2 Yr Old Jumping Out of Crib

Time to move him out of the crib... I had to move mine out at a year because they could climb out, you are lucky he made it that long. lol... It seems frustrating but I think its time for a new bed. Some like the toddler beds, I personally went straight to a twin bed with a rail, this way they had their bed that they would have trough the school years and I could read stories and snuggle with them. If they did get up in the night then I would lead them back to their bed shut the door and walk away. Repeating the process dozens of times sometimes. Unfortunatley its a phase that he has discovered he has some control over and is trying it out to see how far he can get with it. Just be firm but loving. Let him know you are there but its bed time and that that is where he is to stay. He will soon get it. He may even be so excited about the new bed that he won't get out lots... who knows.

Best of luck,

S.

Sounds like you're going to have to make the jump to a toddler bed. I came on here when I was worried about my son's transition, and lots of moms suggested I put a baby gate in his doorway. That way he is restricted to his bedroom, but doesn't feel like he's locked away and separated from us.

You could try the baby gate on his door while he's still in a crib, but I think it's better to make big changes all at once. He'll probably resent the gate if you put it on while he has a crib, but he'll just accept it as part of his "big boy bed" if you change them both at once.

One thing I've found extremely important is to talk about it. Get him excited about his big boy bed, tell him you're so proud of how big he is, etc. A little later, bring it up again and get him excited again, then tell him what you expect from him. Tell him you'll put the gate on his door so Mommy and Daddy always know where he is. Tell him you expect him to stay in his bed when you put him in there at night, and tell him that if it's light outside when he wakes up, he can get up and call for you. But that if he wakes up and it's still dark, it's still night time and he needs to stay in his bed.

With my first, he actually followed those rules and didn't need a gate. But my second isn't one to follow rules, or even listen to them :) so he needed a physical barrier to remind him of the rules.

Good luck!

I tried everything with my two boys and ultimately they were just craftier than me. The crib tent was a joke, they somehow could get it out of the way so they could get out anyways. I was afraid they would hurt themselves so I caved and put them in a toddler bed. Ultimately it made it easier to keep them in there because I could lay in bed with them and read stories and let them know it was their big new exciting bed. For some reason they did not really get out of the big bed. Maybe once or twice a week for water or whatever they needed. I say put him in a big boy bed and call it good. If you want to lock him in, my girlfriend bought these attachments for her doors that she could work but her kids couldn't. That solution did not work for me but it did her.

Good luck!

When our son started this, we got him a new bed, not a toddler bed but a twin bed on the floor, with a guard rail, and this really helped as he enjoyed his new bed. Also, we put a doorknob safety lock on the inside of his door so he could not get out and wander. We also keep a monitor in his room to hear what he's up to and don't have anything dangerous within his reach in there. He has no toys in his room except a few trains, mainly books. It really sounds like your son is not enjoying the crib anymore, and adding that change might just be the motivation he needs to stay in bed. And maybe shortening his naps would help, is has with our son.

We are on the tail end of the same situation with our 20 month old. It came out of the blue. Like you, we were not ready to put him in a toddler bed because we were certain he would roll out.

We ended up lowering the side of his crib, so he wouldn't have as far to climb out/fall if he slips. Then one of us sat in his room with him until he was asleep, moving closer to the door each night, until we were out the door. Once we were out the door, we sat next to the door where he couldn't see us. At that point, he really started testing the limits, climbing out repeatedly--one night it was over 20 times in a row. Each time we calmly put him back with no interaction. By the 4th night, he stayed put. And he has gotten better at staying put after being returned to his crib in the middle of the night.

If you are worried about the night time wanderings, you can put a babygate at his door. We did this with our older daughter and it worked well. I've heard some horror stories about using crib tents in this situation, so we avoided that route.

Hope some of this helps! Good luck!

If you do not want to buy another bed you can put the mattress from the crib onto the floor and take the frame down and store it in another room. You do not want him breaking a leg as he climbs out,as my neighbors child did when she was around 18 months old and in a body cast for eight weeks.

I would use a gate at his door to keep him from wandering or if that did not work a latch lock or a new door knob with a lock if you do not want to drill holes in the door and wall.

It is hard to keep these little ones safe from themselves at times, good luck.

S.
Mother to Kai
www.HomeWithKai.info

I had twins that would wake each other up...and then me. Crib tents are the solution. They actually liked them and felt cosy.

Honestly, for safety, it's probably time to move your child out of the bed, maybe that change can entice him to stay in his bed by saying if he's big enough you will move him but that means going to bed and staying in bed.

The alternative is a crib tent.

Good luck.
L.

Yes try a crib tent that's my advice. It seems exactly what you are ready for. With out knowing your son, I would think locking a 2 year old in his room would be unsafe. There are to many hazords in a childs room.

