Any Opinion on Crib Tents?

I used crib tent mainly to keep my daughter out of her sister's crib. I was afraid because I would find her in the crib with her pillow and stuffed animals etc. I liked it but my older daughter eventually managed to break it.

Hello K.,

I would definitely recommend the crib tent. I got it when my son was 18 months old, after he tried to climb out of the crib several times. It has been the biggest lifesaver.
Good luck!

M.

I too used a crib tent, and would suggest buying two at time of purchase as I found that they tore easily during assembly.
It brought us peace of mind and our daughter adjusted quickly and easily :)

God Bless and Best of Luck!
C.

I'm going to have to second the notion of a big boy bed. My son went into one (which was placed on the floor, and later into a frame) at about a year and a half. He rolled out of bed once or twice, but I made sure there were no toys by the bed before he bedded down for the night and even put pillows or blankets down until I felt comfortable with the situation. Good luck!

Have you thought about a toddler bed? I had my daughter in one at 20 months and she did great! It was nice transitioning her to a toddler bed before she learned to open doors! ;) Now she is 25 months and goes to bed beautifully at night but still sometimes gets up to play at nap time - but that's no biggie.

We changed my daughters crib to a toddler day bed at 18 months.

My neighbor used resorted to a crib tent because her three year old fell out of the crib. They moved him to a big boy bed, but he was way too immature for it. He didn't get any sleep and then became very crabby during the day. Her doctor recommended the crib tent. It's been very successful for him.

I bought the crib tent for a vacation when my son was a baby since I wasn't sure what type of crib the hotel would provide. We liked the security of knowing he was safe even when you hear those bumps in the night. So when we got home we put it on his crib and it saved us from him climbing out.
When my daughter was born my son was not ready to give up his crib so we bought another crib and a crib tent with the sides.
She justed turned two and loves her cozy bed. I know we will need to get a toddler bed soon but wait until they are ready, not age but maturity.

Hi K.- I did something a little different with my kids. I lowered the crib rail and taught them how to get out safely. I would still use a gate if your son won't climb over but one of my 4 kids did so then I switched the lock around on their bedroom door and used the monitor to hear her when she needed us. It sounds a little scary to lock them in but we had a 1st floor master and safty was a major issue.
Good Luck
B.

My son climbed out of his crib at 9 months, so I used one as well to keep him in the crib. It was wonderful. I would recommend it if you are not ready for him to move to a big boy bed. They are expensive though, so I don't know if I would buy one unless you are planning on keeping him in the crib for a while.

K., the recommended age by the pediatric community to move a child to a bed is 3 years old. I would get the crib tent. My neighbor has triplets and just recently put the tents on their cribs. She said that it has been the biggest lifesaver. Good luck!

I agree that a big boy bed would be the best option. My older son went to a big boy bed at around 18 months and did very well. We did a gate in the door, made the room as boring as possible so nothing to get into and of course it was baby proofed. Almost makes the room one big crib. Best wishes to you!

I never did but my friend with twins did and she said they were a lifesaver. She just wasn't ready for them to stop sleeping in their beds.

I had to put one up when my daughter turned 19 months and I loved it ~ and so did she. She would actually help us zip it up at naptime and nighttime before she went to sleep. Two of my girlfriends had used it before it was handed down to me and we all agree that we don't know what we would've done without it.

I pretty much agree with Cynthia - the crib tents original purpose was to keep cats out of the crib. My son was in a toddler bed at 18 months - his room was already baby-proofed and I put a gate at his bedroom door to keep him in his room during nap and at night. After the first few nights of wandering around in his room (just because he could), he went to bed normally and stayed in bed. I didn't have a lot of toys in his room though, so there really wasnt anything to do when out of bed anyway. He used his toddler bed until he outgrew it when he was five. I never used a crib tent even though I had a cat - I was lucky I guess because my cat never went in my son's room (the cat slept in bed with me!).

I know plenty of parents that moved their kids into big kid beds at 18 months with no problems. If you're worried about him falling out, try putting the mattress on the floor. IMHO, once your kid can climb out of the crib, it's time to move him out.

A crib is meant to be used for up to 2 yrs as a crib. Many cribs can be converted into toddler size day beds which extends their life. If yours doesn't convert toddler beds are relatively inexpensive. At 22 mths it's time for a big boy bed or at least a toddler bed. The toddler beds use the same mattress as a crib & are nice and low to the ground. The crib tents original purpose was to keep cats from smothering a baby not to keep the baby in the crib. At almost 2 yrs old it is a waste of money.