Two Year Old Climbing Out of Crib

He might be ready for a toddler bed. Have you tired that? I have a friend who's son was doing that same thing and stopped as soon as he got into a toddler bed.

If he is climbing out of his crib it may be time for a toddler bed. My daughter seemed to sleep much better when I converted her bed. I just starting putting her in her bed at night and closing the door. At first she cried herslef to sleep. Now if she is not sleepy, she'll get up and play a little then get in her bed and go to sleep (I don't mind her getting up as long as she stays in her room)but, most nights she looks forward to getting in her big girl bed.The trick is to stay consistant.

I also have a 2 yr old who want's me to "hold me" in the middle of the night several times a night. He also climbs from the crib. I am tough but after a few nights of no straight sleep, it's easier to take the 5 minutes to "hold him" and put him back to sleep.
I also have two older boys that didn't really sleep through the night until they were about 4. I was hoping for something different with this one. The doctors say let him cry it out but he always pukes and then we end of for a longer time cleaning and starting all over again.
I've tried the whole "routine" thing, doesn't work. I think each child is different and it's just finding their groove. I'm with ya sister! At 40 yrs. old, my bags under the eyes are growing..

Hi, I remember my older son going through this about that age. At this age, toddlers are realizing that they can make decisions and choices; mom doesn't have to do everything for them. I had SO MANY bedtime struggles with my oldest (my youngest was so much more compliant!). I was not as firm as I should have been; my husband was much more firm. Call your pediatrician and ask their advice. I would say it may be time to get him out of the crib into a toddler bed/mattress on the floor, etc... One thing my husband has been so good at was estblishing a regimented bedtime routine (for us its PJ's on, brush teeth, fluoride, book time, bed time no ifs ands or buts) Find a routine that works. Be calm and explain that it is betime and that your child has to sleep in his bed and if he keeps getting out you will only tell him once to go back to bed and after that you are not going to talk to him but just keep putting him back to bed. I've seen the "Super Nanny" do this and we've tried it here with some success. It does take some time though the first few nights so you may not have much time to yourself. I think it pays off in the long run however. We just recently went through other bedtime struggles with my 3 year old and I think they go through phases. Hang in there and don't give up!!!

If this behavior is very recent...has there have been any changes in what he is watching either at your home or someone elses house? I would ask your day care provider or whomever watches him when you are not around. I would try asking him if there is something wrong - why aren't you staying in your bed. You would be surprised how well they will communicate with you. If something is scarying him - he may actually tell you. Or is his routine out of whack for some reason? Do you keep him on a routine? There has got to be a reason why he is getting out of his bed and wanting you. He may just be feeling wanting some more mommy time. I feel for you especially being a single mommy. Kudos on staying strong.

Sounds like it might be time for a big boy bed! Also sounds like he needs some nurturing and cuddle time with you. Maybe give in to some co sleeping after he's been in his own bed and try to bring him back to his bed after he falls asleep? Or lay with him in his bed until he falls asleep. It just sounds like he needs that cuddle time with you and it's good for his self esteem. But maybe find a way to compromise with him and he will be satisfied. Good luck.

Hey girlie,

number one im totally impressed that your little one is still in a his crib...lmao my son was out at about 18 months.he wouldnt do it anymore. But since your son is two now maybe you should think about getting him a twin bed or even a toddler bed. What i will say about getting a twin bed though is they have the side rails you can get for the side of the bed so he wont fall out of bed. Im not totally sure if you can use those on toddler beds. But a lot of the time toddler beds come with a side rail on them. Trust me i complelty know how you feel. Dont feel bad at all about wanting YOU time without your angel. Im a single mommy too and im the same way. Thats why my son is getting his own bed this weekend! YAY!another suggestion is what im going to do.. is at first with whatever bed you do get for him push it up against the wall and your bed for a while.

ps what town do you live in????

why not try and get him ,his own bed like a toddler bed then he will not fall or get hurt and see if he will sleep in his big boy bed

What we did when my son went through this phase was to switch him to a toddler bed and make CERTAIN he couldn't leave his room until his Dad or I opened the gate. (I was terrified at the thought of him having free, unsupervised roam of the house whil I was asleep!) We had to unscrew the main light bulb - because he'd spend the whole night flicking the light on and off. And we made certain his room was as childproofed and safe as possible. He fell asleep on the floor in front of his door for the first couple of nights. But after that, bedtime was a dream.

First, I would put my two year old into a regular bed before he hurts himself. And then what I did with my little one was I put up a gate outside his door. That way he could still look out but he couldn't get out. Then make sure his room is completely safe for him and he can just roam about until you are able to get up and get to him. I don't know if this will help but just a suggestion! Good Luck.

