22 Month Old Gets Our of Her Crib at Will!

Try putting a net over the crib. I think One Step Ahead may sell them. I have a friend who used this with great results. Good Luck!

Hi B.,

I am the mother of 3 boys, all of which managed to climb out of the bed. It seemed as though once they learned how, they didn't like the idea of being restricted and bed/nap time would always be a battle. My husband and I decided to introduce them to a juvenile bed. This took away the feeling of being restricted it also allowed them to climb in and out on their own. When it was time for bed/nap time, we did have a little bit of a struggle, but it was easily overcome as they enjoyed the idea of having a new bed similar to mom and dads. When we tucked them in we were able to sit or lie down with them while reading a story, rather than standing over them as we would have to with the crib. This helped them to adjust and feel comfortable with the new routine.

She needs to have her own bed now. Make it fun. Draw flowers on the wall near it, or give it a really cool bedspread. Put it safely on the floor on top of box springs only, if you are worried, or use one of those removable gates that rests between the mattress and the box spring at night so she won't fall out. She wants to be a grown up. If you give her a real bed, going to sleep at night becomes a grown up activity and she will anxiously do what she can to prove she is and can be a grown up.

Ella has to learn that just because she 'can' do something that doesn't mean she is 'allowed' to do it. I think it may be best to teach this particular concept with a lot of patience and repetition. Just calmly take her back to bed (50 times); reading stories helps. Either go to the library or get a few of those large storybooks with a lot of short stories in them. For going to sleep, you don't want to bother with a lot illustrations; looking at the pictures just keeps them awake. Just read as if you are telling her the most important things in the world.

I recommend putting her in a toddler bed. I put my eldest into a full-size bed, spent $1500 on a beautiful bedroom set. She has destroyed it! Go simple and cheap, you can buy something pretty and new when she's four. I'd also skip the gate at the door because if she can climb out of her crib, she can climb over a baby gate. Put a lock on her door or a child-proof knob. Some will say its cruel to lock a child in their room, but its a lot safer than having her wander the house in the middle of the night.

Good luck!
N.

Your bed is a big mistake. She needs to sleep in her own room, either crib or a bed. When she gets out, simply take her by the hand and put her back in bed. Keep doing this until she stays there. It may take hours the first night, less the second night, and by the third night, she will stay in bed. She will get the idea that she will just be taken back to bed when she gets up. As you lead her back to her bed, don't reward her with a kiss, talking, or anyhing, simply lead her back to bed and say good night each time.
Trust me, this will work. You have created a nightmare by putting her in your bed, as you are finding out, it doesn't work.

Time to get a toddler bed -- make a big deal out of it (saves her the trouble of climbing out and risk of falling or worse.) I resorted to the toddler locks for the inside of her bedroom door so she couldn't get out of her room and roam the house and turn on oven in the night. Toddler proof her room so there is nothing she can do to hurt herself -- make sure dressers are bolted to walls. Look for other things she could climb that aren't meant to be. Also look for things she might throw -- if she is mad at you

Make sure you have a good bedtime routine -- some toddler beds you can actually get in w/ her to read books then make your exit (sometimes I actually fell asleep in her bed). You might want to be sure there is carpet or something soft near her bed because she may roll out of bed (and likely not even wake up) or may be going through a phase and choose to sleep on floor (or more likely -- disobey bed time and end up falling asleep there by accident.) I used to pick her up and put her back in bed. Just watch out for pillows that she may put over her head . Good luck!

My son started climbing out of his crib at 16 months. After a couple of months of trying to discipline him for climbing out each time, we just decided it was safer and easier to get him a big boy bed. I personally don't like the idea of the crib tent, and neither did my hubby, so we got my son a Twin Bed and took him to Wal Mart so he could pick out his first bedding set. He picked a cute dinosaur sheet set with a soft dino blanket that he still prefers to sleep with at 3.5 years old.

We also decided against buying a toddler bed and went for the twin bed because we figured the toddler bed would only last for a couple of years before he outgrew it. And since the toddler bed is so small and has a weight limit of like 50 lbs. there was no way one or both of us could fit in there for those nights when you need/want to sleep with your kid (when they are sick, etc.).

It took my son a couple of weeks to get used to being in his big boy bed. He had no trouble sleeping in it and only fell out a couple of times. But it took him a couple of weeks to understand that once it was bed time, there was no coming out of his room at will.

