Advice to Help with My Crib Jumper

Hi M., I am a 62 yr old grandmother who has raised 5 children. My daughter (now 39) was climbing out of her crib. I had 2 extensions on the bars and then she pushed it away from the wall and climbed out the back. Problem was I would find her with her hand swishing in the (clean) toilet. Never had this with her brothers(4 and 3, she was 2) I eventually had to get a carriage harness. She could sleep, stand up but not get out. She eventually got the message. By the time we got her a bed she was not fascinated with the water and all was well. What does he do when he gets out? Is he just not tired? I don't know if I was helpful, but you are not alone. Talk to him, at 3 he is a big boy. Best wishes, Mary

M.: 3 year olds are ready for a real bed. I got my girls twin-size beds right away, bypassing the toddler bed, because they would've outgrown them so fast anyway. We made a big deal out of comfy sheets, comfy colorful bedding, and always made their bed the best place in the world to be! Thus, we never had a problem with them going to bed. You might want to use one of those retractable "sides" that fit under the mattress to prevent fall-outs. I'd be climbing out of a crib too if I were him! Good luck!

When this happened with out oldest we just bought a toddler bed and put him in his room at nap time. He played happily and would usually fall asleep at some point. It's exciting to them but like anything else if they're tired the novelty will wear out. Good Luck. :)

Hi M.!

Welcome to the world of toddler-hood! :-) My son wasn't a jumper but we took him out of his crib around 3, maybe a little sooner. We took him to babies 'r us with us and we bought him a toddler bed. It's tiny...it fit him really well and he's going to be 4 in August and still sleeps in it. We actually had our son help my husband put it together so he felt it was really HIS new bed! It has wooden rails that come 1/2 way down the bed and when we first put him in it we put pillows on the floor incase he fell out. The getting out of bed/playing will slow down once he knows this is just "normal" from now on. Good luck!

My son is also three, and when we moved in to our home 16 months a go we decided to not put the crib back up and we got him a toddler bed. I liked the idea that it was low to the ground and had the rails but still made him feel like a "big boy". He now has a regular twin bed and we pull the crib mattress out from under his bed at night incase he fall out(which he has). Hope this helps. Good Luck!

He's old enough not to sleep in a crib.

M.,

It sure does get interesting when they start doing that. I used to have stairs too and it made me very nervous. My daughter is 3 and she starts off the night in her bed, but by halfway through the night I find her asleep on the sofa. I figure that is not too big of a deal. But you are right, it makes naps next to impossible. I have just started having quiet time in the afternoon and she almost always falls asleep in a chair in the living room, but if I put her in bed, forget it!

I'm sure you will find him on the floor sleeping too. I know that it can be a real pain, but this too shall pass! You are on the right track with the baby gate. Keeping him safe is the most important thing. When he gets a little bigger, he will realize that his bed is the most comfortable option. And you are also entering the time when many kids give up naps. All of my kids have stopped napping consistently at age 3. Sorry to tell you that, but that has been my experience.

D.

Hi, M.. My husband decided to change the crib to a toddler bed and I was not sure if our 3 yr old son was ready for it since he was not climbing out of the crib. but, to my surprise, he was and then my second son who is 2 yr old, just got a new bed because he was climbing in and out of where he was sleeping. Bot of them sleep in the bed and I think for your son's safety, take the crib down, or can it be changed into a toddler's bed? Is it one of those cribs you can do that with? Also, I would strongly think about what you need to do about his bedroom being at the top of the stairs. It's a scary thought especially if he's climbing out of the crib, he may figure out how to climb over the gate! My second son climbs over everything and you'll be amazed how they analyze ways to get pass things. The freedom he feels is normal and I think you should give him that because he is growing up at his own pace. This is one of the freedoms, but teach him and be strong about it that when it's naptime or bedtime, he needs to get into his bed like a big boy and so forth. Perhaps, you can say that you'll tuck him in and perhaps read a book to him at bedtime and naptime and that may do the trick too. Let us know how it goes....I'll pray for you all...

