2 Year Old Climbed Out of Crib - Won't Go to Sleep

D.,
My 2 year old started that when he was about 20 months old - we tried the toddler bed - it was worse - he was able to just roll out instead of climb out. I broke down and ordered the Crib Tent - it is great. He goes to sleep and if he wakes in the middle of the nite, he can't get out and run through the house. In my opinion - it was money well spent. I think I got mine at walmart.com - but you can just google Crib Tent and it will come up.
Good Luck!
T.

It sounds to me she is feeling that you and Dad had left her.
She looking for you.
You must be very close to her.
Watch what she sees that could be upset her little mind.
Words that might be said to scare her.
Also she might be feeling she is caged in.
Take care Vicki

Yep! Sounds like it's time for a big girl bed, Mom! Using the crib would be perfectly acceptable if it has the capability to convert to a toddler daybed, however, if it isn't made to do that, I don't think that would be a safe option for your daughter. Present it to your daugher as something really exciting and that will help take any fears away.....everyone can go out as a family & she can pick out her big girl bed and what kind of sheet and blankets she wants for it! =0) Then, I would use a baby gate at her bedroom door, so that she cannot roam the house in the night if she wakes up and hops out of bed (which I'm sure she will for a while). Being able to get out of bed is such a newfound freedom for them! Make sure her room is safe and if she gets out of her bed and plays, you won't have to worry about any dangers. It'll be an adjustment for all of you, but she'll get the hang of it and the "new" will wear off and she'll begin to go down easily at night again.......I promise! =0) Good luck on your new stage of toddlerhood!

I would either lower the rail and get a toddler bed or a big girl bed with the rails on the sides. She is obvioulsy ready for the next step and could get hurt climbing out. With this though, you will have to make some new rules. You will have to talk to her about not getting out. This may be hard since she is only two and may not comprehend everything you tell her, or at least may not be able to follow your rules all the way. You can put a gate up at her door so she cannot get out of her room and roam the house, you can put a door knob lock on her door knob so she cannot turn the knob, you can put a hook and eye lock at the top of her bdrm door so it opens an inch or two but she cannot get out. You will have to start a new routine, make it a big deal that she is a big girl now. Start a new reading routine, don't lay with her until she falls asleep as hard as it may be. Sit on the side of her bed or next to her while reading to her. Maybe she will fall asleep while reading but if not, tell her you will turn off the light, stand next to her for a few mins while she doses off or sing songs to her. You may have to return her to her room SEVERAL times until she gets it, return her to her room without saying anything, just put her in her bed and tell her to go to sleep, it is bed time. Continue to do this and she will eventually stay. I had the door knob lock for my son's room but never had to use it. It was threat enough that I would put it on if he came out of his room. Girls are a bit more stubborn and you may actually have to show it to her while it is daytime, put it on and show her that she cannot get out, that may be enough for her to stay in bed. You can also set up a reward system if she stays in bed....buy a new book, her choice of what to wear (girls like that!), a favorite food/candy, go to a favorite place to eat or play, etc Bribery does work and it is not bad when it is a balance and not over-done. You can always back off the treats once she falls asleep on her own. I am going to have to try all of this soon with our daughter, let's hope it works! :o)

W.

D.,

You've gotten lots of good advice here. Hope this adds to it.
This is a very normal thing. What will define it is how you choose to deal with it. I see two issues: Keeping your daughter safe, and discipline.
Keeping your daughter safe means putting a gate up in her doorway that she cannot climb over. I have a pressure sensitive gate; I also have a gate that screws into the door jamb and clicks on one end. The attached one is metal, a bit taller, and I've never had a kid climb over that one. Your daughter should definitely NOT be wandering around the house at night. Children have been known to open locked doors and end up down the street ... or worse. Also, drop the side of her crib, put her mattress on the floor, do whatever feels right for you and for her to keep her physically safe, but tell her that getting out of bed is notnotnot okay. Once she's in bed, she is to stay in bed.
Now to the discipline. She is old enough to know that when she makes a choice against a rule, she will suffer a consequence. That's a life lesson, and it's important you use consistency with it. If you have a monitor, show her that you can hear her if she calls you.
The gate being in place will protect her when she wakes up in the middle of the night and you're not awake to keep her in her room.
Good luck.