It's time for a toddler bed. We transitioned my daughter to a toddler bed and put a gate infront of her door at night so she can't escape. It took about a week for her to get that when we put her in bed it is bed time. She would play in her room for awhile and then would put herself to bed after about an hour. Now she stays in bed.

My sister in law used a crib tent for a while with her extremely active two year old monkey, I mean son:) It worked great for them. It did end up with a lot of holes however, but while they used it it did the job of keeping him in the crib.

Your baby is ready for a BIG BOY BED! It's dangerous for him to be jumping out that much because he will eventually hurt himself. Lots of parents put locks on their doors or put the white covers on the door handle so they can't get out. Once they are asleep you can unlock or open the door for safety. It won't take long but it won't be easy either. Cryng it out never killed anyone. If they are crying you know they are breathing, you will just need some headphones or go take a shower while he's crying it out. Good Luck! We've all been there!

While you might not be ready for a toddler bed, sounds like your son is! My suggestion would just be to go with the flow, buy him a double bed (just put the box springs on the floor so when he rolls out, it isn't far to fall), and get a lock for the bedroom door. This is what we did for our two year old and it works wonderfully. No issues at all. Also, it is very dangerous for your son to jump out of the crib even with a quilt or pillows on the floor - he could get his leg trapped in the bars and dislocate or break it. Good luck!

Hi Aimee - the crib tent is one idea but I have a feeling he might be industrious enough to escape from it eventually. I think this is the perfect time take down the crib and put him in a bed - skip the toddler bed and put him in a big boy bed right away. It's not the safest thing having your son play unsupervised jungle jim all night.

My 3yo son likes to wander but it's usually from his room to our bedroom. We put a locking gate at the top of our stairs so he cant leave the second floor.

Dont put a lock on his door, you need to hear whats going on inside at all times. Hes still very young, but does understand the meaning of nap time. I would convert him into a big boy (toddler bed) bed and make it a very fun and exciting transition. THEN purchase a gate to use at the bottom part of his door. Consistancy is the key!!! Keep up the great work on putting him back in his bed during the night, in time he will get the idea. :) Best of luck and dont give up!!

My almost 2 year old daughter has been doing the same thing, and has landed on her head a few times. For safety's sake switch to a toddler bed, or just put the mattress on the floor. Wandering is just a fact of life once you make the switch from crib to bed. My almost 2 year old is my #4 child and they have ALL gotten off the bed and stayed in the switch. After awhile they get it and go to bed when told (most of the time)but that's just the way it's going to be.

Hi Aimee,
I know you said you don't want to move him to a toddler bed quite yet. However, the bottom line is, that if your child is old enough to climb out of his crib on his own, then it's time for him to be moved out of it. The main reason is the very thing you're concerned about; his safety. He hasn't been injured... YET!

You're doing it right... calmly placing him back in bed over and over til it sticks. Good for you!! As far as placing a lock on his door, as long as it doesn't impede you in an emergency, I don't see why you can't do that - It's probably safer than having him wander the house in the middle of the night! That's my opinion, anyway...
Best of luck to you!
M.

I have had great success with putting a baby gate in the doorway when kids start this kind of thing. I like this option because it does not restrict them as much as the crib tent, but does keep them safely in their own room. As hard as it is to see them unhappy, having a 2 year old wandering around the house at night is dangerous. I also feel like locking a child's bedroom door is dangerous - what if there was a fire or something?

A crib tent also works, if your little guy is able to climb the baby gate. Just keep in mind that your child's safety is the real issue, so whatever it takes to keep him safe is the right thing to do even if it is hard!

You might also consider putting him in a toddler bed with the gate at the door if it will keep him in his room. Falling from the height of a crib could really hurt and may cause an unexpected injury. While he is obviously skillful at climbing out, they are so easily distracted that he could fall and get hurt.

Good luck!

I vote doing a twin bed ( I think toddler beds are a waste ) with just a gaurd rail if you're worried about him rolling out at night. I know you said you aren't ready to put him in a big boy bed but sounds like he is. If a twin bed is too tall for him to get in and out of I'd just put a tiny step stool next to the bed for him. We switched our little boy when he was 20 months and it works wonders. Don't do a net- they can hurt themselves very badly. Also a door knob cover/child lock on the door works well too.

When a child can climb out of their crib they are ready for a toddler bed. you can put up a gate in his room, or lock your own room, or get him a clock and tell him he can get up when the clock says 7 and put 7 big on the wall next to the clock.

You might not be ready for a toddler bed, but your son is! Don't make this power issue if he truly doesn't want to stay in the crib. We moved our son to a toddler bed at age 18 months, because he refused to sleep in his crib after taking naps on a mat at daycare. We didn't want to lock the door for safety reasons, so we just put a child gate across the doorway - he couldn't get out. He slept on the floor for a few days, but quickly adjusted to the bed.