Hi R.,

I don't remember crib "tents" when my kids were little, but I work with a man who is now using one for his 2 yr old son and he & his wife LOVE it, otherwise he was crawling/falling out of his crib & wandering around. If I were to go through this again this would be my first consideration.

Good luck!

D. C.

It sounds like its time for him to move out of the crib and into his own bed. If you introduce him to a bigboy bed and let him play in his room when he gets up, it may distract him from wanting to disturb your hour alone.
I had a conversation with my pediatrician recently about climbing out of the crib. She suggested putting the mattress on the floor, childproofing the room, and gating the door. It is a common thing with 18 month to 2 year olds to want out of their crib, and climbing into their parents bed is a way of saying I can do what I want to do.

Hi R.! Have you lowered the crib to it's lowest setting (if it has one?)? And then, my other advice would be to carry him back to his bed every time he gets in with you, and it will get tiring, but he will eventually get it, and stop coming in, or hopefully stay asleep!

Once my son started climbing out of his bed, we got him his own bed. He loves his big boy bed. He didnt like the toddler bed, because of the mattress. We got him a twin bed that my husband built for him and he absolutly loves it. He feels like a big boy now.

The thing that saved me was buying a "Crib Tent". It was so worth the money and it keeps your child in his crib (safe). He may cry at first but he'll get used to it and it'll give you peace of mind. I highly recommend a crib tent!

LOL R....you will be training for the next 16 years. I swear just when things get predictable, kids decide they have to test ALL the rules again just to be sure none of them have changed or are softer than they were before.

It may be time to go to toddler bed. Of course he will be able to get out of that no problem and you will have to spend a few nights of "boot camp" (as we like to call it). We used the supernanny method with great success. When it's bedtime, do the routine (brush teeth, book etc.) tuck him and say "good night sweetie, I love you" give him kisses, etc. and leave the room. Of course he'll get up. Just say "it's bedtime sweetie" no kisses this time and put him right back in bed. The next time you just say "it's bedtime" and put him right back in bed. The next time and everytime thereafter you say NOTHING. Just place him back in his bed like a robot with no interaction whatsoever. This could go on for hours the first night so just be ready to hunker down and stick to it. Each night is should take less and less time. Kids have a short attention span, soon he will decide that no matter what shenanigans he pulls, he just ends up back in bed and that will be that.

I agree...protect your alone time w/all you have. It's what keeps us sane.

Good luck!

L.

P.S. I'm a 38 y/o sahm of 8 and 5 year old girls.

Hi R.,

My suggestion to you is to get a door knob cover, for his door knob. It will spin when he tries to get out.

Get a toddler bed or twin bed, my cribs turn into toddler beds.

Check out loveandlogic.com they have wonderful ideas!

Super nanny on tv also has advice on bedroom problems.

Have a good routine every night. The same bedtime every night works best. Bath, story, prayers, night light and bed.

Greet your child in the morning.
The first 3 night may be tough, but it will work. Don't give in.

K.

If he is climbing out of his crib, then it is time to move him to a big boy bed. Letting him help pick out a fun one may be all it take to get him back to sleeping alone. He is going through a phase, and as long as you stick to your guns, it will pass. He may be getting his molars, he may be learning to do something big, he may be noticing something going on at home, etc. Try to give him some extra cuddle time, and be firm about him staying in his own bed. You could use a baby gate and just ignore him, or you could use Supernanny's sleep technique.

Good luck!

Have you ever tried one of those crib tents? We recently started having this problem with our two year old and I found one of these crib tents at Walmart.
You can go to Walmart.com and look at them. They are a little pricy, but you might be able to find one used on craigslist or even on this website.

The link to the walmart crib tent is:
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constra...

All my kids went through this from 2-4. With the most dificult I had to give her a big bed and put the crib mattress at the foot of my bed and then moved it over a few weeks out the door down the hall and back into her room. A gate was nessasary for one and the other came for a hug and I could just put her back to bed. Good luck to you!

First make sure that the crib mattress is adjusted all the way down to the bottom (some are adjustable). If it is and he is still getting out, you might as well put him in a big boy bed/toddler bed. He might still be coming into your bed, but it will be safer. Try using incentives for sleeping in his own bed. It is hard once they are out of the crib, but I think just being consistent of putting him back into his bed, he might be more cooperative. I have 4 kids with very different personalities and one of them slept fine in the crib and then we had the same problem. Sometimes it just has to phase out on its own. Just stay as consistent as you can. It's hard, hang in there. Good luck!

Have you thought about getting him a big boy bed? Two can be a great age to do that. Since he wants to climb out of his crib, he actually would be much safer.

Two year olds are great for trying to show you that they want some independance and want to be in control of things. My guess is that this is one of those times.

