My Peanut Fell Out of His Crib!

[snowy76]

My DH is home from work this week and called me afterschool with the preface, "He seems okay, BUT...."

Apparently DH let DS sleep with his giant Pooh in the crib, which he used to hoist himself over the railing. He has a scrape on his head about 4 inches long, a good sized bump, and a small gash under his hair about an inch or two back from his hairline. I think in trying to get over, he hit his head on his bookshelf or the stepstool on the way down. Oh yeah, DH missed the cut - said he thought it was just a scrape - um, the dried up crusty BLOOD should tip you off dear!

Ped's office said just to watch him - so I've been waking up and checking - DS seems to be sleeping fine (although he was so irritable before bed, wanting me to hold him and then climbing down within seconds, very restless.)

I was not mad at DH earlier but right now I am tired and aggravated I just cannot believe that even with a baby monitor still in DS's room that my DH missed the commotion of a kid climbing out of his crib and whacking his head hard enough to break the skin??? DH found DS playing on the floor in his room!

 

[KerriSue]

Poor little guy Even with all the cuts and bruises I bet your DH feels more pain than your DS. Guilt is rough

Maybe it is time for you to put your DS in a big boy bed. At least it is a shorter distance to fall

 

[Barbossa]

May I suggest going easy on the Old Man. I remember when DD6 was about 9 months old and managed to climb over the railing. Despite the baby monitor, DW and I didn't know a fall was imminent until we heard the "thump". We ran like the wind, but she was OK. Babies (and kids) are a lot more durable than we give them credit for.

 

[clarabelle]

I agree -go easy on him. This is just one of those things that happen to you as a parent. I am glad the little guy wasn't seriously hurt.

 

[aprilgail2]

Hope he is ok! I agree with the PP that mentioned that perhaps its time to put him into a toddler bed. I know once my daughter was a year old she moved into a toddler bed and did just fine because I didn't want to get to the point where she climbed and fell out of a crib.

 

[PatsGirl]

I'm sure he's fine, they make babies and drunks to handle falls just fine

DS had to be put into a toddler bed at 10 months old because he was a real climber. Ten minutes after being put into his crib, we'd hear a thump and he'd come crawling out into the living room. This happened night after night so he went into a bed. Stairs were a problem also. He would try to climb over the gate at the top of the (carpeted) stairs. That was much more dangerous so we took the gate down and allowed him to navigate the stairs and by the time he was a little over a year old he was crawling up and down the stairs. This, of course, was after a few falls down them which was cushioned by all the pillows at the bottom. Oy vay! Thank Goodness my second one wasn't so adventurous -- I actually had to toss her out of her crib at three years old!

The toddler bed route also has its downfalls. One morning I got up to find my toddler (probably 15-18 months old) sleeping on the kitchen floor with the fridge door wide open and he was covered in yogurt Musta wanted a midnight snack!

Another time I got up in the morning and he was sitting in the window sill with a binkie in his mouth and about a dozen of them in his lap (he had been hiding them somewhere I guess and decided to round them up) just watching and giggling at a birdie just outside the window.

This one really gave me a run for my $$ and it didn't stop there, but this thread is about babies/toddlers right?

 

[ducklite]

Poor guy, I'm sure he'll be fine. I think all kids fall out of the crib at one point in time or another. And if it's not the crib it's something else they've gotten up on.

I agree that maybe it's time for a toddler bed. When DS went into one, I put a gate on his doorway and told him that if he tried to climb over the gate at night, the big boy bed would go away and he'd have to go back in the crib. He never went over it.

When my DS climbed out of the crib he also managed to go into the kitchen. I found him in there "cooking" eggs and sugar all over the floor, scootching it around with a wooden spoon. Ugh.

Have a great holiday!

 

[MoniqueU]

My oldest daught.er houdini started climbing out of her crib at about 15 months. Sometimes her foot would get caught in the railing and that was the only thing that would wake me up was her howling. Other then that when she climbed out she was as quiet as a mouse. I was afraid of those tent things you put over a crib, I was afraid she would somehow get it down and become tangled in it. I knew there was no way she would stay in a toddler bed so I took to sleeping practically on top of her on the couch and she still somettmes would get up and wander it was just her nature.

MY youngest daughter fell out of her crib one time, I heard her and went running. One bump and that was enough for her, she never fell out again and when I moved her to a big girl bed she stayed in it. All kids are different.

I wouldn't be to upset with your DH kids can do amazing things in such a short amount of time and often there is no noise til after it happens. Dads tend to be more laid back about bumps and bruises then moms too.
I am sure your cute little boy will be just fine.

 

[puffkin]

We just converted my 21 month old's crib to a toddler bed about 3 weeks ago. He was literally diving head first over the railing....there was no grace to his method. We were afraid he would break his neck! He rarely gets out of his bed now and we keep his door closed to contain him.

I wouldn't blame your DH too much, your son sounds like he would have figured out how to climb out shortly anyway. And trust me, they are quite stealthy and can be very quiet. We are actually VERY surprised it took our son this long to get out.

 

[KariC]

poor kid! glad he's fine though!! Some of my friends swear by those tents....I never had to worry about that. Neither one of my kids ever climbed out of their cribs....don't know why? My DS5 was one of those adventourous kids...learned how to knock down babygates with his HEAD (he and the beagle worked together), and could open any child safety latch. This meant we had to install the gates into the wall and use those magnetic locks on all cabinents. Hoping the youngest isn't quite so "nosy".

 

[JVL1018]

Aww, poor guy. I ma sure he's fine, most parents I know have at least one story of a baby climbing out of the crib, it happens.

My husband and I were in our living room one night and we hear the baby's room door being slammed open and DD comes bolting out of the room all mad with blood running out of both sides of her mouth.

She had jumped out of her crib and bit her tongue when she fell.

 

[NHdisneylover]

That is a scary find, but I am sure he is okay. I moved my climber to a toddler bed at (gulp) 8 months because she kept climbing out If you are not ready for that move, here is something I saw a friend do many years after it was too late to help me: She sewed a triangle of fabric between the legs on all her child's sleepers. The triangle let him move his legs enough to sleep comfortably, but didn't let him move the legs really far apart. Since most kids climb out by swinging one leg up and over the rail and then pulling themselves the rest of the way this prevented the climbing out. Oh, and don't be lulled into thinking removing the Pooh toy will stop the climbing for long. Once little ones get the basic escape method down they adapt quickly and will do it without a step up.

 

[Barbossa]

Dads tend to be more laid back about bumps and bruises then moms too.

LOL, that's so true. When DD or DS bump their head, I kiss the "owey" and tell them "it'll be just fine, that's what skulls are for!". Of course, if there's a bump, I'll get our bunny rabbit-shaped ice pack from the freezer.

 

[snowy76]

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to post again after reading all the encouraging comments DS seems just fine... he has a nasty scab on his forehead though! We did have one more level to lower the crib... so we took care of that, and the bumper is gone (don't know why I left it in there so long, but I think it was giving him leverage to climb, so we said see ya to that!).

DH was home with DS the day after the fall and I know he felt awful about the whole thing... because he OFFERED to give DS a bath!

I have a feeling we'll be coverting to the toddler bed soon though. On the bright side, I can shop for a new bedding set, maybe a Cars themed room??