At 10 months my son would flip out of his crib. He HATED it!!! Each time he would bloody his nose. YUK! We went ghetto style with a mattress on the floor. Worked perfectly. We put a pressure mounted baby gate in his doorway so he wouldn't get out of his room. It worked perfectly and wasn't too expensive. Our 18 month daughter has had no problem in a twin sized bed. The $75 tent to me is a waste. The bed gaurds just tripped my son so he was certain to flip on his face, pass. Either get a normal bed or drop the side down and let her sleep in her crib. My sister, with a serious heart condition, fell out of our bunk bed almost every night growing up and she's still alive today. If you are worried about them falling throw some pillows on the floor next to their bed. My 18 daughter has NEVER fallen / rolled out of her bed. My 6 year old son does every night.
Hope I helped, J.

It seems strange that she went from being such a good sleeper, to having so much trouble. I know my daughter always ended up being sick when her sleeping habits/personality changed. I think toddler beds are great and safe! Around age two, I awoke to my daughter hanging off the side of her crib. Since you can use your crib mattress those toddler beds end up fairly inexpensive. And if it saves you worrying and YOU can sleep well it will be worth it. Good luck.

D., she is doing what is normal of most kids, with my oldest now 19, we put him in a big bed (they didn't have toddler beds then, that I was aware of) Anyway, we put him in the big bed at 18months... no issues... but we co-slept with my DD till she was 3 1/2 as she was then ready to move into her big girl bed.

I would put the mattress on the floor, I am assuming many of the other moms would agree with that. Keeping the crib up is just an accident waiting to happen.

You can get the Toddler bed but this is the age where she is dreaming and getting frightened, watch too what she is eating or drinking in the evening as this may be something to trigger being awakened.

There are a million different reasons, I would just talk to her maybe do a sticker chart and a reward. Short goals like maybe 3 days and get a reward and then after about 4 wks go to 7 days and then a reward....
This will help re-enforce what you are trying to teach.
We had issues with this even with my now 5 yr old in April, May and finally tried the sticker chart and she would earn $2 per week if there were 5 or more stickers... it only took 2-3 wks for her to relearn to stay in her bed...

She just too might be needing reassurance for whatever reason.

Remember D., to do what is best for you and your family.

Hi

Once they start climbing they need to go to a toddler bed, unless you want to buy the crib tent cover ...usually found at onestepahead.com

I accidentally left the rail down on my toddler son's crib and he fell out, right on his head while I was less than 2 feet from him...so please don't let your husband just drop the rail! You can find toddler beds cheap or just put the mattress on the floor.
Good Luck it is a frustrating transition with some kids.
You will have a few nights of little sleep, but you will get through it.
J.

I've done this both ways with my kids, and went through the same feelings -- what if they fall and get hurt....

What I would suggest is, if you keep her in her crib, you do lower the side rail, and have her climb up and down several times during the day, so she will know it's down, and not fall out and over it in the middle of the night if she tries to climb up and over, with it not being up any more. I did that for a few months with my older son (he was about 13 months at the time) and then I got a toddler bed (because I was pregnant again and wanting him out of the crib before being replaced by his younger brother). The toddler bed I got had rails half-way down the bed, and I don't think he ever fell out of it.

With my younger son, I just moved him straight to the floor mattress, because my older son was still in the toddler bed, and his constant climbing up and down on the crib was weakening it.

I would also suggest that you stop her wandering at night as soon as possible. Teach her that she needs to stay in her bed -- that just because she *can* get out, doesn't mean she's allowed to do it. I let my younger son get away with it for several months, and it was hard to finally make him understand that he had to stay in his bed. It would have been much easier if I had just cracked down on him when he first got out.

I have 4 year old twins boys, when they were two they started climbing out of their crib. I then moved each of them to a single bed with guard rails on it. The guard rails covered the top side of the bed, so they could still get out. Which they attempted several times. I had to discipline them about getting up and eventually they quit.
T.

Me and My mother in law had the same issue with our sons. we thought what your hubby did and put down the rail. but the thing is is that they get so good at climbing out with it up that they often fall out when its down. Both our sons fell out. we got a toddler bed and our son is fine with it sleeps quiet well. and he was only 16 months when we switched. hope this helps

If she's already two and she's climbing out of her bed, then she's plenty old enough for a toddler bed. I'd say it's pretty unsafe to keep her in a crib even one night longer, especially with the rail dropped. She could definitely injure herself pretty badly that way. Transitioning to a toddler bed is kind of scary at first, but after a few nights of persistence you should be fine. We transitioned my two year old about a month ago, and it's going quite well.

