My 2 year old learned how to open doors this weekend and now I have a problem keeping him in bed. He has been in a toddler bed for about 3 months with no problem. He never even got out of bed in his room until we came to get him but now he is getting out of bed and even coming out of his room. He didn't even take a nap yesterday because he kept coming out of his room. This morning he was up at 6:30am and came in my room to get in bed with me.
I would love any ideas on how to keep him in bed atleast in his room.
If you place pantyhose on the door knobs he will not be able to open up the door, if it is a standard knob. They are too slippery for a child to grasp but will still allow you or any adult to be able to open the door. Just an idea.
Thhis is what I came up with in my daycare when the children learned to get out of bed. I would have a book or puzzles with me and sit outside the door and as soon as they came out, I would put them back in and tell them they had to stay in bed. If they didn't respond after a few times, then I would hold the door shut and not allow them to get out. This usually resulted in many tears and sometimes falling asleep on the floor by the door. However, after this they would only need one reminder at the door, or a threat to hold it closed and they would go back to and stay in bed.
We would leave the door open and put a gate in the doorway. That way he could call for us but was safe in his room.
We also put the door knob cover on the inside of the door and that is still working well for us (our daughter just turned 4). I would suggest putting in some toys that won't keep him up at night, but occupy him in the morning. Stuffed animals and dolls worked for us. This gives them something to do in the morning so they're not bored and calling for you non stop as soon as they wake up. It has bought us more sleep in the morning! Good luck.
I put a safety lock on the door on the inside of her room so she can't get out. I open her door before I go to bed (after she's asleep) because I want her to be able to get out if there's a fire or emergency. If she comes in my room during the night I take her back to her room and shut the door. Then I open it again later. This works very well for us. I also did it with my son when he was little. He's 5 now and doesn't have that problem anymore. They will outgrow it eventually.
I have the same problem with my 2 year old! She was a great sleeper & napper until she climbed out of her crib. I ask the dr. what to do & she suggested a baby gate. If your toddler is a climber you may need 2 gates. I think I'm gonna try it, we need sleep around hear! She also suggested reading Ferber's sleep book. Good luck!
Hi L. Personally I wouldn't keep my children's door shut. I wanted to be able to hear them. They couldn't play in the room with it shut. He'll probably stop coming in your room when he gets older.
put a baby gate across his door, this way he cannot leave his room.
If you go to OneStepAhead.com, they have things to put on doorknobs where the child cannot turn it. We used them for my first and they are working just as well with our second. It goes right over the doorknob and they would have to squeeze and turn at the same time. They also have them if you have French door handles also and they are fairly inexpensive and ship quickly. Good luck! You may also be able to find them at Babies R Us as well.
I have friends that have used a child-proof lock on the inside of the child's bedroom door (supposedly you can still open it from the outside without any problems), and have put a safety gate outside the bedroom door.
Good luck!
R.
I know a lot of people who have child safety knobs over the inside door knob of their kids' rooms -- the kind that you have to push in while turning, so little hands literally can't do them. Other friends of ours use baby gates in the doorway to keep their kids in. When my eldest went through the toddler-bed adjustment, I used to sit holding her door closed and reading a book for up to a half hour while she went to sleep. I am probably going to go the baby gate route myself, since I won't be able to do the doorknob holding thing with twins in two separate rooms. Pray for me!
Whichever route you go, as long as you keep them in their rooms now, they will grow out of it.
Good luck!
-- Florrie
Can he climb a baby gate? If not, use that!
We had the same issue with our daughter. We told her that we need her to be safe and, therefore, had to call us to come get her when she was up and wanted to come out of her room. We explained if we were in the shower, or sleeping when she came out of her room that if she walked around the house and got hurt we wouldn't know and couldn't come help her. This in itself did not work simply because she loved the experience of something new (opening doors and the freedom of walking out on her own). We then tied a few bells on her door handle so when she opened the door, we would hear her and then would go stop her and tell her to get back in bed or to call for us when she was up. It only took a handful of times before she got the hint - she would not be able to get anywhere because we would be right there to stop her. Good luck!
Here's a resource that might have some helpful information. If they don't have a similar question posted, you could write in to them and ask the question there...
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp
Best wishes,
J.
What I did was put the saftey door handle lock on the inside of my son's door so that he couldn't get out. His room was completely child proofed. When he woke up I heard him, but he was not able to get out and hurt himself.
Do you have doorknob protectors? I have Safety 1st brand, they're usually sold along with other childproofing items at Babies R' Us. It keeps my 2 1/2 yr old from getting out of the bedroom...he has to knock for us to let him out. Hope that helps!