A month later we found out I was preggo with #2, so having him out of his crib early on really helped. He didn't have any attachments to his crib by the time our daughter was born.

Find a way to restrain her. you could stack 2 baby gates and barricade her into her room so she cannot escape. The other way is to repeatedly and without comment of any kind take her by the hand and return her to her bed and leave. No fun, no acknowledgment, etc. One way or the other, she will learn to soothe herself in her new bed and go to sleep on her own. Good luck. This is a real bummer, but you need to deal with it right away, so she does not think that she can roam the house at will!

The Cozy Crib Tent.
Baby gate seems easy but if she can climb a crib she'll master the gate too in no time....at 2 years my daughter learned to scale the gate.

I bought a crib tent for my baby because I was trying to make sure I could keep my cats away. Well, I ended up never using it and I had it in a closet when a friend of mine started telling me about her 2 year old son climbing his crib and jumping out in the middle of the night. Well, the worse case scenario happened and he slipped when climbing out and broke his little leg in two places. So the Doctor at the ER suggested the Crib Tent and said he used it with both his children and it worked. So She was going crazy looking for it and then I remembered I had one. So I gave it to her and she loved it. She made it like a fun thing for her son and drapped a camoflage net over top of it and hung GI Joes from the inside rails..so he looked at it like a tent and really not the object keeping him in it. It was so cool that our other friend went and bought one for her 18 month old who was learning the climb, and we hung butterflies from the inside and sewed little silk flowers all over it.
It serves two purposes the first being the most important..keeping your child safe and the second being it will make bed and nap time much more fun. Good luck to you and I hope that helps.

http://www.babygizmo.com/blogs/2008/05/19/crib-tent-to-th...

http://www.amazon.com/Tots-Mind-Cozy-Crib-White/dp/B00014...

My oldest was my climber. I had to move her to a toddler bed right at age 2. Then the hard part was getting her to fall asleep in the toddler bed without getting up. I had to stay in the room fro an hour for over a month until she fell asleep. Some of us are blessed with active little bugs. My second is much easier so I am getting a break.

Good Luck!

did you lower the mattress ?? most cribs you can make the mattress lower makes it much harder for them to pull the leg up over the top of it, the railings stay the same just the mattress is lower, works try it,

Good Luck

Several ideas, maybe they work with your daughter - maybe not.

1. When you put her down, sit on the end of the bed, read a story, sing a song, and literally give her verbal permission to go to sleep. She may not initially understand what that means, but some kids don't realize that it will be okay if they go to sleep.

2. Allow her the "right" to be out of her crib/bed, but not the "right" to be out of her room. My SIL had her husband take the door handle off from the inside for her 2 year old. While I don't necessarily agree that this is very safe, her daughter can't come out of her room without permission. Let her know that she can read her stories, but that she must have quiet time and allow mom to have quiet time, too. Assure her that you won't leave her, and make sure you stick to that. Be honest. The first time you leave during her "quiet time" without telling her, you lose her trust. It doesn't have to be dramatic when you do tell her, just matter-of-fact. Again, only if you have to.

3. Sit her down at a neutral time (not bed time, not nap time, so that you don't sound like you are at your wit's end with this and it's just a threat) and explain to her that she can't keep getting out of bed when she is supposed to be taking a nap or going to sleep for the night, and if she does get out of bed, the first time she gets out of bed, the next night her bedtime is earlier. (Time should be dictated by your child's age - as I understand it, a young child doesn't quite understand the difference between a minute and an hour, so you may want to start with 5 minutes early.) AND THEN STICK TO IT! The only currency my daughter would deal with for the longest time was "awake time", and this was the only thing that worked - and we didn't think of it until she was 10! The "great" thing was that when we finally devised this, she "got" what an hour meant, and it was an hour the first day, and if she came out on the second day after her bedtime, it was 1/2 an hour more every day. I tell you what; once she realized we were serious, she did not come out after bedtime again. You don't have to be angry or mean about it, just make sure that you stick to it. I am not sure how it will work with someone very young, but depending on how much she understands - and I am guessing she understands more than we might think she does. When you explain it, you might want to use specific times instead of rough times.

4. The other thing that I was TERRIBLE at was determining a specific time for everything. Some kids need more definite structure, and I didn't have it. Bedtime I am sure seemed very random to my kids, because it would vary by 10-30 minutes. Get a DVR (or similar system) and remember that ALL TV is pause-able, and be very structured so that she gets into the routine of specific times.