We had 4 kids who all climbed out of the crib. Drop the side rails so she does not fall as far if she falls when she tries to climb out. It is time to switch her to a bed. Climbing out of bed will be safer thank climbing out of the crib. We layed down with our little ones when they went through this. Sometimes we put them in our bed until they fell back to sleep. She just needs the security of having mommy close by. It is a stage most little ones go through at about her age. She will eventually outgrow it. In the meantime just give her the security she needs of having her mommy close by.

YEP..... I think it is time to get her a toddler bed. I wouldn't bother with the rail down. She is only going to fall out and get hurt. Putting the mattress on the floor is a good idea but only long enough till you can get a toddler bed. A toddler bed is lower to the ground and then you buy the side rails so she won't fall out if she turns in the middle of the night. I think her climing out is just a little bump in the road. She will figure it out eventually that she has to stay in her bed and not get up. I don't think that you did anything wrong. I would have done exactly the same thing that you did. I think this is new for her right now and she is getting up and coming to you because she has just figured out she can. After you get her a bed and take her baby bed down, make her room and her sleeping place as comfy as you can, she will begin to sleep better and accept that it is night-night time and eventually she will wake up and roll over without getting up and go back to sleep on her own.
Like I said, it is only a little bump and it too shall pass.
These are the best days of your life and 5 yr from now you are going to look back and laugh about it, and when she is 16 to 21, you are going to wish you had the days of climbing out of bed, back. Get the video out and record it when she isn't looking. Don't miss a minute of it.
Good luck.

I would worry about safety issues if your daughter is climbing out of the crib and wandering around the house in the middle of the night. You can purchase something called a crib tent which fits over the crib and zips from the outside. She will not be able to open it and it is clear mesh so it is completely breathable and she can see through the material. I had to use this when my 18 month old started crawling out of the crib and it was fabulous. The cost is about $75 so you might want to ask friends if anyone has one they can lend to you or try a consignment shop for kids. Good luck!

A toddler bed may do the trick. We used one for our children at about her age. It was a big change, but a good one. We put a baby gate at the doorway to make sure they didn't get into anything harmful. this reinforced the need to stay in their own room. The gate allowed us to keep the door open, but the little ones were secure too. Sometimes they got up and played in their room for a while, (we kept a nightlight on)then fell asleep in the floor. We just had to move them back to their beds. Sometimes we'd find them in their beds with their favorite toys beside them. it was cute!

Hi D., When my daughter was 11 months old we gave up on the crib. She hadn't slept in it for months. Instead we got a twin size mattress and put it in the floor, with one of those rails you can get for co-sleeping. She flops all over the place, and has only fell out of bed one time that I know of, and it was when she was sick. Even then it wasn't even a foot off the floor so no harm done. I can easily lay down with her when I need to, she can get up when she wants, lay down when she wants and it has worked wonderfully for us. Hope this helps. We do put a gate up so she can't go anywhere other than our bedroom and hers though.

We are going through the same thing right now! Our daughter is 2 1/2 and she has always been a climber! It really is such a challenge as they develop new physical skills. (It seems like she was able to climb out of the crib at the same time she could open her door and turn off her sound machine!) The nice thing is that at the same time, she is gaining the skills needed to discuss things. We have talked about the rules briefly...."You do not climb out of bed. If you wake up and need me, just say my name, because I can hear you. If you wake up, you can get out of bed if the sun is up." We have said the same simple sentences over and over and over and over....and over. Now, she tells them to us. And we have made it clear that this is about obeying, and if she doesn't obey we are consistent with the necessary discipline. We have taken the front off her crib, so it is a "big girl" bed. It doesn't even really have a great rail on the side, but she has never fallen out. I hope this helps! Best wishes for a full night's sleep!! :)

You can go 2 ways. Put the mattress on the floor, or get her a bed. Mine went into a single bed. We put a rail on the side, and they were able to get out if need be. The grands have had the toddler beds. You can find them second hand, or spend the money and buy new. I don't think the bed matters, what matters is their safety. They will transition rapidly, like in 4 mo. Good luck. You might invest in a gate for the room, then she is not running all over, but she will be back in a routine in a week or 2, just another milestone in her life.