DS fell/climbed out of his crib, ideas please!

[shinysparklybubbles]

DS is going to be 15 months in a few days. I put him in his crib so I could go to the bathroom and throw a load of laundry in. There are no toys or anything in his crib, just him. Well don't you know I hear a thud and a scream. He climbed out of his stinking crib!

Any suggestions on what to do? I don't think he's ready for a mattress on the floor and I don't think crib tents are safe. Do I have any other options or do we just need to take everything out of his room and put his crib mattress on the floor?

 

[aaronella]

I would get out the pack and play if you have one. It is harder to climb with little feet and atleast closer to the ground just in case!!!:

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

Good idea! That would be a fix for now.

 

[blessedby3]

We had a family at our church that had an escapee. They bought one of those crib tents and never anymore problems. They never said that they had concerns about them. Once they figure out they can get out, they will continue. If you dont want to put a tent on it, then I think you will have to put a matress on the floor or get a toddler bed. That is a whole nother ball game though-I would think the child woudnt stay in bed and just be up playing lots.
When I was babysitting for a family (in the '80's!) their toddler would crawl out of the crib. They dropped the matress to the floor, dropped the bed rails all the way down on both sides and greased the bars with vasoline!! Their toddler would get so mad because he couldnt get a grip on the rails to climb out. It was pretty intresting, but dont know if you want to do that!

 

[mjkacmom]

I've known so many moms who've loved their crib tents! The kids tend to love them, too.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I've heard about dropping the rails and putting the mattress on the floor, unfortunately only one side of our crib drops and there is a drawer under it.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

I goggled the crib tents and of course stumbled across stories about kids who have died while they were being used. A crib tent was going to be my first solution till I saw that.

 

[applelollipop]

My DD climbed out at 5 months so we got the crib tent...It was the best money we ever spent we had no problems with it at all. We got one for the pack and play also so when we traveled she was safe. She did not move to a big girl bed until 31/2 yo. I would have lost my mind completely if not for the crib tent.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Yeah... DD did that at just about that age. It was then toddler bed time. Since you don't have the toddler bed/crib combo, I'd just do the floor mattress thing. That's not a bad fall at all

I'm a little weirded out by the crib tents personally.

 

[Hannathy]

Was he awake or asleep when you put him in there? You say there were no toys, well if you were putting him in awake just so you could go to the BR. he was probably bored and amused himself. Before I went to any drastic steps I'd analyze the situation. Maybe he needs a few toys so he will play and give you enough time to get to him before he gets bored and decides to do something about it.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

I goggled the crib tents and of course stumbled across stories about kids who have died while they were being used. A crib tent was going to be my first solution till I saw that.

I had read that somewhere, too. I'd probably just get a toddler bed for now.

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

Was he awake or asleep when you put him in there? You say there were no toys, well if you were putting him in awake just so you could go to the BR. he was probably bored and amused himself. Before I went to any drastic steps I'd analyze the situation. Maybe he needs a few toys so he will play and give you enough time to get to him before he gets bored and decides to do something about it.

He was awake, I just had to pee real quick and move the towels from the washer to the dryer (which is right outside his room) he was just talking to himself, not crying or anything beforehand.

 

[arielmomma]

DS was 10 months old when he started getting out of his bed. We put him into a twin bed with a frame that was only a few inches off of the floor. It worked wonderful. DS was never a fan of his crib, but absolutely loved his Big Boy Bed! We just had to be sure to put a baby gate in front of his bedroom door so that he wasn't wandering through the house when he woke without our knowledge.

 

[Srackangast]

My son was 9mths when he started climbing out...very scary and lots of sleepless nights worrying. So, when my DD tried it off I went to buy a crib tent. The tent we bought fit the entire inside of the crib as well as the dome top. There was no way for her to get stuck in the spindles or try to climb out. Let me just tell you the first time I put her in it..I cried for an hour. I felt like I was putting her in a cage. The pros far out weighed the cons at the time. Her room was right at the stairs and I was more worried about her getting out and falling down the stairs. This is only one of many hard choices we try to make as a parent to keep our kids safe...

 

[Hannathy]

He was awake, I just had to pee real quick and move the towels from the washer to the dryer (which is right outside his room) he was just talking to himself, not crying or anything beforehand.

So he just may have been bored and will sleep in it just fine. Next time give him a toy to play with. I mean would you want to just sit there doing nothing when the whole world to explore is just beyond those bars, and your bored anyway,

If he does keep climbing, either lower the sides so he doesn't has so far to fall or go to a toddler bed.

 

[barnaby1]

Quite often the question is asked: When is the right time to move my child from a cot to a bed?

Answer: When he can climb out of the cot

Put him in a bed, a little toddler one if your worried about the height off the floor but kids figure how to get down off beds without danger to themselves pretty quickly. You can use a cot side for safety at first just until you know he wont fall out while sleeping.

 

[deerhart]

once they start climbing, its time to move on. Actually my oldest BROKE the crib at around 12 months. He would grab hold of the top rail and would then bounce on the matress. Did it so much he pulled the top rail off the slats and down to the floor they fell (and then he could just crawl out..*sigh*)

He did really well in a toddler bed. We just used a baby gate over the door to keep him in his room.

My youngest was also out of the pack in play (since I wasn't going to buy another crib to be broke AGAIN and we didn't have room for a full crib in his bedroom) by about 12 months and in a toddler bed. Again, we had little to no problems with the transition.

 

[pooh4evr]

I agree time for a bed! Once they start climbing out they won't stop.

 

[krcit]

I agree time for a bed! Once they start climbing out they won't stop.

My pediatrician always told me that as soon as they climb out of the crib, it's time for a bed.

 

[tartemis]

My pediatrician always told me that as soon as they climb out of the crib, it's time for a bed.

I agree with this as well. FWIW, however, we ended up having to go to a full-size bed -- our DD kept falling out of the toddler bed. I think she was so used to moving around so much in her crib but when tried that in the toddler bed she would just fall out. The full-size bed worked great.

I, too, am weirded out by crib tents and would never consider using one. To me it is akin to putting a lock on the outside of your kids' door to keep them in -- something else I would never do.