5. My son was always very excited for naptime, since he would lie down on the floor, as would I, and we would both nap. He felt like it was his treat to have "just mom and me" time, and since I was grown up, he must be a grown up if he is doing the same thing. Let her know that she isn't missing anything by going to bed and going to sleep. Make sure you give her plenty of attention while she is supposed to be awake, and NONE when she is supposed to be asleep. If you have to physically put her back in her bed, do so quickly and without saying a word or looking her in the eye. Sit by the door and make sure she knows that you are there, but that you are not paying attention to her. The first several times she DOESN'T get out of bed after being put there, praise her, hugs and kisses, tickle, lots of good attention. Let her know that good things happen when you get the rest you need.

We tried the baby gate, and my daughter figured out so many ways over, around or through it, that it was worthless. She thought it was part of the game. Looking back, I probably wasn't helping her get tired enough - not a whole lot of physical activity at my house in those days, but hindsight you know...

Good luck! You aren't alone, not by a long shot!

Jill

Buy a crib tent. They are sold at Babies R Us for about $80. Works like a charm. It makes sheet changing more difficult, but she won't be climbing out anymore.

Hi Barbara,

You have 2 options: 1) Buy one of those tent/screens (I don't know what they call them) that go over the crib to keep the kids in. They work really well until the kids figure out how to open the zipper. But it may be worth a try to keep your daughter in the crib a little longer. Option 2 is the toddler bed. However, from my own experience, my son did not stay in the toddler bed and wanted to go back to the crib (which he hated). So if you do get the bed, you may still have the problem of keeping your daughter in it. Maybe if you let your daughter pick out the bed and sheets with you, she will be excited about it and want to stay in it. The good news is that she will eventually stay in the bed, it may just take a few months to get her to do it.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

It sounds like your daughter is ready for a big girl bed. If you are nervous about her falling out you can start with the mattress on the floor. The first couple of nights might be hard because you need to keep her from getting out of the room until she learns that it is no longer a game. One of the ways you can keep her in the room is to leave the light on and close the door, except on her side of the door put a child proof cover on the door knob. This way she cannot open it but you can go in and check on her and help her lay down just like when she was an infant. I don't know if you have a bedtime routine but that will help as well. Maybe read her a few books in bed before she falls asleep. Good luck!

B.,I feel for you since I went through this myself when my son was 18 months old. He did it on a nap too. Do have her take a nap, and do put her down in her crib. Do not get in the habit of losing her nap and sleeping in your bed. You will have a crabby daughter and a high maintenance sleep child and YOU WILL be exhausted. How do you do this? Go buy the Crib Net. It saved my life. It takes a half hour to install. Best invention and wonderful. You can buy the Crib Net online or at Babies R Us. It will make such a difference in your life. Good luck!

Hi B., as a mom of 25 years here is my advice, take the crib down, either put her in a big girl bed, or put her crib mattress on the floor, put her stuffed animals around it. Now when it is time for bed, you take her in lay her down read her a story, pray with her if you guys pray, let her know you love her, and tell her she needs to stay and sleep in her own bed, she's not to get up until morning unless she has to go potty, and inforce it, parents can let children know who is in charge and who isn't in a loveling respectful way, if you don't and you allow her to get up, go down stairs, get food, go in your bed, etc, she will be the one in charge, and she will know she is in charge, I have been running a daycare for 11 years and my husband and i have raised 3 incredible kids, two sons and one daughter, and what i have found B. is that the kids who respect and obey their parents, and received respect in return, are much happier and secure children, which makes them happier and secure in their teen years, and it follows them into adulthood, we witnesed that with our own 3 kids. Hope this helps. J.

I had the very same problem with my 2 year old. She is now 6 and we have corrected her bedtime issues. When we transferred her to her bed from a crib she would come into our room and sleep with us leading to everyone not sleeping well. I told her that she needed to stay in her bed or at least in her room. To ensure this happened I used a child pressure gate that I was able to place in the doorwell just after our bedtime routine was completed (i.e. reading books, saying prayers). I made sure that her room was totally child proofed. She would come to her door and scream and cry but the gate would keep her in. After two weeks of this and I swear I thought I wouldn't survive she started falling asleep on the floor then eventually she started staying in bed learning that the floor by the gate probably wasn't the best sleeping area. Hope this helps, just make sure to be consistent. As long as you know she's safe leave her be. Good Luck, J. (mother of three now).

