20-Month-old Has Been Jumping Out of His Crib

Hi S.,
We used a baby gate at my son's doorway when we switched him to a toddler bed. I wasn't comfortable with shutting the door to his room and I was worried about him waking up and going into other parts of the house. The gate worked great for us, until potty training began, anyways!!! Good Luck!

How funny. My 20 month old started the same thing last week. We reversed the door handle on his door (he can open it) and lock it at night. He only tries a couple of times and then realizes he's in for the long haul and eventually climbs in bed and goes to sleep. We had a gate up, but he climbed that too. Good luck!

I took both my kids out of the crib and put them into a twin bed at 15 months. As far as getting out of his room, he will just have to be taught that once it's bedtime, the rule is that he must stay in bed and sleep. That means that everytime he gets out of bed, you have to go in, don't say anything to him, just put him in bed and walk out. I had to break my son of getting out of bed during naptime when he was about 17 months, and I literally laid outside his bedroom door on the floor and peeked under the door. Everytime I saw his feet hit the floor I went in and did this. The first day I went in probably atleast 15 times, the second day a little less, and by the third or fourth day he stopped getting out. It's more about setting boundaries and being consistent with following through with enforcing them than it is about whether or not the child will get out of bed. They will in the beginning, but if you're enforcing rules, they'll learn them and comply with them.

We have a baby gate on our toddler's doorway. Are you opposed to that? Just make sure his room is absolutely safe if there is a time when you might not know what he is up to. We actually leave the gate open now because she always comes to our room if she wakes up (I'm a very light sleeper.) Another idea is to gate/close the other no-no rooms, but leave his and yours open so he can get to you.

First, make sure the crib rail is down so that he doesn't fall. If he can get out anyway, it's not going to help him get out any more than he already does.

We also tried the baby gate in the doorway until our son learned to scale that, too. When he was 2 1/2 we moved him to a big boy bed, but in the meantime we put a childproof handle on the doorknob inside his room. We used to shut the door until he fell asleep, but now he stays in bed and falls asleep on his own so we can leave the door open when we tuck him in.

And, as for getting out of the big boy bed, we used the Supernanny technique of just being consistent and returning him to bed over and over. It took a couple of nights but it worked. He rarely gets out of bed anymore. The moms who say you have to teach him that you expect him to stay in bed are right. Just be firm and consistent, it's for his own safety and his own good. You're right, he needs his sleep.

Just be sure that you put a gate at the top of the stairs in case he wanders or sleepwalks overnight, or gets confused while he's coming to look for you.

Have fun!

We had the same problem - we also have a 20 month old. We kept him in his crib, but purchased a "crib tent" -- look for them online at Babies R Us. I was afraid of trying to convert his bed to a toddler bed too soon (for fear of him wandering out of his room, climbing over the gate, etc.), but the crib tent has (thankfully) worked perfectly.

Now is time for discipline. If he sees it as a game his going to want to do it, so tell him he can get up once and then it's over. Tell him seriously, matter-of-factly, that he has to go to bed and stay there. Keep putting him in until he does. A light swat on the bottom shows how serious you are. AFter a couple of nights, if it doesn't work, you'll have to go to timeouts. Put him to bed a little earlier and if he keeps getting up, make him sit in timeout for 10 minutes, adding time each time he gets up.
He will learn.

Close his bedroom door and be sure there is nothing he can reach that he could get hurt on while exploring.If there is no door on the room invest in a baby gate or pet gate they are usually child safe and hard for a toddler to get open.

Sounds like you have a very bright and energetic boy on your hands! How wonderful! the whole getting out of their crib thing is normal, and not all that much fun, I agree. When he does this just take him back to bed and make no eye contact, and talk as little as possible. don't scold him or try to punish him. He's not committing a crime, he's just learned a new skill and feels compelled to practice it. And it may take half the night at first, but just keep lovingly putting him back in bed until he goes to sleep. Or you could let him do it over and over again during the day when you aren't trying to get him to sleep. Letting him do it until he tires of it might take away the excitement of it. If you are concerned about him doing this in the middle of the night when you are asleep I would put a gate in his door, NOT at the top of the stairs (if you have them). Just keep in mind this is indeed a passing phase and chances are he'll lose interest in it altogether once he's mastered it. Keeping him safe is key, and gently reminding him that nighttime is for sleeping.

Every child is different in how they will react to this situation. My twins were 23 months when the one realized he could hop the crib. We removed the one side of their cribs. It has not been until recently that they every once in a while decided to get out and sleep by the door (they always go back to their beds on their own). I personally have found that drawing attention to them being out of their cribs and on the floor makes it happen more (although again, this is probably not the case for all kids). I do have a special situation in that I have to consider the other child in the room before I enter. I too removed all toys although they never even ventured near their bookcase which still had stuffed animals and books. We didn't need a child safety door knob cover becuase we live in an old house and the knobs are hard to turn but that is what some parents use to keep them in the room. If he's hopping the crib, he may hop a gate (we discovered this). You will just need to try the many suggestions and see what works with your child. Good luck!

The previous response is totally on track. He's old enough to be taught he has to stay in bed. You CAN'T make this a game however, laughing at him will only encourage it and so will talking to him. He's got to know by your actions, not words that this isn't going to happen and your not going to let it.

We kept the door open but put a pressure gate at the door frame. When she climbed over that, we started putting two pressure gates at the door frame (stacked). That way, her door is technically open, but she is safely gated in. Good luck!

I would suggest a crib tent, they sell them online, or any baby/kid store.

S., We just experienced this problem with our 26 month old daughter. At first I was reluctant to put anything on her door to keep her in (i.e. the child proof locks). However, it became kind of a game and she needed to learn that it wasn't ok to come out of her room OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND.....So, we did finally get one of the doorknob baby proof locks. At first she was kind of mad. Now, she is totally used to it. It doesn't phase her. She gets her much needed sleep and it's going ok. She has pulled it apart a few times on her own..but, I just put it back. She doesn't seem to care! So, I am glad we finally did that although I was VERY OPPOSED!! Good Luck!

You basically let the room become the 'crib' for now. Remove all the toys and temptations. When he gets out of bed, he may play a little bit with a book or something but eventually he'll fall asleep. At some point, I found all my kids sleeping on the floor of their closet or right next to the door. After a week or so they learn to fall asleep in their own bed.

You asked how to keep him in the room. Is he tall for his age? At 20 months none of my kids could read the door handle when the door was shut, they were in.

If you really want him to stay in the crib longer you could get a crib tent. I've never used one but I know lots of moms who have to keep climbers 16-24 months in the crib. It's much safer going to a toddler bed at 24 months than 20 months (most experts recommend at least 24 months before going to a bed).

We put a baby gate up in the doorway when my daughter did this. It worked well for us as there is nothing in her room that could be a problem. We kept her bedroom door open because she didn't like being shut in. And yes she feel asleep on the floor a couple of times. Good luck!