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I had a heck of a time with my son when he started jumping out of his crib. We got him to a toddler bed (like you did) and he would hammer his little fists on the door and cry. It was hard to leave him like that, but after a lot of books/reading/snuggling, I would kiss him goodnight and just shut the door and walk away - we had the child-proof doorknob cage. One morning, I tried to open his door and I couldn't because he was sleeping on the floor right inside of his door. Felt like "Bad Mom of the Year," because it was winter and he was so cold, but that was the last time he got out of his bed.
In my mind, the most important thing is to make SURE he can't fall out of a window. My mom works in an operating room and she says it happens a lot more than you think. Also, be sure he can't get out of the room. There was a recent funeral for a 2-year-old who got drowned in the backyard pool because his dad dozed off on the couch and the kid got out.
I would just let him sleep with you and then move them, if need be. We co-slept until just a few years ago - my youngest was probably 5? They both sleep on their own, in their own beds now. I never forced or argued about it. It wasn't a battle I felt needed waging...I just let them take the lead. As long as everyone was sleeping, I did not care if it was in my bed, their bed, a couch, floor, or whatever. Sleep = important. Location = not.
And, I wouldn't trade the snuggling I got for those years for anything, really.
Same here. We replaced the doorknob with a round one. Of course, that was only effective until he figured out how to pry apart the super glued, duct taped slip cover. We then flipped the handle around, which worked until he figured out how to unlock it. Some people just don't get it. Some kids aren't like the rest.
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Originally Posted by Ivorytickler
Yes. Some children see every effort to child proof anything as a puzzle to be solved. Dd#1 never attempted to circumvent child proofing. Dd#2 saw every attempt as a challenge to be overcome. I thought I'd done such a great job of child proofing with dd#1. The truth is I hadn't. I just hadn't met dd#2 yet.
When dd#2 was about 2, while I was bringing in the groceries, she decided to pull all the plastic plug covers out of the sockets in the family room and proceeded to plug them into a cantaloupe. I felt like I was on sesame street ... One of these things is not like the others....
My DS was an escape artists, childproofing was a source of his entertainment - DD never tested a barrier, DS couldn't wait to see what we would come up with next.
With DS we had sleeping issues, we turned the knob around so that the lock was on our side. We didn't live in a grand mansion, if he needed us we could certainly hear him. Leaving him with the ability to leave his room at night was not an option, he would wander the house or he'd take off out the front door (we finally found a good flip lock for that after he escaped one too many times)
Some kids accept barriers, some don't. For the ones that don't, parents need to remain ever vigilant and creative. Those of you whining about fires or acting like the parents are neglectful and cruel have probably never lived with a creative, climber who loves nothing better than a good puzzle ie child proof lock of some sort to practice their ever evolving problem solving skills!
Interesting thing: DD is now 16, DS 25. DS is an excellent problem solver, has been his entire life.
DD, not so much.
There are lots of reasons I think locking a child in his room is a bad idea. For one thing, it confirms that you have no control. For another, I think it would make the child feel quite insecure to know he couldn't even get to mom and dad in case of a bad dream or whatever.
What if the fire started in the kid's room?
I agree. I can't see locking kids up like some kind of caged animal. My kids never had cribs -- they eventually wanted in their own beds, if the kid has been sleeping with parents, another few months isn't going to hurt.
But locking them in a crib is ok? Seriously? What's the difference between a crib they can't climb out of, a crib with a tent on it so they can't get out of it or a door that is locked? Contained is contained.
A 15 month old cannot be trusted not to wander the house in the middle of the night.
No, locking them in a crib is not OK either. That is what I feel at least; personal opinion. So, since the time she expressed discomfort in the crib (around 6 months of age), we ditched the crib and bought a toddler bed for her. If she was fine sleeping in the crib, I wouldnt have bought the toddler bed so soon. But since she expressed discomfort, I bought the bed. She is so much happier since then.
Luckily for me, when she woke up, she used to cry but always remained in her bed. Never even attempted to get out of the bed. I have a baby monitor and I used (still do) to rush to her room as soon as she lets me know that she is up. Those days she used to start crying and now, she calls for me as she is 2.5 years old.
Yes, 15 months is too young to be wandering around the home in the middle of the night.
If I do get lucky and have a second baby who likes to wander around the home, I probably will get safety gates around the stair cases (the tall ones) so that she cannot get down to the ground level. The max she/he would be able to do is get out of the room and come to our room.
What a bunch of misinformation and terrible advice... as always.
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Seriously? What's the difference between a crib they can't climb out of, a crib with a tent on it so they can't get out of it or a door that is locked? Contained is contained.
