I am looking for any advice on how to keep my 18 month old in his play yard for nap time at daycare. He just learned how to climb out, and he will not nap if he is not confined. Needless to say, the last 2 days at daycare have been without a nap, which he does not do well with! I know they make those tents but they are $60 and wondered if anyone had any "secrets" or homemade remedies we could try first? He hasn't learned to crawl out of his crib yet, just the play yard at daycare.
M.,
Can he climb out with socks on? Sometimes that is just enough "slip" to keep them in.
You may want to consider looking for "the tent" on eBay, garage sales or consignment stores.
Good luck,
S.
Perhaps you could try letting him sleep on a cot instead. I can't imagine my son staying in a play yard either. All the kids his age use cots for naps at his daycare. He may just feel he is "too big" for the play yard. Good luck!
I would consider looking on e-bay for that tent. You can find it cheaper than retail. Maybe Craig's list may have it.
I thought they made extensions you can put on a crib (pack n play???). Its like a long bar with a net type fabric, maybe 6 inches high or so??? I dont know if I am making this up or if it really does exist. Maybe you can google it or check out babies r us. The tent is very expensive but might be worth it until he's of proper age for a bed.
You know the tents are not cheap (I got mine off amazon for about $45) but it gave me another 6 months to get her to an age where she was old enough to understand that she can't just be getting in and out of bed. My middle ds was about the same age as yours when he started climbing out and since I didn't know about the crib tents we just spent almost a year struggling with bedtime with him b.c he just was too young to get that he has to stay in bed. I know the cost seems a bit much and I must say for the price they are pretty flimsy (mine are falling apart after only about 8 months so am now transitioning my twins in to bed b.c the pack and play tent is literaly falling apart BUT they did a great job for what they were intended to do and well worth the $45 investment. I have twins so its double the trouble having them climbing out and we were weeks away from a 4 week trip to Canada when they started climbing out so the thought of traveling with 2 18 months old who could get in and out of beds was more than a little daunting. I don't think there is much you could do in the way of rigging something up on your own that would meet any type of safety standards. If you search around online you may be able to find it a few dollars cheaper or try craigslist to see if you could find one used.
K. H