I would switch to either a toddler bed or a twin bed. Does your crib convert to a toddler bed? When my daughter was 23 months she learned how to climb out and we had to convert the crib to a toddler bed. The first few weeks were hard I did the same thing I put a gate in front of her door but I would find her asleep anywhere but in her bed but she learned really quick and nap time and bed time were back to normal in no time. To make the swithc easier we went out and bought a really cute toddler bedding set so she wanted to sleep in it.

Good luck

C.

I would agree with the other responses that suggest he is ready to be in a regular bed. You're lucky you got so far! My 2nd climbed out at 18 months! (You could go to a toddler bed, but there is no real benefit that I can see. Then you just have to transition all over again soon.) As far as keeping him *in* the bed, just brace yourself! I went through it with my son, and it's a trying time! Keep it as boring as possible for him. Don't be nice, don't get mad, don't make eye contact, don't give hugs. Get a mantra to say over and over while you lead him back to his bed. Mine was "It's nighttime, and nighttime is for sleeping." Realize that the more boring you are, the more he will try to get you to react, and the harder it will be for you to be boring. Hold your ground. Sooner or later, he'll get bored and go to sleep. The next night, it will be a little easier, and so on, and so on, just like the first time you had to sleep train! I got all kinds of things from him--he would throw fits, or cry, or stand at his gate and just say, "but, I love you, Mommy!" or play in his room without saying anything at all. I now have 2 kids who stay in their beds (most of the time), and I'm bracing myself for training #3 who is 21 months now! Good luck!

M. I suggest you can either leave the crib the way it is OR
get a toddler bed and add a sleep guard

its a small deterent which might help.

there isnt' too much you can really do about it except punish or yell,

Maybe use a playpen for naps instead as those a pretty difficult to get out of.

What ever you decide good luck, and remember to have some patience LOL

M

why is he still in a crib at the age of three? He should be in a toddler youth bed or a twin bed. Just my feelings

At the age of two both of my kids were out of the crib. My daughter would not sleep and kept standing up in her crib. So I took the mattress out and put it on the floor. By the age of three both were in a toddler bed. They do have the kind with the rails so they will not fall out during the night. Let him know that he is a big boy now and will be sleeping in a big boy bed. This change might help him get some rest--and you too. Good luck!!

Hi M.,

I would definitely recommend getting a toddler bed or even skipping that and getting the twin bed and making a big deal out of it. Telling him he is such a big boy, he's getting a big boy bed, all that good stuff. I suspect that the free for all-ness is just that he can do it and he will eventually get over it. My only concern would be that if he can climb out of his crib, can he also climb over the gate? I hope this helps.

Dear M.,
You are lucky to have made it to almost age 3 with your son in a crib. Yet jumping the crib is dangerous. Your son is experiencing his individuality and ability to be on his own (the correct word is lacking at the moment). He is definitely ready for a toddler bed, and there are some adorable ones out there today. But if you don't want to spend the money on something they will not use for long, you can do what we did in the olden days of 18 years ago. We took the mattress and piece that goes underneath of a twin bed, and placed it on the floor. If they rolled off, they did not have far to go. As they progressed, we added the headboard, etc. The other condition was that when they got up, they were to come straight to Mom or Dad. But of course, Mom always heard them first. We always greeted them with a smile, so they did not mind that condition.
Good luck, W.

Hi M.-
If you go to the website www.onestepahead.com, you will see something called a crib tent. I purchased one for my son, but unfortunately it did not fit on the type of crib he has. You should take a look. It's cheaper than buying another bed, and better than your son climbing out of the crib.
Hope this was helpful
K.

we had to take our 2.5 year old out of the crib last weekend because he was climbing out. Check out the stats for head injuries... frightening! Get a toddler bed or a twin ASAP. We decided to go right to the twin (did with all three kiddos) and we have a full length bed rail on the bed. He can get out now, but not at the expense of some major injury.

He is to old for the crib you need to get him a bed, he is not a baby anymore and that could be part of the problem. The gate is fine he needs to be safe. Make it fun, help him choose new bed sheets etc(you can give him a choice and return the other if you don't want to take him to the store) I'm sure he is a truck guy or a train, animal etc so make it fun. He's a big boy now and needs his big boy bed. Mother of 2 boys 7 and 9, both out of the crib at 2.

