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ASD toddler out of the crib, need help!

mjsweetgirlmjsweetgirl member
in Special Needs

DS decided he did not want to be in his crib any more, and climbed out yesterday during nap time. Needless to say, we were totally un prepared for this. He was diagnosed with Autism Jan 6, so we have been focusing on other things like getting therapy lined up, etc. 

We went out last night about bought a video monitor, took his mattress out of his crib, and baby proofed his room. We even put a child proof knob on the inside of the door so he couldn't escape.

He does have some sensory issues and is very stimulated by light. What are some suggestions some of you might have to block light out of room. The window is just low enough where he can play with the curtains and the blinds. So thats the first thing he runs towards is the curtains.

Any suggestions are welcome from mom's who have been in this boat before. Thee is literally only a mattress on the floor, his blanket and favorite stuffed animal. We took out all toys, books and other things that might be a distraction or that he could destroy. 

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Re: ASD toddler out of the crib, need help!

  • jsugrinjsugrin member
    Would you consider a crib tent at all?  Was he previously going to sleep easily? Quickly? Taking a long time to fall asleep but doing so on his own?  I suppose for an immediate fix you could duct tape the bottom of this curtain shut.  You can get roll down light blocking blinds (most effective, imo), do an outdoor curtain to cut down the light getting inside ( you could easily make that something longer than the window to help eliminate the sun peaking through the bottom part.
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  • azzyberryazzyberry member
    We used a crib tent for our DS and it was a life saver.
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  • houndbabyhoundbaby member

    We switched ds to a toddler bed at 27 months. We baby proofed his room so there was nothing he could get hurt on but left his toys and books. We just have blinds in his room and shortened the strings on them. If you need things to be really dark you could try roll down shades. We have to leave ds's bedroom door open because our old house only has a heat register in the hallway, so he opens his closet door at the foot of his bed to block the light.We do have a baby gate in his bedroom doorway so he can't roam the halls.

    At first it would take ds a few hours to fall asleep and he would fall asleep under the bed, in his laundry hamper, in the closet, a random spot on the floor, anywhere but in his bed! Once he was asleep I would go pick him up and move him back to his bed. It took a few weeks but he started falling asleep in his bed more and more often. Now when I take ds to his room at night,  I lay him in bed and he  just goes right to sleep most of the time, sometimes he'll get up and play for a few minutes first, then he'll climb back in bed. Toddler beds are not instant success. Even Moms of NT kids have trouble with the switch. It just takes time and quite a bit of patience.

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