Toddler Safety

I just found your answer! I have the same problem and was feeling quite deperate and I found a Play yard tent on babycenter.com. It's a little pricey but for me worth it. Hope this helps!
A.

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you should put her in a bed if she's climbing out of the crib all the time - forget about the tent

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E., It sounds like she is ready for a big girl bed. When toddlers start to crawl out of cribs and playpens, it is really dangerous. That is a sure sign that they are ready and need to be moved to a bigger bed. I have four children and left each of mine in their cribs until they started to crawl out. One was almost 2 1/2 but the others were younger. It may take some practice for her to learn she needs to stay in her bed, but train her she doesn't get out unless you come and get her. I did that with all my kids until they were 6. That way I didn't have to worry about them getting up and walking around the house if I was still awake. Good luck. Also, going away is the perfect time to put her in a big girl bed; different environment may make the transition at home easier.

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I have 2 boys...my rule of thumb was that when they are able to climb out of their crib/pack-n-play, then they are too old to be in one. As convenient as the pack-n-play is, it's time to graduate to something else. You don't want to risk your child getting hurt while climbing out of it. How about getting a portable/removable side rail. Push the bed up against a wall, and then you only need 1 side rail. Good luck with whatever you decide!

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Hello, E., my name is M.. My son who is 2 1/2 now started climbing out of his playpen at about 20 months. I went to Ikea and bought a tent that is adjustable and it is mesh so there is no saftey concern and that has worked wonders. I also attached his mirror and fish toy from his crib and it keeps him busy. Find something he likes and take it from there. At this age there easy to trick. Good Luck!

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E.,
They make pack and play tents too. I had one for my daughter. There was a tent on her crib and p&p. I believe the same company makes both.

K.

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Moving your child to a regular bed sounds like a good idea to me. But you should also teach your child not to get out of the bed unless you are present to keep them clear of hazards.

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I've been lucky that neither of mine have ever climbed out of either. My nearly 3 year old is still in a crib and was quite happy there until we started looking at bedding for her big girl bed for when she turns 3. I probably wouldn't even care about moving her then even except she potty trained herself a month ago and will need to be able to get up to use the bathroom at some point. When we travel, we put my 18 month old in the pack and play and have gotten an air mattress for the 2 year old. She picked out her fav color (yellow) sheets and she thinks she's queen. She didn't even get up off it until we responded to her and said she could get up. I can't imagine my little one would have done the same though. She also slept in a real bed on one trip and did fine with that too. We put a rail up one side of a double bed and put her close to it - she doesn't move a lot in her bed so the other side being open wasn't a problem.

Another thought is depending on your travel arrangements, you can usually get a crib through a hotel if you call and ask. Then you might be able to use your tent on the crib.

E.-
We have one of those little fold out 'couches' for kids- you know the ones- they sell them everywhere- Elmo, Dora, Thomas the Tank Engine, etc. Fold that out so it's a bed and make a big deal about how that's her bed. My 2 1/2 year old decided that was where she'd prefer to sleep and that's where she's been for the last 3 weeks. It's upstairs right next to her toddler bed. Good Luck!!

Hi E.:

TRY Safety gates the white snapable ones and the door knob push and twisty attachable locks- sounds like she's ready to roam- set her free and stay calm. Keep you're child safe (We have a safety gate around our fireplace and a small graco snap down lock gate to our kitchen.
If she's upstairs teach her to go down 1 step on her heiney and when tall enough hold hands have her hold the railing and reward wih a healthy treat. GOOD LUCK! Don't worry about vaca just put xtra comforters on side of porta crib and use door knob cover. You'll be fine THIS TOO SHALL PASS! Also if you are using the pack n play outdoors have Baby sleep w/ you.

K.
LOVING EMT MOM OF SARAH(10)& Chrissie (3) :)

I just bought mosquito netting for my pack-n-play for a trip to my in-laws cabin. I don't know if it would work for your purposes, but they sell it at Babies R Us if you want to check it out. Probably the safest thing to do, though, as has already been suggested, is to have her sleep in something else.