It's not likely to wear off, unfortunately. A toddler bed is a good idea but make SURE you latch ALL furniture to the walls (dressers, bookcases, etc.) - I know a woman who just lost her 2 year-old when he climbed on the drawers of his dresser and it fell on him. The entire room should be childproof, including outlets, wires tucked away, lamps up high, etc. You can put a doorknob cover on the inside of his door as that's safer than a baby gate which he could easily climb over at this age. And use a monitor until you're comfortable with him in there.

It sounds like he might be ready for a toddler bed....

Your 3 yr old son is ready for a bed and prob has been ready for a while. Be careful he can get hurt! My 3 1/2 yr old son was doing that at 13 months and i put him right in a toddler bed (he slept so much better too). Your pretty fortunate to have had him in his crib this long. Take him with you to the store let him pick out a bed or linens. DONT forget to CHILD PROOF his room....

J. B.

My kids never jumped out of their cribs, but they wouldn't stay in bed, that's for sure. I had them in toddler beds at 2 years old. I did the baby gate and also closed their door if they got too loud. I found (with both who have completely different personalities) that if I just ignored them when they got out of bed and they were contained in their bedroom, they would go to sleep eventually. The first few nights they would get mad...of course, because they weren't getting the attention they wanted - but after that, one would make himself a little bed of pillows and blankets on his closet floor and the other would sleep against his bedroom door. We would have to slide him gently with the door to open it if we wanted to put him in bed. As long as they are sleeping, I don't care if it is on the floor or in the bed. Eventually they both decided the bed was a better place to sleep. Oh, also, toys are a big distraction. If they had any toys in their room they would play, so we had to move those to the living room. Why sleep when you can play? I don't know if this will help, but I wish you luck.

M.,
I would let him help you choose a toddler bed, and when he gets out, just put him back in. Don't talk to him, just pick him up and put him back in. He is looking for attention when he gets out of bed, and if you don't give it to him, he will figure it out. This method takes up to a week to work, but it does work. The first few days are hard, and you will put him back in bed dozens of times, but he will pick up on the idea, IF you don't give him the feedback that he wants. Just pick him up and put him back in bed. Stand by his door, and as soon as he shows his face, pick him up and put him back in bed without saying anything. This method worked with my son, and I am about to start it with my daughter.

Good Luck
C. Thomson

Good morning M....My daughter wasn't a jumper, but the one and only time that she "got out" was because she fell over the rail head first! She was just fine, and the crib came out that day! She was 10 months old. I had a toddler bed, and in that came. We started her in it for here nap that day. It took about one week to where she figured out that this is her big girl bed, she rolled out a couple of times, and of course got out of it on her own, but that goes away for the most part. She will still play in her room at nap time if she is a little wired , but eventually she climbs in and goes to sleep, she is almost 3 now. The only thing that I wish I had done was got her a twin bed, just for the fact that she can be in that for years. If you do decide on getting her a twin, dont forget to get the "water" proof pad or leave the manufactuer plastic on and put a pad over top of the plastic, it will get stinky quick on the first leak. Good luck!!!

One of my twin daughters started climbing out of bed at the age of 2. We made the switch to toddler beds at that time. One thing that worked for me was to stay in the room during the transition time. I would remind my daugthers that it was not talking time or play time and to get back to bed. I tried to talk as little as possible. Sometimes I would have to walk them back to the bed. As they got better about staying in the beds, I moved further away, like to the doorway and then the hall. I would sit in the hallway so they knew I was close and they shouldn't get out, but it helped them get used to settling down on their own. It took a couple of weeks, but we did it. Pick a good book, and consider it a little bit of time for you, so you don't feel tied down and frustrated. This method worked for all 4 of my children with slight variations.

A little about me:
I am the mom to boys, ages 9 and 5 and twin 3 year old girls.

hi M., i just went threw this with my son. get a twin bed, the toddler bed is just a waste of money. you can buy the guard rails so he doesnt fall out. it took us a week to break my son into it b/c he kept getting out of bed but like you said its new to him and eventually the novelty will wear off. good luck B.

You could try a crib tent (sold at Babies R Us). It goes over the crib so they can't escape. I also had a friend that used a similar item over their son's toddler bed for the same reason. HTH :)