Advise and or Suggestions to Keep Baby in Crib at Night

Nikki's suggestion of the crib tent is what I would have suggested. Although I have not had to put one on my son's crib, I have family that has used it and worked fine. Can I ask why the 2 1/2 yo son sleeps with the parents but the 1 1/2 yo (younger) brother does not? I would think that it would be the opposite. Yes, I do agree with you about the strange environment as it very well may be a strong factor. However, do you think the 1 1/2 yo boy might be feeling left out?

well what i did with my daughter whos about to be 4yrs. old.
when she was about 1, i just tolk the one side of the crib rail, off and just push the crib against the bed. that way when she would fall asleep i just pushed her over in the crib and put a pillow there. with my son that just turned 2 wasnt that bad. now im getting them to sleep in there own room now. They like the fact that they sleep in bunk beds (side by side). let me know if it works

Have they thought of putting the two children together to sleep?

Maybe it is time for him to be in a big boy bed:) Perhaps he doesn't like the crib, because he sees everyone else in a bed. I recommend that they get him a bed, and just put the guardrails on the sides. That's what we did with our son, and he instantly loved his bed because of all the freedom and space!! Besides, the climbing out of the crib thing scares me! What if he fell and got hurt!!

Is the 1 1/2 year old in a different room? If so, what I did was childproof the entire room and put up a safety gate. I am not sure that it is safe for a 1 1/2 year old to still be in a crib if he can climb out. Maybe they should get a toddler bed. When my son was around that age he got a toddler bed and we put a safety gate at the door of his room. The child you are talking about may be able to climb the gate too but if they use the toddler bed as a "big boy" treat the child may want to stay in his bed. It worked with my son.

I think there are two things going on though if I am reading your request correctly. One is obviously the move. The child is probably out of sorts over that. The other is the fact that the 2 1/2 year old gets to sleep with mom and dad. Is this correct? In my opinion, it's pretty cut and dry, if the older boy is sleeping with them the younger one is going to want to too. My suggestion in that case is to put both boys in one room with a safety gate at the door. Make sure all rooms that are off limits are closed and locked. And childproof the home. I wish your friends luck, it's a tough situation. My son was pretty happy to get the toddler bed so it wasn't too bad for me.

I saw you had a lot of advice to move the baby out of the crib and into a toddler bed or a mattress on the floor. I, also, think this is very important, especially since the child refuses to stay in his crib. Safety is most important.

First of all, with the 18 month old, I would try putting the mattress on the floor and adding a night light or a lamp in the child's room. I would, also, make a point of spending some time in the room during the day with the child and try reading a bedtime story in the room to make the child more comfortable there. If this didn't work, then I would try this other method, which I would definitely try with the 2 1/2 year old.

I haven't tried this myself (haven't needed to) but I've had friends tell me it worked for them. Tell your friend to try putting the crib mattress/twin mattress/sleeping mat on the floor in her room by her bed. Put the child to bed there for awhile. Since it is a new house, that is probably part of the problem with the younger child. After the child transitions out of Mom and Dad's bed to the mattress/sleeping mat slowly start to move the mattress/mat and child out of the room. Move the mattress away from the bed, then out into the hall or the next room gradually, until the child is back in their room. It might take a couple of weeks but it would be well worth it. They could try this with both. I would really try it with the 2 1/2 year old.

Good luck to your friend.

At age 1 1/2 he is old enough for a toddler bed, or the parents bed in their case. I'm sure the little one feels left out. Both boys could share a room and if the little one is climbing out of the crib he should definately be in a bed. The most important thing is his safety along with a sense of belonging. My boys are 2 & 4 now & share a room with twin size beds. They are bunk beds that can be seperated both on the floor. The bed that is ment for the top has 2 wooden rails so my 2 year old uses that one. As far as his lack of sleeping the move could be the problem, but if they had their own room they would probably sleep better at night and should definately take their naps in their room.

They make these things at One Step Ahead.

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/117/309775/117.html

I think they should move the 1 1/2 year old to a toddler bed or even put the crib mattress on the floor until they get a toddler bed. If the child is climbing out they could fall and get seriously hurt.

As for the 2 1/2 in mom and dad's bed, that is probably part of the problem as to why the 1 1/2 year old is getting up.

Our son went through a getting up often at night when we first moved him to his toddler's bed. We made sure he knew it was still night time. Made it SUPER boring -- no middle of the night stories or playing. And, no matter how many times told him to get back in bed. He sleeps through now.

I was afraid of him getting out of his room at night (stairs, outside, bathrooms, etc.) so we put a plastic door knob guard on his door. When his door is shut, he can't get out of his room. An adult can open the door easily by gripping the plastic guard and squeezing (little hands can't do that). It eliminated the need for closing the baby gate at night and child proofing the entire house.
H.