CRIB TENT, CRIB TENT, CRIB TENT!
They were a lifesaver for me, I had twins.

My daughter did this, also around the age of 2. I finally got so frustrated and tired of putting her back in each time that I got a baby proof door handle, which I put on the inside of her bedroom door. I could still get in, but she can not get out. Also, it has a child-lock release button on the handle if by chance the door is shut behind you when you're inside her bedroom, so an adult will never be locked in.

This worked!! I also got her a big girl bed and let her pick out the bedding, which really got her excited about sleeping...again!

I've also seen the screen tents you can attach to the top of cribs to prevent the child from climbing out. They sell them at BabiesRus or Onestepahead.com.

Hi B.,
Not to scare you, but be careful about it. I read that something like 83% of all broken collar bones in infants occur from climbing/falling out of their cribs, though nothing like that happened to us when our little one decided she didn't like her crib anymore. Sounds like Ella has just found other things to learn and explore as a "big" girl on her own. What we did that worked was a nightmare initially, but eventually was our solution, and came in steps.
Our little girl is very head strong, so it wasn't easy. We took the front part of her crib off (even though it wasn't a convertable one). She hated it! Turns out she seemed to like the security of the coziness. We in turn got a big girl bed (toddler bed-which she helped pick out). It didn't work out unless one of us slept next to her on the floor. Sold that since it didn't work out. Bought a full size bed and used a railing, so that she could initially fall asleep next to one of us after reading and we would slip out to our own bed. A few monthes later, well more like 5, we no longer need the railing and we just have to read a book and tuck her in. Whatever you choose (we went the anti-millitary route, which a lot of people would say is not the way to go, but with our daughter's personality, we have learned on most things, it is best. It may not be for you though.), I wish you luck.
U.

Baby gate :o)

At first I thought it sounded horrible, but one of my friends had the same thing happen with her son, and it saved her! The first two nights, he cried at the gate, night 3 he stayed in bed, nights 4 & 5 he got up and played with his toys then fell asleep on the floor, night 6 he got up and played with his toys but went back to bed, and night 7 and on he stayed in bed. I guess it works!

I agree with Maggie! Baby gate!
And if your daughter goes to the gate and cries or screams, go in and gently put her back to bad saying "it's time for bed now" and then simply walk out (you may have to do this many times a night at first). She will eventually get the point and give in. Just remember to be consistent and persistent!!
Good luck to you ;)

I'd get her a big girl bed or just put a mattress on the floor in her room and add some safety gates to your home. Top of the stairs, maybe at her door? Find something that works and start implementing it asap. Right now, she has learned some new things and is just using her skills but your situation doesn't sound safe. She could get hurt climbing out of the crib or fall down the stairs. I'd be a wreck and not sleeping myself if I had to worry about that stuff.

Before you know it, things will be back to normal so hang in there!
M.

You need to convert her crib into a toddler bed (or buy a toddler bed). Get a baby gate and put it across the doorway. Make sure that her room is safe, i.e. diaper cream, etc. out of her reach. Put her to bed like you usually do and tell her to stay in bed. Have her lay down, and leave the room. She may get out of bed and play, but if you don't go into the room, she'll soon get bored and go to sleep. It may not be in the bed at first, but she'll get the hang of it. Good luck! :)

I don't have an answer, but am dying to read the responses. We're going through the same thing with our 24 month old

Maybe it's time to get your daughter a little bed. My daughter would not sleep in her crib at all. We actually got her a toddler bed before she was a year old! We got her a firetruck bed (Toys R Us) that was more enclosed with sides so that she would not fall out. We put a gate up at her doorway so that she would not wander the house while we were sleeping. Her bedroom was baby proof so if she got up, she'd either call for us or just play in her room. Maybe getting her a new bed will make it more enticing for her to want to sleep in it. Try the gate at the door and see if that helps too.

My son stopped sleeping in a crib @2years of age because he learned how to clib out.We bought a toddler bed and now we are not afraid of him climbing out and hurting himself.Since you have a 2 story home ,install a gate so she will not be able to go downstairs.Keep the door to her room a bit open and the same to you're room so when he wakes up he will play safely in his room and so you can also hear what she is doing put her to sleep before and then put her in her toddler bed,she will want to sleep with you in the begining the she will get use to it.Hope this helps.Best wishes

I don't know what kind of crib you have, but if you have the convertible type that transitions into a bed with a shorter side, you can turn the crib around so the large side is out so she can't get out. (I saw that in a movie...).
Otherwise, you might have to transition her into a big kid bed.

