I see 2 similar recent requests about babies crawling out of their cribs. I haven't read all of the responses yet, but I will read them after I post this, so please forgive me if my request is redundant of theirs. I am specifically wondering what you moms know about crib tents, and I don't know if that issue is addressed quite as specifically as I would like in those other responses.
My 16-month-old son discovered 2 days ago that he can crawl over the side of his crib. He is average size for his age, but unusually strong compared to my older 2 kids, who were never able to do this - and they were in a crib until at least 2 years old.
The mattress is as far down as it can lowered, and I put him in a footed sleeper so that he doesn't have as much "traction" to climb the rails as he would have with bare feet, but all to no avail. I understand that a crib tent might help him stay in the crib, but Babies "R" Us discontinued selling them 3 months ago for safety reasons, apparently because they pose a risk to the baby getting tangled in it. I can purchase a crib tent elsewhere, but knowing this hazard, do I really want to? Does anyone have experience with crib tents or any other methods for dealing with a baby crawling out of the crib? (Again, I will read the responses to the other 2 requests - it looks like there are quite a lot!)
I realize that I can put my son in a toddler bed or other mattress on the floor and close the door, but he hates having his door closed, so I am hoping not to have to go that route just yet. Baby gates don't work with him either because he has eventually learned to climb over every gate that I have tried so far anywhere in the house, no matter how tall it is. (I'm telling you, this kid is a monkey - he's my third, and I've never seen anything like it!)
Thank you in advance for any advice!
How about a double gate? One on top of the other? Or how about putting a screen door on his room instead of a solid one?
Our daughter is also a climber. We (and a few friends of mine) have a crib tent and I have no clue how a child could get tangled in it. After she climbed out, we tried to put her in a toddler bed but she just wasn't ready. The crib tent is the best thing ever!
We have a crib tent, we got it to keep my cat out of the crib. You zipper the child in. the zipper is on the outside and the child can not get out. The matterss goes in the "tent". My girlfiend got this for her daughter becuase she was crawling out too early. They are about 60-70. So if your question is will it keep him in, Yes, it shoudld. Good luck with your decision.
Our son did the same thing at the same age, only he had a very nasty fall out of the crib. We put him in a toddler bed and put a gate on the door of his room.... The mothers I talked to all said that the tents were a waste of money and only a very short term fix anyway because their sons were all able to figure out how to get out of them. Even our doc at the time said to just put him in a bed. She told us that the average age for moving into a bed is 18 months. I know lots of people wait until kids are much much older... but we didn't have any trouble at 16 months putting our son in a bed. We took the crib apart (don't give a choice) and set up the new bed (I let him pick out a bed with a cool tent at Ikea) and that was it. We sat next to the bed for storytime (still do) and basically started a new and improved bedtime routine, all taking place in the bed. We bought cool sheets & a pillow a little later (I think we waited a bit before we added the pillow). Within a month, things were smooth sailing and with the gate on the door, he couldn't just wander around the house all night long...
Hi! I've posted some of this before, but here's some updated info too. I love our crib tent!! I started using a crib tent on my son's crib when he was 20 months old in Dec. and he threw himself over the rail 3 times in one night. (The mattress was at the lowest setting and the rails were up.) Like your son, he is unusually strong -- and extremely stubborn. We went out to Babies R Us and bought the tent the very next morning. I LOVE it!!! Worth every single penny, as I'm sure it has saved him from an injury.
I know that if I was to try to transition him to a bed, there is no way he would stay in it. My son needs his healthy sleep -- not nightly bedtime battles.
Last week, I forgot to zip the tent closed. In the morning, I was *astonished* to find it open...and to find him in the crib!! He easily climbs in and out now during play (when we are upstairs together), but I guess the tent helped reinforce that he is supposed to stay inside at bedtime. I'm not going to leave it open again, but it was really nice to know that he is a little more "trained" to stay in his crib.
Here's a web link to the crib tent we purchased in December.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00014PLAY/ref=cm_cmu_pg...
There no way a child could tear down or get out of the crib tent we purchased. As the PP mentioned, it wraps around the outside of the crib. I can't imagine what would be the safety hazard with this tent.
It is wonderful to sleep soundly, knowing my son is 100% safe again. Please feel free to send me a message if you want any more information about the tent or our experience with it!
Something else you could try is putting a sleep sack on your child. Then he doesn't have individual legs to climb out.
You can get them at The Right Start too.
I think it's a judgment call depending on the child. My second son was off-the-charts tall and a big climber. What I did was lower the side rail and put something soft on the floor in case he fell. I also moved everything away from the crib (his dresser, etc.) so he wasn't tempted to climb from one piece of furniture to another. He was a very physically capable kid, so I wasn't too worried about it but with my first son it was different (he was more accident-prone.)
I would not do the crib tent with child who is already so strong and capable, though - I think you are right about that.
no idea how a kid could get hurt by the crib tent. IMO they are safe as safe can be.
thank you, i found this really helpful. i'm currently a mom-to-be and was about to pull out my hair over searching for a crib tent on babiesrus.com. once i read this then i realized why! in my case, i feel like the crib tent is essential because i own two cats. one of them is a huge snuggler and i know he's going to try and snuggle with the baby.
thanks again!
