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Toddler bed question (long)

rainlilyrainlily member
in Attachment Parenting

We had to convert DD's crib to a toddler bed on Monday.  She climbed out of her crib that morning.  I had the monitor on and was awake and didn't hear a thing.  I heard her calling for me at the baby gate.  DH and I were both surprised and felt so lucky that she had not hurt herself. 

We converted her crib that afternoon.  DD really seems to love her "bed".  She went to bed that night, nap yesterday and bed last night really easily.  We leave her bedroom door open and she didn't try to follow us out. 

Naptime today was a different story.  She was showing signs of being sleepy, so we went into her room.  I nursed her on the toddler bed and we cuddled.  She said "night night" and I gave her a kiss.  I heard her playing in the gameroom less than 5 minutes later.  I went upstairs and we went back in her room.  I rubbed her back and left her again.  She went back to the playroom.  Repeat procedure, but this time I closed her door.  She opened it and went back to playing.  I read a book quietly and she fell asleep on a blanket in her room (on the carpet). 

WWYD?  Is it okay as long as she got a nap?  Should I have stayed in the bed with her until she fell asleep?  (I am hesitant to do this because she does not need me to fall asleep right now).  Is this just normal toddler behavior because she has freedom to get out of her bed now?  We'll see how bedtime goes! 

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Re: Toddler bed question (long)

  • KatieB19KatieB19 member
    I have no advice on the toddler bed aspect, but I will say that my aunt had a hard time keeping her toddler from climbing out of her crib (and I guess she wasn't ready to go the toddler bed route), so she got a crib tent.  Here's a link to see what I'm talking about.
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  • TheGregory's07TheGregory's07
    Ian didn't figure out his door knob for about 6 weeks after we converted. He would then open only when he got up in the morning. 
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  • rainlilyrainlily member

    @KatieB- The crib tent looks like a good idea.  I wonder if DD would like it or be freaked out by it? 

    @TheGregory- we don't close the door at bedtime and we had no problem.  Maybe DD just wanted her door open?

    Thanks, ladies!

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  • MadameFancyPantsMadameFancyPants member
    We found that DS slept better with his door open- I gets a little stuffy in there so when we converted to the floor bed and now his toddler bed we put a gate across the door way.  That way he can still move around his room but will stay in.
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  • rainlilyrainlily member
    imagefredalina:

    i hate this, but we actually had to lock the doors in Char's room.  We found that if the door was open-able, she would open it and it would take forever to get her to calm down for the night.  She'd cry and scream and get really overtired, etc. She can open or climb right over baby gates so they're not a good option.  If the door was locked, she would cry when i left the room, try the door handles, and get back in bed and calm down.  A few times i sang her bedtime tune over the intercom on the video monitor so she could relax.

    Now she doesn't try the locks anymore, but she wakes up several times at night, tries the door, and gets back in bed.  i'm very much looking forward to the day when the doors can be unlocked.  i can get in of course, but i still hate it.

    The transition was a couple of hard week, but we made it through and now she's not anxious at night.

    I understand that you hate it, but it sounds like it is working.  It is obviously a safety issue having Char wandering around the house at night.  DD would only be able to wander around the upstairs and can't open the gate at the top of the stairs.  It is bolted into the wall, pretty tall and requires you to slide a latch and lift the door at the same time.  

    DD actually stayed in her bed last night when we left her room even though we left the door open.  I slept across the hallway from her in the guest room and she stayed in bed all night.  I plan on sleeping up there for a couple of weeks.  Just to make sure that she is okay. 

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  • rainlilyrainlily member

    imageMadameFancyPants:
    We found that DS slept better with his door open- I gets a little stuffy in there so when we converted to the floor bed and now his toddler bed we put a gate across the door way.  That way he can still move around his room but will stay in.

    Thanks for the baby gate idea.  DD stayed in her room last night, but we'll see what happens at naptime today!

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  • LadybugPicnic2011LadybugPicnic2011
    There are also door handle covers that make opening the door harder.  They require you to squeeze two points on the cover to be able to turn the knob.  If you put this on the inside of the door, it might help keep her in without locking the door.  My concern with the gate is if she can climb out of the crib, she can probably climb over the gate if she decides to.

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