So my 9 month DD has recently started walking... she doesn't quite have it down yet, but she can toddle 5-6 steps before butt-planting. With this new trick, she has decided to start trying to climb things as well. I already took the bumper out of her crib when I caught her trying to stand on it... but she still seems determined to climb out. She has started grabbing onto the top rail, and 'walking' up the side bars. She can get her feet up about 6 inches up from the mattress, then loses her grip and falls back in. She is still holding on with just her hands, not propping on her elbows yet. I really REALLY don't want to convert her crib to a toddler bed yet... but I don't want her falling out! I have already scooted my bed up against the side of the crib that she climbs (the other side is against the wall, and the ends are too high for her to reach yet.) so that if she DOES happen to get up and over, she will at least land on the bed. Our room is definitely NOT baby proofed enough for her to be roaming around without supervision. There is no way we can get it safe for her, since we are currently living with the in-laws and have no other place to put our stuff. I thought about buying one of those crib tents, but they are out of our price range. (I even checked out Craigslist and consignment stores, but can't find one) How long did it take your kids to master climbing out? I don't want to convert her crib yet... but I will if the alternative is her climbing out.
Crib tents work well for many babies. I tried one with one of my twins who was climbing out at age 2.5 and he got really claustrophobic so it didn't work for him.But, my daughter climbed out at 18 months and I definitely wasn't ready to have her in a toddler bed, seeing as the boys are still a handful at 3.5 so I tried the crib tent with her and it works great.
My twins started attempting to climb out right around 10 months. They didn't master it until they were a few months shy of their second birthday. Your daughter will take some time before she truly masters climbing out of her crib. I wouldn't worry yet, but try your best to baby-proof the room incase she surprises you.
get a tent that goes over the crib. It works wonderfully
If your crib is a lifetime crib that converts to a full size bed and has a higher back then you can just turn it around. Putting the lower front against the wall and leaving the higher side out stops the climbing for a bit longer because it is generally too high for them, especially if the mattress is in the lowest position. Good luck!
Our daughter walked at 6 months, but officially was able to climb totally out of the crib right before her first birthday. By this time we had placed the mattress at the lowest level in the crib, but she was a little Monkey.. She slept in a regular bed at 1..
Start baby proofing now, because once she can walk unassisted everything on her level will be something she will want to explore.. get on your hands and knees and look up.. that is what she sees and can reach.
Both my kids were climbing out before 18 mos. The crib tent was a great solution for us! I still use it with my almost 2 1/2 yr old. I know he is safe in his room and he will often go back to sleep (he's a very early riser!) in the morning, because he can't get out of his crib. He is very much a monkey and if it weren't for the crib tent he'd be up at 4:30 am trashing the house! Lol! I know the tents are kind of pricey, but my thought is that they're cheaper than a trip to the ER and well worth it for your peace of mind. Good luck!
Ohhh my son did the same thing at 9 months. I was worried he would climb out way too early so I went in a few times and told him "no" and laid him back down. He fussed a bit but I tried to make it clear to him that I didnt want him doing it. He kept trying, which is to be expected, so I stood peeking thru the crack of the slightly opened bedroom door and as soon as he started to climb, I swung the door open and clapped my hands hard, and yelled "NO", very sternly. It startled him. He hit the mattress so fast,, and laid there with his big eyes bugged out and his little heart beating fast.. It was all I could do to keep from laughing and halfway feeling bad for scaring him, but it worked. He didnt try to climb out again. We moved him to a toddler bed when he was nearly 3 and he had never climbed out of his crib. It worked really well! You might have to do this a couple times. We couldn't get over how easy it was. And no, it didn't scar him for life. (o:
I'm not a fan of crib tents, but then, I've never heard before of a kid this young trying to climb out, so maybe it's a temporary solution for you if you can find one you can afford. Be wary of any used baby equipment, though -- and check recall lists at the Consumer Product Safety Commission web site.
....I will add that once they can climb out it's time to get them out of the crib. I've posted this before but: Put up the side of the crib. Now look at the distance from the top, raised rail down to the floor. Picture your child falling that distance, free-fall, and landing on her head. It's a long fall for a small child. My friend's baby fell from the raised rail and broke her arm at about 18 months and I dread to think what would have happened if she'd fallen on her head or neck. A lot of parents want to keep kids in the crib as long as possible but it's unsafe if they are able to climb out. In your case, though, since she's so very young, turning the bed around or getting a tent may be a short-term idea. Just be ready for her to graduate to a toddler bed or mattress on the floor earlier than most kids!
She's quite a way off from actually climbing up and over the side of her crib. Don't move her out of a crib in ANTICIPATION of her climbing out. If/when she does make it out (probably about a year from now) THEN move her. She's much safer in there now than she would be out.
For safety reasons, you really don't have much of a choice but to move her to a toddler bed if she is climbing. Kids are seriously injured all the time from falling out of a crib.
I also don't like crib tents. I'm not sure they are safe, and it seems more responsible to move the kids then try to prevent them from growing up.
