how to keep toddler in room at night?

[sdbc]

So, DD has now climbed out of her crib twice at night and walked out of her room. Once was while we were still awake and we *knew* she was overtired and would have a hard time falling back asleep and once was last night, where she must have had a bad dream in the middle of the night. We found her crying in the livingroom.

So, I'm guessing her crib is no longer safe for her (luckily she didn't get hurt climbing out yet), and she has to switch to a regular bed. What do you do to keep your toddler in his/her room at night once the crib will not contain him/her? I don't want her to feel like she doesn't have a bedtime anymore, and I definitely don't want her to figure out how to get outside while we are asleep, etc...

[psophia17]

I was coming here to post a similar question...DS has just figured out how to escape...

[farsk]

I remember once reading about installing a screen door (this was in relation to keeping cats out of the nursery). Maybe it's something to consider? You'd still be able to hear her and air circulation would be the same as if an open door.

Good Luck!

[mudder17]

Crib tent?


Eileen

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33732.gif for Leah
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33734.gif 27 months...
http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!

[kochh2]

extra tall baby gate at the door??

[sdbc]

I should have specified: we actually put her to bed with her door closed. She's climbing out of her crib and then opening her door and coming out. A friend said she used those door knob things that toddlers can't open with her son when he was a toddler, but he's 6 now, and still sometimes mentions how upset he was by that!!!!!! I'm thinking of putting a baby gate on the outside of her door, but I'm sure she could scale it. At least we'd have a little more warning, though, since we would hear her once she opened the door.

[sdbc]

I think I'll see if I can find a really tall one. Does anyone know of a good one off the top of their head?

I just moved a mattress onto the floor of her room for tonight....

[new_mommy25]

http://tinyurl.com/ezejd
http://tinyurl.com/ka3a3

[JBaxter]

we put this gate on Nathan's door the wooden door is able to close. When he gets up he opens the door and calls for me.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000058CC7/qid=1149550520/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-5063820-0291902?v=glance&s=baby
Hes been in the toddler bed ( converted from crib) since he was about 2. I now keep a potty chair in his room for when he naps with out his diapers.

[octmom]

We have the same gate on Sean's door and the door closes *almost* all the way. He's never tried to climb the gate. He can open closed doors with the knob covers on them and has been able to do so for a long, long time, so this was our best solution.

Jerilyn
DS, Sean 10/03
DD, Katie 3/06

"Baby makes days shorter, nights longer, home happier, and love stronger."

[sarahbrown29]

Our friends turned the door handle around so that the lock is on the outside and the "keyhole" is on the inside. They end up locking their son in his room if they need to. He figured out the child-proof handle thing.

[cmdunn1972]

>Our friends turned the door handle around so that the lock is
>on the outside and the "keyhole" is on the inside. They end
>up locking their son in his room if they need to. He figured
>out the child-proof handle thing.

My only concern with that is what if there's a fire or some other emergency where the child would need to be able to exit the room in a hurry?

[pampamz]

Plain old baby gate on the door -- we used it until DS was 3 yo and if it wasn't for the baby monitor in the nursery next door, we would still use it. Now that he is potty trained he can get up at night to go pee but I can hear him via the monitor.

[Momof3Labs]

Yes, crib tent!

[ohiomom]

We decided to try the door know covers, thinking if she freaked out too much we weren't out much $. We need to keep her door closed for various reasons such as our cats, DH's office is next door and light would be a problem, etc. She pitched a fit the 1st evening for about 10 minutes. Ever since, she walks to the door, spins the knob cover and announces "door stuck". She doesn't seem traumatized at all. I DID think about the fire issue, but decided it would be better to have her in her room so we can find her than her being scared and wandering all over the house and we couldn't find her in the event the unthinkable happened. It hurts to think about that possiblity, but that's how I've rationalized it at this point.

[Momof3Labs]

Except they are probably safer in their room at this tender age. At least you know where to look for them, and so do the firemen. DH is a firefighter, and it is downright scary when they have to search for a child who wandered somewhere else in the house before things got bad...

[sdbc]

Sighhhhh...we just tried the gate (a couple of hours ago) and she climbed right over it. It's a tall gate, but has criss-cross pattern, so she got a foot-hold. She finally exhausted herself and agreed to go to her room if I slept with her. Phew--she finally fell asleep. Maybe a gate with vertical bars would work. Maybe we'll try the knobs first, though (less $).

I was worried about locking her in in case of a fire, etc, but I guess she'd be stuck in her room if she was in a crib, plus like PP said, better in her room than hiding somewhere else in the house because she was scared. She's only 2--she really isn't rational enough to figure out the best way to get out in a situation like that.

[bubbaray]

Get a gate that is smooth (First Years makes one) and then get a second. Stack them on top of each other.

http://www.thefirstyears.com/products/product.asp?pValue=4996

Of course, I'm just passing along what I've been told to do -- DD is still in her crib most nights. Some nights she asks for her "big girl bed", but doesn't stay the whole night in there. Once she asks to get out, we put her back in her crib....

HTH

Melissa

http://b3.lilypie.com/rppJm7/.png[/img][/url]

[kijip]

Toby has a high gate on his bedroom door.

[trumansmom]

We've got the toddler proof door knob cover on DD's door. She hates it and usually tries it once or twice, but then goes to sleep. However, after she's been asleep for an hour or two, we open her door. She usually stays in her room until 6 or 7, but last night climbed in bed with us at 3:30. For the first few nights we closed the door to the top of the stairs so she could *only* go into one of the bedrooms. But now she's used to her new freedom, we leave it open again.


Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04

[lizajane]

frankly, i don't think you can. my 3 year old has been walking out of his room since 19 months. it is HORRIBLE. we used knob covers. he is traumatized. i think he will bring it up when he leaves for college. if the knob covers go on, he SCREAMS SCREAMS SCREAMS and kicks the door for HOURS. he would go right over/under/though a gate. he has been able to open closed doors for 2 years (he is very tall.) we have threatened, praised, rewarded, scolded... he just doesn't stay in there.

the most successful thing is the reward for staying in his bed. he gets a popsicle in the morning if he doesn't get up. but that is only the MOST successful thing. not THE successful thing. he still gets up all the time.

[sdbc]

Sorry, I had to laugh when I read this. It does sound awful! Actually, it sounds a lot like my daughter. I can commiserate...

Were going to try all the things listed, but I have a feeling we'll end up where you are. She somehow can push through the pressure mounted gates and she can unlatch anything we can. a lock on the outside of the door might work, but like your DS, she will probably scream for hours...

Weird, until 1 week ago, she slept through the night in her crib with no problems EVER!!!

[mudder17]

Since she's still fairly young, maybe the crib tent would be a better option. They CAN'T get out of that, so if you can keep her in her crib, then you can keep her in her room--problem solved. :)


Eileen

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33732.gif for Leah
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/33734.gif 27 months...
http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_-6_Kaya+is.png
Kaya will be a sister, ~11/14/06!