I need some help. My little guy with Down Syndrome is now 20 months old, pulling to standing, cruising and wanting to climb. His upper body strength is growing every day and he's learning to raise his leg up. He doesn't know how to lower himself backwards off of things.
That being said, the little imp is trying to climb out of his crib. If he successfully gets his leg over the top of the crib he will have the upper body strength to get himself on top of the bar but not have the strength or coordination to lower himself down. So he's going to fall. I don't know if he's really ready for a toddler bed since he will crawl off head first and fall. The railings you can put up he can deffinitely crawl over.
Any ideas what to do?
Thanks everyone. I looked into the tent and my problem is my 3 y.o. is rough on stuff and the reviews show they are not super durable. So after talking with one of the baby's therapists and there being a concern that he could hurt his neck (a problem with Downs kids), we will be placing his matress on the floor.
Hi L.,
I would invest in a crib tent. If your little guy figures out how to unzip it you can use a diaper pin to secure it. Good luck!
L.
I would look into the toddler beds or if not, try just putting his crib mattress on the floor without the crib and see if that works. It might take a couple of nights hard work and sleeplessness on your part to get him to stay in it, but it might be worth peace of mind in the end.
A friend of mine had a similar problem. They're solution (and it's nuts how simple this is)put the mattress on the floor. They had a few mornings where they found their daughter sleeping half on and half off but it worked in the long run.
When my children got to that point I would place pillows, extra blankets, or a beanbag on the floor surrounding the crib. That way if they did make it all the way out before I came in they wouldn't be injured.
I definitly suggest the crib tent, you might be able to find one on ebay or at least check it out. The thing that worries me is that from such a high fall he could possilby brake a bone. My son was CRAZY climbing over and had many many bumps and bruises form climbing out and his head always scared me, then of course I found out about the tents after he was out of his crib but if I had it to do again I would definitly get him one. There are alot of people out there that will say "if he's old enough to climb out then he's old enough to have a toddler bed" and I think they are wrong! He's just becoming more independent so time for a tent I say...good luck!
