2 yr old removing fitted crib sheet, suggestions?

[KirstenB]

Our toddler Zoe keeps pulling her fitted sheet up from the mattress. I find it in a tiny pile in the middle of her crib. Does anyone have a solution to keep her from doing this? We're thinking of taping it to the mattress, but there must be a better idea. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would not use anything to "make it fit" for a 2yo. You could be putting in potential choking or stragulation hazards.

 

[Beth76]

They make little elastic clips that clip onto the corners, made specifically to keep the fitted sheets down. I don't know how they would work versus a baby though. I'm sure you could get them at Target or Walmart, probably near the mattress pads

 

[SwedishMeatball]

I found that using a crib mattress pad helped it to fit tighter and make more difficult to pull off.

 

[freckles and boo]

They make zipper sheets for cribs http://store.babycenter.com/product/code/6535.do
but she might be able to get that off, too, if she is clever.

 

[bamajill]

This one looks like a good option.

The 'halo' sheet.
http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Secure-Fit-Crib-Sheet-White/dp/B00030L0Z6

 

[Cantw8]

How about a "big girl" bed????

 

[Aneille]

My son started this around 16/17 months. I finally gave up and took it out completely. He has a blanket and a quilt in there and nothing else. I got nervous about the elastic sides getting him tangled up and choking. I figure the smaller baby quilt is much safer.

Pretty soon he'll be in a big boy bed. His sisters were in beds at 14 and 16 months but I can't decide what type of bed to get him.

So my suggestion is nothing (my DS doesn't mind) or a big girl bed.

 

[disykat]

I'm pretty sure there's a sheet on the market somewhere for crib mattresses that is like an envelope. If you have a sewing machine, it seems like it might be easy to make one out of an old full sized sheet.

 

[RitaZ.]

I would not use anything to "make it fit" for a 2yo. You could be putting in potential choking or stragulation hazards.

I absolutely agree and I'll tell you why. My kids all did the same thing, maybe it's in their genes. My mom came up with the idea of reinforcing the fitted sheets with a wider & stronger elastic at each corner. It sounded good, but Mr. Houdini, my middle child, got under the sheet and the elastic corners didn't give. So... I heard the screams and ran in his room and there I found a "huge mound" , Mr Houdini, trapped and struggling between the intact fitted sheet and the mattress cover. To this day, I don't know how he could have done what he did, but he did it. So, I gave up on that idea and lived with it until they outgrew the desire to remove the sheets. A parent could put a child in a padded room and he/she will still find a way to hurt himself.

 

[horseshowmom]

This one looks like a good option.

The 'halo' sheet.
http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Secure-Fit-Crib-Sheet-White/dp/B00030L0Z6

- Taken from the Amazon site

the sheet can only be removed by an adult lifting up the mattress

It sounds like the OP. RitaZ, and Aneille aren't the first ones to have this problem!

 

[MAKmom]

How about a "big girl" bed????

Thats what I was thinking. If they can change the sheets it is time for them to get a real bed.

 

[KirstenB]

This one looks like a good option.

The 'halo' sheet.
http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Secure-Fit-Crib-Sheet-White/dp/B00030L0Z6

Thanks!! I'll order it right now. And thanks to everyone else for the good ideas. I'm not ready for this kiddo to be in a big kid bed yet. She has lots of sensory issues, and one of the side effects is she already takes hours to calm her nervous system down enough to sleep. I can't imagine her being able to race around her room, in addition! I know we'll have to cross this bridge sometime in the next year, but not yet.