I just posted something a little similar, 16 month old getting limbs caought between the crib spindles. Try searching Walmart.com for a crib tent. It covers the crib and they can't get out. Costs $65, I just bought it yesterday and waiting to pick it up at site to store. Just an idea. You have to unzip it to get them out. Check it out.

Have you tried a crib tent so she can't get out? Have you tried silently returning her to her bed over and over- may take a few days and be a pain? "Locking the door" (desperate)? Coming up with a few sleep rules (stay in your bed, close your eyes, be quiet, go to sleep) and then a reward in the morning? (will have to gauge this one on developmental level)

check out my sleep blog: kidstosleep.blogspot.com

You should remove the metal holder that holds the mattres so that it lays on the
floor flat with nothing under it, we did this a couple of months ago it works great
it's way to far for them to reach.

Your only problem is when you want to change her sheets you will have to move the
bed over the mattres, it's actually pretty easy because the bed is very light.

call me if you don't understand ###-###-####
N.

Try a crib tent. They have them on onestepahead.com
Good luck!
T.

Crib tent. My almost three year old twins are still in their cribs. One hated it and one loved it. Now, they both ask to be zipped up before bed. To them, it's like getting to sleep in a camping tent at night. It's makes them feel cozy and safe. Don't be afraid to set boundaries. It's their job to test you and your job to show them the limits. It's difficult but it pays off down the road. I promise.

You should pick her up and put her back in bed. The first time say it's time to go to bed. The second and following times don't say anything. Be emotionless. Just take her and put her back to bed. It may take 3000 times over a couple of days but she'll get it.

Once you start the sleeping in your bed "routine", it will not end. This is a HARD hurdle to stop, and then getting them back in their own bed/room.

Nothing wrong with co-sleeping.. .we did that as well. But, it was our "choice." Not because we lacked options. It was fine for us... but for some, it is not suitable.

So REALLY think about that..... and Hubby's feelings about it too.

Use a crib tent.

She is also 2 years old...this is another "phase" time where they get like this. Just tough it out. It will pass...but you have to be consistent in whatever method you use. That is the key.

Almost all toddlers do this whether or not they are in a crib or toddler bed... they "escape" the crib or bed. They are very agile and climb and want to play. Just keep putting her back in, no talking, no interaction, just put her back in... say "sleep" and walk out, and/or CLOSE the door.

If you do get her a toddler bed, expect the SAME thing. This is not a "magic" solution either... but one that will happen sooner or later. A child will STILL excape the toddler bed too. And again, it will be another whole different kind of sleep transition and "rules."

I call it "toddler insomnia." At this age they don't want to sleep, just want to play at bedtime, are so agile, and resist going to bed. It's part developmental, and part their active minds. Just KEEP putting her back in there.

ALSO, she should not be able to just go downstairs to play or eat! Oops! You will ALSO have to curb this "habit" too now... a habit which she created AND does with no problem... and/or is allowed to do.

You might also want to try and turn off all the lights in the house when it is her bedtime, and no noise. A child needs time to "wind-down" before bed. Have a quiet time pre-sleep. My kids for example, will not go to bed if all our lights are on and "we" are doing our regular activities...this only keeps them up and wanting to play. We only leave on 1 dim light, and that's it, at their bedtime. This is their "signal" that bedtime is coming up. For our kids, it works. We've done that since they were babies. So they "know."

Also, perhaps put in a crib toy for her to keep her entertained in there... we have a Fisher Price "Ocean Wonders" Aquarium...my son, 24 months old, turns it on before he sleeps and it lulls him to sleep. He loves it! It's his "routine." Also, good is the "Twilight Turtle Constellation Night light." You can find both at Amazon. It may provide a nice distraction for her.. .and get her into a self-soothing and self-motivated "routine" to stay in her crib, and/or fall asleep.

Good luck,
Susan

I agree that it's time for your daughter to move up to a toddler bed. When we moved my daughter to one, we would close the hallway door and when we went to bed, we'd find her asleep on the hallway floor. She would open the door just enough to peek through and we knew she was there but we never acknowledged her presence. It didn't take long before she understood there was no fun if she got up and started staying in her bed.

But not before we got some great video footage of her asleep in the hall!