 3 nights it stopped. At age 4 he still stays in his bed and he is in a double now!

My experience (with all three 3 boys of mine) is that once they start climbing out of their cribs, it's time to get a toddler bed. Once you get a toddler bed, there may be some transition time where you will constantly be putting your child back into bed, but eventually she will get it as long as your are consistent. You may still have to keep putting her back into her toddler bed, but at least there won't be the fear of her falling from the height of a crib. I put all my children's toddler beds against a wall with one side rail. They all even fell out a time or two (or three) but IMO the falling out of bed part taught them the boundaries of their bed. Now all mine sleep in regular beds and have done so since they were 3 (ages 5, 7 and 16). No more falling out. No more ushering them back to bed. We also follow a strict schedule of 7:30 bath time, 8:00 bed time which really helps (except the teen, he's old enough and even gets up for school on his own - GASP). Also, IMO, talk to your little one about getting her a big girl bed so that when you get the toddler bed, she's not taken by surprise. Explain to her that since she climbed out of her crib, it means she is getting to be a big girl and needs a big girl bed. I even went as far as taking my little people with me to pick out their toddler beds. For me, it made for an easier transition. Good luck!

Oh, and it's nice to see someone with the same spelling name as me! Not many of us out there! :)

Good Morning S.,

You may want to consider that your child is advanced or prodigy level. Some children who are very intelligent have brain storms in the middle of the night. You may want to purchase a small twin bed or just let the her sleep wherever she wants, even sitting straight up on the toilet, if that is what she wants. You may want to look for books on Indigo Children or the Crystal Children. They are the new ones who require a touch more from parents. They are brilliant!

Be well.

N.

Hi S.,
Time to buy a bed! My daughter has been in a twin bed since 18 months old, with a side rail. We nixed the toddler bed altogether because it seemed like such a waste of money; they are in it for such a short length of time. We're planning on the twin lasting her for quite a long time. That being said, it can be difficult keeping them in the bed. My husband and I would take turns laying down with our daughter until she fell asleep. Not ideal, but we made it work. And we just chose to look at it as a nice bonding/snuggling type of thing. We reasoned that in a short time, she won't want to cuddle with us. Best of luck in your decision!

i think its time for a toddler bed if you dont get the canopy. is there anything that can possible tip over on her in her room? if not dont go in there more then 2 times to put her back in her bed. let her sleep on the floor for a night she may not like it and want to be in her crib. also maybe try shutting her door. with my daughter i had her in a todderl bed at 18 months (her crib got recalled so we just bought a toddler bed). i put her in bed and firmly tell her that i dont want to see her up or hear her up (i close her door so i cant really see her though). and usually she goes right to sleep. but if i hear her up i go in her room and place her back in bed and tell her firmly goto sleep! and if i come in again your going to get a swat on your butt... i dont have to swat her often its only when shes over tired and cranky then she knows i mean business and goes to sleep. i hope this helps. good luck!

Please consider a crib tent, they really do work well. Perhaps you could return it if it really fails your situation. If that doesn't work, you could try having her sleep in a play-pen, they are harder to climb out of. I would hesitate on moving her to a toddler bed, or a twin mattress on the floor just yet...that's a whole other can of worms to deal with. Good luck to you!!

This is extremely dangerous and you need to move your child to a toddler bed. I almost lost my 21 month old because she got her neck caught on the crib and stopped breathing. After performing cpr on her and her being rushed to the hospital by the paramedics and spending 4 days in picu, I learned she was lucky. Many babies have broken bones or been strangled climbing out of cribs. Not to freak you out, but it is tru.
S.

I loved our crib tents (we have twins). They did not get mad because they thought it was fun and cool, like camping. I had peace of mind because I knew they would not get hurt while trying to get out of the crib and wandering around the house all night. We had them in the crib tents and cribs until they turned 3. At age 3, the transition to a big kid bed was soooo easy. They loved being big potty trained kids in their big kid beds. We did not incur the extra expense of buying the transitional toddler bed because we went straight to a twin bed and they love their beds. I would highly recommend crib tents.

Maks a big deal out of her being a big girl now and put her in a Big Girl toddler bed. Than put a baby gate at her door so she can't get out of the room. Just make sure the room is child proofed for her and she'll be fine.

I think I'm the only one who will suggest this. SLEEP SACK. Don't get a toddler bed until you figure out if putting your 21 month old in a sack will help first. She can't lift her leg to get out if she is zipped into a sack. If she knows how to unzip then turn it around backwards.

Good Luck.

when my oldest was14 mos. she climbed out of her crib with a crash landing. I took her to the doctor scared to death becasue I thought she was hurt. She was fine but doc. said the crib had to go. We had a convertable crib so we just did that. I don't know about the whole tent thing. we had an adjustment period but everything worked out. Good luck.