You could try a crib tent to keep him from climbing out and injuring himself. Or you could transition to a toddler bed (or even just mattress on the floor). Of course, that means he's free to roam, but there are solutions for that, too. For my DS, I give him two chances to stay in bed (one potty trip is a freebie), or he has to sleep in the "baby bed" (a pack & play set up in his room). That usually works... he's only spent a few nights "contained". Since your son is a climber, you could put baby gates up so he stays in his room. It may take a while to transition, but he won't do it forever!

My friends had the same problem with their two-year-old. They made her a sleep sack (kind of lIke jammies on the top,sleeping bag on the bottom). She could no longer get her leg over the rail to climb out. I think you can also buy a crib cover to secure the top of the crib. It looks like a see through tent on top of the crib.

Good luck.
MM

if the crib can convert to a toddler bed... he might be ready for that... then if you can afford it buy him some sheets or a new blanket or stuffed animal that will encourage him to see that bed as "HIS" and to stay there. Depending on how much he understands at his age.. perhaps you could motivate him with a reward system.. a sticker each morning for the night he has stayed all night in his own bed..when he reaches a certain goal.. ice cream at McDonald's or small toy.

My daughter was climbing out her crib at about 18-20 months and i just finally put her in a toddler bed. it was not worth risking her hurting herself.. not sure why she was doing it because I don't think it was to get in bed with us.. I think she was just being adventurous!!

Good luck...

J.

We also did the doorknob locks on the inside of the door. We did it more because we new the kids room was the safest place in the house and we didn't want to run the risk of them getting into things while we sleep. But it would would work great in your situation also.

Also: I would get him out of the crib and into a low to the ground bed so he doesn't injure himself!

I have read the other advices to you, and why would you want to spend money on a "crib tent", I have two boys, 11, and 17, and both had never even slept in a crib. your comment about "sleep training" I had never heard of, like you are training a dog or pet??
Why don't you go to the library and check out the book, "The Family Bed" and let your son sleep with you? You don't have to tell society what you are doing, this is your home, your life, your children. you will find that after a half hour of reading to him, he will be fast asleep, you can pick up your own book and read to sleep or watch tv or what ever you do before bedtime.. and believe me you will not have to fight the bedtime hassle that most parents have. What ever you choose, good luck. D. PS, the other advice about a sleeping bag on the floor in your room, how degrading for the child.. I tried it with my oldest and I felt like he was sleeping with our dogs.. lol.. most people let dogs sleep in their bed, why not the children??

I had the exact same problem with my daughter. A crib tent was the answer to my prayers. You can pick one up for about 59.99 at Baby Depot in Burlington or check with Once Upon a Child and it will probably run about 30 bucks for a used one. Also, check craigslist. It was one of the best investments I ever made. You will have your you time back:)

If he can climb out of his crib, it's time to get him a real bed. Of course he will get out of it; I got those doorknob safety thingies and put them on the inside doorknob.

Hello R.,
Is your little one actually able to crawl all the way out or is he just trying?
Maybe your little adventurer needs a bigger crib that is impossible to climb. Check out craigslist:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/fur/602080500.html
Just to be sure, place pillows around the base.
Put the two year old in the bed, say goodnight, sleep tight and pat baby's back for a few minutes (or rub back, stroke hair)and then leave the room.
It is common for behavior to become more challenging at this age, even on issues that you have worked on for a while.
Good Luck! Let me know how it works.
C.

A compromise might be to set up a sleeping bag situation on the floor in your room and make this his "bed". He can come sleep there but not in your bed. Then set lmits on how many days it can be used and slowly decrease. Also a fun toddler bed can help. Toys R Us have several types. Trains, fire trucks, etc.

I would get him out of the Crib and into a todler bed or a twin bed on the floor, and kid proof the room, and have a little light that he can turn on and off himself.

We took the door off our kids rooms, and installed a safety gate. The kids didn't feel so closed off that way but they also couldn't get out of their rooms in the middle of the night, and wander around the house.
And come up with a great bed time routine where he gets a lot of one on one snuggle time with you.
I think between 2-3 years old dreams start to affect their sleep so be aware of that as well.

This happened to us with our son at 16 months- once they realize they can get out they don't stay in. We also relish our evening hours and were not ready to give them up- he was always a great sleeper. After on night with the mattress on the floor(three of us on a crib mattress we realized he wasn't mentally ready to grasp "stay in your room". Luckily, I had invested in a travel tent made by Phil and Ted- you can zip them in- he now loves it and goes down again every night no problem. You could also get the crib tent but it seemed really expensive and a lot of reviews mentioned it tearing easily. If you can afford the Phil and Ted (approx. $150) it is extremely durable and great for traveling.