Help with 2 year old throwing tantrums in crib; trying to climb out

[colleenfs]

My dd is 25 months old, and has generally been a good sleeper til now. Just in the last few weeks, she has started having meltdowns at naptime and bedtime. As soon as we put her in the crib, she starts screaming, throwing fits, and trying to climb out. She can almost make it out, but then she ends up falling backwards into her crib. (We can see her on a video monitor.) This can go on for as long as an hour. She screams repeatedly, "More books," and I suspect that this is a separation anxiety/stall tactic. We have a very consistent pre-nap and pre-bed ritual, including 3 books, then "Goodnight Moon," (which she has started refusing, as she knows what's next...) followed by a song and kisses.

Once she does finally fall asleep, she stays asleep. She usually naps @ 1/1:30 for 1.5-2 hours. Bedtime is @ 7-7:30pm. She wakes up @ 7-7:15am.

I'm quite worried that she will hurt herself, and all of the screaming is hard to bear. Any advice would be most appreciated.

~Colleen
Julia, 1-10-02
Emma, 7-27-05

“I do believe in fairies. I do, I do.�

[samantha546]

Has there been a recent change in your life? Maybe it's the older sibling going to school? Seems there's been a bit of that lately.

Have you thought transitioning to a toddler bed? Could it be possible that she's now not needing a nap? Some kids seem to drop them, to the dismay of the mamas! ;)

Good luck and good thoughts to your little one.

Samantha

[colleenfs]

Thanks for your response. I do wonder if Emma is upset that Julia is at school now. But she's only gone for about 3 hours, and they do get to see each other for lunch and a little playtime before she goes up for a nap.

I'm *so* not ready to do the bed yet. I moved Julia to a bed at about the same age, and I have always regretted that decision. I vowed to keep my next child in her crib for as long as possible! I also don't think Emma is ready to give up her nap. She needs that sleep, and she will fall asleep in the car if we are out at that time.

Last night, she finally did manage to get out of her crib. I watched the whole thing on the monitor. She had straddled the top of the crib rail and then tumbled forward to the floor. I ran into her right away - I couldn't stop it. Thank goodness her room is carpeted and she was not hurt.

So today, I tracked down a crib tent from a member of my mom's group. We put it on her crib and told her it was a princess castle. She wasn't buying it, but she gave up after a few minutes of screaming and trying to break through. I know this is not the final solution, but I hope that it will buy us some time while we decide what to do next.


~Colleen
Julia, 1-10-02
Emma, 7-27-05

“I do believe in fairies. I do, I do.�

[samantha546]

Can I ask why you regretted the decision to move your older child out of her crib?

I don't know your situation but it just seems to me that while you're not ready for your younger child to be out of her crib, it seems she is not enjoying the confinement.. especially now that you added a crib tent. It may be that *she's* ready and I would want to listen to that for her safety.