Somewhere around two and a half, both Cameron and Gavin moved into a big boy bed. I always dreaded that because it meant being up in the middle of the night again with a roaming child, but back then I had to do it because of another impending arrival due that needed the precious crib space. With Mason I knew things would be different. He could stay in that crib till he was 5 for all I cared! It would keep him safe and contained until I was ready to take things to the next step. Well, Mason had a plan of his own which involved hauling his jolly belly up and over the side of his wooden fortress and enjoying his freedom whenever he pleased. He crawled out once a couple of months ago, but it seemed like a one time deal and Jeremy and I breathed a deep sigh of relief, however, the joy was short lived when Friday night I put him to bed and soon heard the door opening to his room. I put him back in that bed 10 times that night, and finally he relented. The next day he crawled out of his pack and play at a friends house during his nap and that night he woke up at 4 am, inviting himself into our room. The next day was the same, he came out during his nap and last night he was up three times in the wee hours, finally Jeremy gave in and moved his pillow onto the floor of Mason's room. Neither of us got much sleep and it was like having a newborn all over again. I would lay in bed a tense ball just waiting to hear the not so welcome pitter-patter of little feet. I relish my sleep and so I knew this meant war. While in my state of non sleep this morning I schemed a wonderful scheme. The pack and play didn't make a difference, he could climb out of that too, but I remembered that our pack and play came with a forgotten and once used tent-like canopy that could cover the top and keep out the sun. Surely, this would keep Mason from escaping. After searching high and low I found the tent and assembled the cage ready for the afternoon nap. It did not last but two minutes... Genius as the tent idea was for the sun, it wasn't very useful at keeping a nearly two year old in. No worries, I had more up my sleeve. After our nap time battle today, I came up with a new tactic to try. Our crib has three levels you can adjust the mattress to. We have only ever used the bottom one, but I wondered what would happen if I took this board out altogether? The mattress was just high enough that there was no gap at the bottom and it didn't slide around at all! I am calling this a success even though I have not tried it with said child yet. Tonight is the big test and please cross your fingers that all goes well. It doesn't look too pretty but if it serves its purpose I don't really care. He may have won the battle, but I shall win the war!
Somewhere around two and a half, both Cameron and Gavin moved into a big boy bed. I always dreaded that because it meant being up in the middle of the night again with a roaming child, but back then I had to do it because of another impending arrival due that needed the precious crib space. With Mason I knew things would be different. He could stay in that crib till he was 5 for all I cared! It would keep him safe and contained until I was ready to take things to the next step. Well, Mason had a plan of his own which involved hauling his jolly belly up and over the side of his wooden fortress and enjoying his freedom whenever he pleased. He crawled out once a couple of months ago, but it seemed like a one time deal and Jeremy and I breathed a deep sigh of relief, however, the joy was short lived when Friday night I put him to bed and soon heard the door opening to his room. I put him back in that bed 10 times that night, and finally he relented. The next day he crawled out of his pack and play at a friends house during his nap and that night he woke up at 4 am, inviting himself into our room. The next day was the same, he came out during his nap and last night he was up three times in the wee hours, finally Jeremy gave in and moved his pillow onto the floor of Mason's room. Neither of us got much sleep and it was like having a newborn all over again. I would lay in bed a tense ball just waiting to hear the not so welcome pitter-patter of little feet. I relish my sleep and so I knew this meant war. While in my state of non sleep this morning I schemed a wonderful scheme. The pack and play didn't make a difference, he could climb out of that too, but I remembered that our pack and play came with a forgotten and once used tent-like canopy that could cover the top and keep out the sun. Surely, this would keep Mason from escaping. After searching high and low I found the tent and assembled the cage ready for the afternoon nap. It did not last but two minutes... Genius as the tent idea was for the sun, it wasn't very useful at keeping a nearly two year old in. No worries, I had more up my sleeve. After our nap time battle today, I came up with a new tactic to try. Our crib has three levels you can adjust the mattress to. We have only ever used the bottom one, but I wondered what would happen if I took this board out altogether? The mattress was just high enough that there was no gap at the bottom and it didn't slide around at all! I am calling this a success even though I have not tried it with said child yet. Tonight is the big test and please cross your fingers that all goes well. It doesn't look too pretty but if it serves its purpose I don't really care. He may have won the battle, but I shall win the war!
9 comments:
I am so dreading the day when Aidan figures out how to get out of his crib. I have a bassinet for the baby to sleep in so I don't have to move him to a big boy bed for a while longer! (hopefully)
Oh I had the same problem! I found a Crib tent and it is dreamy! I found it at wal mart online. I would Highly recommend it. It is the crib tent II. Good luck!
Truman figured it out at 14 months. We just converted the crib to a toddler bed. We'll see how long Gerogia stays put. Great idea about dropping the mattress to the floor.
That is awesome! I am going to have to remember that trick- I promise to not duct tape his feet together or strap him in his car seat for bed next time he is here! :)
What a great idea to lower the mattress to the ground! Let me know if it works! Bryn hasn't figured it out yet and I plan to keep her in the crib till the last possible second!
Your post made me laugh! Merritt would crawl out of his crib too. Then he broke his arm (falling off the dresser) and we had to have him out of the crib for good (we didn’t want to risk another fall). He sleeps in a toddler bed now, and wakes up early, but he likes to play quietly in his room until everyone else wakes up. I suppose we are lucky that way. With Paige, we had to lock her in her room!
Oh, these boys!!!! Several months ago we dropped our crib like that but it wasn't a success (hope you have better luck!) He is in a toddler bed but we put a lock on the outside of his door to keep him safe (sorta feels wrong to lock him in!). But after the first week of trying to escape, he doesn't try to escape anymore. He is next to our room so we always hear him. It has been a win/win situation and helps us rest easy knowing that he won't fall down the stairs at night.
I have to say I got what Miranda got ..the crib tent and it worked like a charm because the zipper is on the outside and far enough away from there little hands. It's white too and just looks like a pretty canopy over the crib. By the way ...love the painting a quote in his room!
Great thinking! Let us know how it works out.
We moved Laura out of her crib a few months ago to make room for the baby, and she's done pretty well in her big girl bed. We leave her bedroom door open but put a baby gate up to keep her in at night and for her (very rare) naps. The baby gate has helped a lot.
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