My 2 Year Old Is Trying to Climb Out..

It's bog boy bed time!

Feel lucky that you made it to 2! All 3 of my kids were climbers and out of there long before 2!

I know it is sad and hard but try to embrace it, put a fun spin on it and just go for it!

My son's room was across from the stairs. We used a gate at his doorway to prevent wandering around in the dark.
Play it up....make it a big deal.
Don't forget to secure any large items to the wall just in case he tries to scale a bookshelf or dresser once he's "free"!
Can you modify his crib for now and make it less dangerous to crawl out of? (Put a side down low, like a daybed for transition?)
Good luck.

Luckily my son was never a climber, but I still switched him to a toddler bed at about 2. Basically, I told him on Monday, that on Friday we were going to change his crib to his toddler bed, and I would need his help putting it together/re-arranging his room, etc. We discussed it all week, then Friday when we got home, I pulled out the tools and asked him to hand me what I needed when I needed it. He loved helping Mommy put it together, and by the time we were done, he was so tired, he fell asleep with no problem. lol Good luck!!

If he has his leg flung over and ready to climb out, then don't wait until he does. Change him out of the crib immediately and into a toddler bed/convert the crib/twin bed/whatever. He could get seriously injured if you wait, although a lot of kids are adept at things like this. My nephews and a couple of nieces climbed out of their cribs before 18 months.

As suggested make sure thing that can tip are put away or secured. My oldest pulled the dresser over on himself climbing on the drawers at a young age when he was in the twin bed. Make sure a gate is up and windows can't be opened. I had one do that too and he threw out clothes and toys but fortunately we had a wrought iron bar on it because he'd fallen out a window downstairs already. Yes, he was a hand full along with his brother who helped him although 12 months younger. Just child proof everything and he'll be fine.

I agree with the other posts -- Put him into that toddler bed starting now. It's not like you even have to go out and get one! It's great you already have it. I believe that the "crib nets" are just delaying the inevitable and pose a possible danger of entanglement to a child who is trying to climb out. If you have any other hesitation about keeping him in the crib, think of it like this: Look at the distance from the top of the crib rail to the floor. Picture him falling that distance, possibly falling head-first. It's potentially very dangerous. My friend's kid fell and broke her arm the very first time she climbed out of her crib at 18 months.

Be well aware that the toddler bed transition takes time and GREAT patience on your part. Don't expect more than he can handle; don't get upset with him for being 2 and wanting to experiment with getting out of the bed -- because he will indeed do that, and you need to be ready for it. Expect him to get up and walk around, come to find you, etc. Prepare in advance how you and your husband will react so you don't get angry and frustrated and yell at him or beg him to stay in bed.

With my daughter, I put her into bed, read to her, etc., and then when lights went out, I stayed in the room in the dark with one hand lightly on her body and that made her feel secure. After a few weeks of that, I gradually moved to sitting outside in the hall near her door, where she could see me but I wasn't inside the room. That seemed to work to keep her in the bed. Do not interact or continue to talk with your son once the lights are out. And if he does get up, EVERY TIME you should walk him silently back to bed and tuck him in and leave. He may do it repeatedly but you will need to walk him back repeatedly. Don't get angry, don't interact; if you do, it becomes a game for him -- the process needs to be as dull and boring as possible so he does not get any attention from you or any fun out of the up-and-down process. Remember that even your "negative attention" such as fussing at him for being up will still be attention in his mind, so don't do it--be a robot! This will take time but eventually will keep him in bed when there is no payoff for being out of bed.

I also agree with others that you need to be sure to babyproof well includiing anchoring dressers, bookcases, etc. to the walls behind them. Also anchor your TV -- kids are often hurt by pulling TVs onto themselves. There are many anchors available now and a wall-mounted TV is a great solution. But please be sure to anchor things. Go to the CPSC web site (cpsc.gov) for data on how many kids each year are hurt or killed by pulling furniture over onto themselves.

Set it up his bed in his room to see his reaction. He may suprise you. I was really worried about moving my son into his toddler bed, but when he saw it for the first time he yelled "WOW" and spent an hour just laying in it. When his daddy got home he drug him down to his room to show him his new big boy bed.

2yrs old! You are so lucky,

Our daughter could climb out before she was 1 years old.. Had her in a bed as soon as we heard her fall onto the floor.

He is going to do great. Take the crib apart and put the mattress on the floor in a corner of the room. . Then start looking for a bed.. Personally I would skip the toddler beds.. Just go onto a twin or full sized bed.

Congratulations on your big boy!

We've got a crib tent. We bought it early because our DS is a very wriggly sleeper and starting at around 4 months, he would get his arms and legs caught in the crib rails. It has kept his arms and legs contained. It also zips over top, so conceivably, it would keep him from climbing out too.

He hasn't tried to as yet. We are grateful to have him in the crib.

If you haven't bought one yet, perhaps its best not to. The crib tents keep baby in the crib, and unable to use a potty in their bedroom at night, if you want to go that route for potty training.

good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

I honestly think kids who move to toddler beds when they are still toddlers, 12 months up to 24 months, have much better experience. They haven't yet realized they can get up and wander so it is not an issue.

In child care kids start transitioning to cots at about 10-11 months so when they move to the toddler room they can sleep comfortably on the cots. So it was just the perfect time in my mind to transition them to the toddler beds. They slept all night and never wandered or got up and out of their rooms. I had a baby gate across their door in case but it was not an issue. I had the baby monitors in the hallway just outside their door so I could hear if they were moving around and it was just never an issue. I did however still take precautions such as keeping all bathroom doors shut and the door knobs covered with doorknob protectors.

It would be totally irresponsible of me to think they were not going to ever get free and wander.

Time to set up the bed before he falls.

Enclosure nets are dangerous, little ones have been entrapped in them and strangled to death. My pediatrician had a patient this happened to, she has become very vocal in discouraging their use.

Set up the toddler bed, childproof his room, put a door knob cover on the inside knob or a gate across his door. Put him in the bed for a nap first to familiarize him with the bed during daylight, then to bed that night, otherwise keep his bedtime routine exactly the same. If you don't make a big deal out of it it won't be.