Good luck!

Sorry, babe! Once they start climbing out, it's all over. My daughter climbed out of her pack and play shortly after she turned 2. So after that, I put it away. She never climbed out of the crib, but on the night of her second birthday, she asked to sleep in her bed, so I bought a rail and she has been there ever since. I have taught her to stay in her bed and she does not get up unless she needs to go potty or has some other "need". In the am she gets up on her own and comes to where we are. She just turned 3 yesterday. Good luck!

If she climbs out of the pack-n-play- you really shouldn't use it. I think it's time for a big girl bed. You run too much risk of an injury. Accidental falls are the #1 cause of childhood injury.
I have seen some really great toddler travel beds on the market. We have an inflatable bed with an attached sleeping bag- it works pretty well. They are so close the floor that you don't have to worry if she falls out.
The One Step Ahead catalog has some good ones with raised sides to give extra protection.
Good luck!
-S.

Buy a Pack N Play Sport. It comes with a canopy and a zipper door on the front. It's really meant to be used outside, but we use it as a play pen for our son when we need to. We've also used it at the beach and outside when we're doing yard work. The bottom isn't as cushy as a regular Pack N Play but it's great nonetheless.

There is nothing you can do. If she is climbing out of the crib and the play pen it is time to move her to a toddler bed.
My 2 yr old started that and the playpen went down the next day.

My sons both crawled out of the beds and p&p at a very early age. We used the tent on the crib as you do. For the p&p issue, we had to turn the thing upside down. They couldn't get out. We called it 'camping' and they loved it. It also kept them safe in a not so kid safe hotel rooms.

It sounds like it is time to put her in a bed and just use a bed rail.

Well first off how old is ur toddler? and next did u consider putting her in a regular toddler bed? it mayb that is what she needs . my son who is 3 now did the same and let me tell u it made things so much easier once i put him in the toddler bed.

My daughter climbed out of the crib at 15 months and the pack and play about 2 days later. While we shopped for the big girl bed we put her crib mattress in her play tent and a baby gate for her room. That way we didn't have to worry at first about night wandering. She has never allowed to close her bedroom door so we made adjustments. We shopped together for her bed she picked out her new bedding and we made a new routine for her big girl bed. We nixed the toddler bed and went with a " My first sealy" an ottoman for her to help climb in and a double gaurd on the outside. She hasn't fallen out once and after a small change in her schedule she really loves her big girl bed.
Target has a play tent with a sleeping bag and a chair and a flashlight for really cheap and we take it with us everywhere for over night trips. Not only is it great for playtime but also helps with that sense of home when in a new place. She even asks to help her zip up her front door after we kiss her goodnight. She also has this cool winnie the pooh blow up bed my sister gave us that has an attached blanket. Both options pack up really small and if you don't bring the extra accessories with the tent you can pack your toddlers toys with the tent. Hope this helps.

Why not put your toddler in a toddler bed and pack away the pack and play and teach her to stay near you. I never used a pack and play with any of my three children, so I don't know how safe they are. I am not a fan of playpens, so I may not give you the best advice about them. But all 3 kids were in a toddler bed at 16 months. All 3 of my kids hated their cribs and we did the family bed because I never would have gotten any sleep. They all cried all night long no matter what I did with their crib or tried to get them to sleep. When they each were ready (you just know) I put them in the toddler bed and they went right into that. My kids are very active, but never wandered around the house, but their rooms are across the hall from mine so they never made a sound I didn't hear. You may have to train yourself to hear every move, but it's defintely safer than climbing out of things, for several reason, injuries, entanglement in bars, and they learn to crawl out of different things or crawl up things (like 250 lb entertainment centers like my friend's son did). Trust them and let them know you trust them and that may work. Don't be nervous, be excited, but not too big of a deal that it also scares them or make them so confident they have no safety awareness. Hope that helps. You can also make sure her room is safe from danger and put a gate across her doorway and then leave the door open so you can hear her.