HELP! My 2 Year Old Can Open His Bedroom Door!

Hi,
What we did was to put a child proof knob cover on the inside door knob. We had the baby moniter on so if anything were to happen, we could still hear him. That's what worked for us.
Good luck.

How about putting the gate in his doorway? Do you have a monitor where you could see him when he's stirring, before he gets out of bed?

We reversed the doorknob on our daughter's door. We are able to lock it until she falls asleep and then unlock it before going to bed. Just remember to leave a 'key' inside the room in case you get locked in too:)

Try tiring him out physically before bedtime. Also be firm.
As one of the responses noted--the bedroom door is the least of your worries. Going out the front door by himself is really something to watch out for!
Make sure he knows if he messes with any closed doors he's in big, big trouble.
Some kids don't understand that adults are there to protect them and help them. No means no, and stop means stop, and any small child who doesn't understand that can put himself in danger.

Also, consider fire safety when considering blocking and locking bedroom doors.

and now the door opening fun begins! this was about the age that my son started opening the front door and out he went. My husband put a deadbolt up at the top to keep him from escaping. I had to be careful not to let him see me using the deadbolt. when he got older he would drag a chair to the door and unlock the deadbolt!! I tell you this so you can be prepared. I tried the doorknob covers first, they did work for awhile, but he figured them out. good luck!!

Put a baby gate across his door.

can you put a gate on his bedroom door or would he be able to open it himself?
My girls were still in cribs at age 2 so I have no other suggestions :-( good luck!

K.,
Don't know if this will help. Try using the child proof door locks. It slips right over the door handle, and a child can't open it without depressing all sides & turning the knob(all at the same time)...however, I could not open them alot of the time either(lol)...and if you don't have a standard knob style then it won't work.....
We have our grandson in the house & he is starting to walk so we have been looking at all the child safety items.
Good Luck
P.s. Just read the post prior to mine....The front door is a BIG issue. Had our 3 yr old go out a triple locked door. Lock,deadbolt,chain. He just climbed up on a chair & let himself out to ride up & down the elevator @ 4am.....Luckily we worked at the apt complex & all the neighbors knew us, someone alerted us right away (but at 4am!) No, child safety is fool proof!!! especially for fool's.....we had to add a "Secret Lock"..and he was ONLY 3. He figured out the "secret lock" within weeks...not everything works, all the time, for every child....Keep your eyes& ears open (even in sleep).....Good Luck,God Bless.

Just want to add one more things to the already good advice.

FLIP LOCK put up high keeps a toddler from opening a door.

I had an escape artist on my hand with my youngest. Make sure it is high enough as my son would push his push car over and stand on it to reach a high lock.

GOOD LUCK.

I read the other responses and have to say I like Karen's best. I'm a firm believer in trying to teach the child self-control first... and given your profession, I assume you are too. If you use the gate at the door for a 'reminder' to him for a while, that may help, but I would try using all means to get him to learn that he just needs to stay in his room without restraints as much as possible. I do also like the idea of the gate put up to limit how far he can roam if he wakes during the night. Perhaps the same gate you are using in the hallway could be put at his door until he's asleep, and then moved to block the hallway to keep him in the bedroom areas once he's sleeping.

My son has two young kids and they have these metal gates up everywhere... one in front of the kids' bedroom door and they cannot open them. I'm not sure where they got them but if you are interested, I could ask.

Hook & eye at the top of the door (where you can reach but the child can't - and make sure there are no chairs inside the room! ;-))

That's what my parents did for us, and what I did for my son when we couldnt verbally convince him to stay in his room (he was 3 then).

Put the hook & eye in such a way so that the door is open an inch or two so he can still see out, but can't get out. (and keep the hallway dark)

When you go to bed, unhook the door so he can come to you if he does need you in the middle of the night.

Your son will soon be too old for this, as they are only recommended for up to age 3, but a crib tent was our savior for our daughter. She was getting out of her crib at age 18 months, wandering the house, climbing bookshelves and tables, and crying for us when she couldn't find her way in the dark. This of course started one week before the arrival of baby #3. We didn't want to gate the door or try doorknob handles as she shares the room with her older sister (gates and such can be loud even when the older sib can get out easily for potty trips). It took about a week of getting used to it, but she began to love it as her little "hideaway." Now at age 2 years and 9 months she can easily open it herself, but it still seems to be something that she feels safe with. I also second the advice from others regarding keeping a small amount of books and quiet toys in their bed, having a solid nighttime routine, tiring the kids out before bed, and allowing the door to stay open as long as the kids are in bed and quiet. I would also add, no sugar before bed (and limited during the day anyway), and try a sticker chart for staying in bed. You can also give your son one "free pass" to get out of bed once each night for an extra hug or whatever, then it's right back to bed. I also reassure our children that the monitor allows mommy and daddy to hear them at night ("like a telephone"), and we tell them that every night we check on them before we go to bed. That seems to allay any fears that we are "leaving" them. Good luck!

We put a baby gate on my son's bedroom door. I didn't want to use the doorknob covers and have him feel like he was trapped in his bedroom. This way he can open the door and see out but can't actually leave the room. We still use the baby monitor so we know if he needs us in the middle of the night.

My two year old did the same thing...I had to put the door knob covers on (you can get them at Target or Walmart)...but you have to have to round door knobs. It has worked for us so far...she hasn't figured it out. I do go and open it up once she is asleep in case she needs us during the night.

Hi K.-
We are in the same boat right now! What is working for us (fingers crossed) is that we leave his door opened about a foot. He can see directly into our living room, but we also have a deal with him. The door can stay opened as long as he stays in his bed. And we are very firm about that. He can have one toy (small with no noises!!) or a book in bed with him if he would like. He can also sing or talk or whatever, but he cannot get out of bed. Normally, he is fast asleep in about 15 minutes. Best of luck to you!

Hi K.,

They have door knob covers that would keep your child from opening the door from the inside.

DoorHardware.BizRate.com

Blessings.....

K.:
You are not alone here. My 2 yr old does the exact same thing along with climbing out of his crib and then coming out to the living room to see what we are watching. One minute you have put him in his room in bed and turned the lights out - then all of a sudden he magically appears by your arm on the couch. Go figure!
We basically placed a mesh netting from the bottom of the door half way up so that if he did get up he could see out but could not come out. It seems to have appeased his interest on wanting to continue to play but then I still have to go and find him after he has fallen asleep somewhere in his room since he won't climb back into bed. Now, however, we have a youth bed to put together so hopefully he will just play for a bit and then poop out in his bed.
I think they just want to keep up with the commotion around and don't want to miss anything.
Stores have gates too that can be placed at the bottom of the doorway but most kids I know are climbing right over them. That is why we used the netting.
Good luck!
T.

Get a safety door knob cover that toddlers cannot open, I got one at Babys-r-us. If your scared about him not being able to get out in an emergency then open the door once your toddler is asleep when you go to sleep. This works for our family and now our toddler does not even try to get up an open the door. Be firm too about staying in bed