It is time to ditch the crib. When my oldest started popping out of his crib, we immediately bought regular size twin beds (they were bunked). I couldn't fiscally see the point of buying a "toddler" bed. We didn't even use rails for him, but did for our third child as she tended to sleep and move.

The surprise is that it took her until 21 months to climb out of her crib. Most kids do it sooner. This is the time to put the crib away and move her into a 'big girl's bed'.
To keep her in the bed, you will have to take her by the hand and lead her back to bed every single time she gets out. Without any talking, fussing, hugs or kisses, or rewards of any kind (this will only encourage her to get out again to get the reward). After a time (a week ought to do it), she will stay in her bed when you put her there for naps and night. Still do the ritual that you did in putting her to bed...........the first time in bed only. After that when she gets up, just lead her back, firmly.
Good luck. This would have happened sooner or later.

The crib tent is the best thing we did for our daughter when she was that age. At 3 she still sleeps in it (although we are currently transitioning her). She calls it her house. I knew she wasn't ready for a toddler bed and I didn't like the idea of locking her in her room, so the crib tent was the best option. I highly recommend it.

Hi S.!
My daughter started doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. I ended up switching her to a twin bed first, just because that was the easiest for us. I actually never put rails on her bed, and she only fell out of bed once. I came in, picked her up and put her back in her bed, and she went right back to sleep! I did have pillows on the floor just in case to make her landing a little softer. She's been great about staying in her room, and LOVES her big girl bed. We did have a talk about how she needs to stay in her room, and a few nights I did put a baby gate on her door just to make sure she didn't get out of bed, but for the most part she's been great! But, yes it is a bit scary to see your little one climbing in and out of the crib! My daughter fell on her head twice within an hour during the day because she fell trying to get *in* her crib, and then would scream trying to get out because she was afraid to fall. That afternoon we went bed shopping. :) Best of luck!

Im going through that right now. My son is 19 months old and he climbed out during his nap yesterday and refused to go to sleep. It drove me crazy. I have NEVER has a problem with him before. I did buy the tent yesterday and my husband put it on. He fell asleep fine, but woke up at 5:20 crying. We went in and tried to put him back to sleep, but no luck. Then my husband layed on the floor until he fell asleep - about 30 minuets. You see sleep is hard to come by now, so we will do whatever it takes to get him back to sleep. We have two 8 week old babies at home. This has been driving me crazy. I would go with the tent because she will get used to it and it gives you peace of mind.

I think you are beyond the crib tent. Set up a "big girl bed" for her. For my second daughter, this was merely putting her crib mattress on the floor. (My older on had a full sized bed already in the room, but with #2, we had to make a quick decision). Anyway, once you have discussed with her the merits of getting a big girl bed, you need to figure out a way to keep her in her own room. Have a conversation with her about staying in her room, of course, but since she is pretty young, you will need to use some other tactics. You can use a baby gate, or 2 stacked on top of each other, since you seem to have a monkey. She will walk around and eventually fall asleep somewhere and roll all over the room. You just need to be sure that she understands that when it is bedtime, you are in your room. Eventually, she will figure out how to stay in her bed when she sleeps. Good luck!

I like the toddler bed idea, for safety. At this point you turn the room into the crib, and make it completely safe for her to play in and can't get out of it while you are sleeping. You might saw the door in half, so the top could be open and the bottom shut and latched (unless she is an adventurous climber.) You might find her sleeping on the floor for a few days, or hear her up playing with toys at night, but soon she will get the idea that just getting out of bed does not mean she does not have to sleep in her own room. Or just use a doorknob cover that she can't open, and put a monitor in there. so you can check on her without her knowing.

My daughter did the same thing at exactly 21 months. We never looked back. We took her crib mattress and put it on the floor. Put one side along the wall and her sturdy toy box along the other side. She was fine. At first she didn't realize she could just get out of bed. after that wore off she would walk out of her room sometimes and say hi mommy. I would walk her back to bed. Of course we have gone through the tantrums after the novelty wore off but they only lasted a few weeks of her not wanting to go to bed. Sometimes I would hold the handle of the door while she cried at the door wanting to come out after bed time but she only cried for a few minutes gave up then would walk back to her bed. once she fell asleep behind the door and I had to squeeze in and put her back in bed. she is 5 now and we still deal with bed time issues now and then but they are all a phase. she is telling you she is ready for a big girl bed. we made sure our upstairs was safe so if she did walk out of her room she wouldn't get hurt. My younger daughter is 2 on Sunday and we took her out of her crib a few weeks ago. she loves her big girl bed. there is an adjustment period but she goes to bed fine now just like when we used to put her down in her crib. go for it! it will take a few weeks but then she will like her new bed and you won't have to battle anymore. good luck