the amazing 2 yr old escapo?

[cathyspam]

okay - this has happened twice in as many nights. DS1 is almost 2.5 and the past 2 nights i have found him down stairs after escaping from his bedroom - he has a stairgate on his bedroom door which he can't climb over and the gate was closed so i dont think he opened it and closed it again (it is really stiff). There is a very small gap between bottom of stairgate and floor - do you think he could get through? He is big for his age and looks about 3.5? I am confused?

[bran]

Does he have toys or furniture in his room that he could pile up and use to boost himself over, or perhaps a ball which would roll away as he went over the gate?

[cathyspam]

he does have toy boxes etc but no evidence to indicate this method.

[SoupDragon]

Small children can teleport. Surely you've realised that by now?

[lucy5]

My dd was a climber, we moved her out of her cot very early because of this. She too was able to to vault over stairgates. We ended up leaving her bedroom one open in the end as we were worried about her killing herself on the stairs. we havent had a night without her in our bed since, shes now 5!

[cathyspam]

lol soupdragon - the thought actually corossed my mind in the middle of the night - was very tired

[cathyspam]

lucy Thats what I am afraid of!

[bran]

Obviously what you need is a motion-detector infra-red camera so that you can find out how he's doing it.

Would he get very upset if you fixed the door slightly ajar, too narrow for him to get through it but open enough that he can see it's not shut?

[sparklymieow]

my DD2 was able to climb over stairgates too, she had one across the door, one day I caught her doing it, she would use the door to push her feet up on and then vault over. She is tiny for her age too.

[cathyspam]

I have asked him how he did it now and he tells me (in his own way) that he got underneath!!! I didn't think it was a big enough space for his head let alone anything else! Seems like he can get through tiny spaces in a mouse-like fashion! Not sure what to do now!

[cathyspam]

i caught him last night - he is getting underneath! It is only about 5ins from the floor so am amazed he fits! As I said, he is a big boy - he has been putting his head sideways and pushing it through then lying flat on his front and pushing with his feet!! He is a determined little so and so! Am wonder if we can attach something to the bottom of the gate now - it is a wooden one?

[FrannytheQuinoaEater]

I think he has a glittering career ahead of him, either on the stage or in cat burglary

[cathyspam]

Am thinking on stage - he has a tendancy for showing off! Not his fault, in his blood - I am an ex-actress. Maybe he could join the circus! Do you think he is too young? Could make a few quid off him! HEHE

[MarsOnLife]

Ah the joy of 2 yos. LOL

Not sure what to suggest that you put at the bottom of the gate. Any way you could move it down so that there is no gap between it and the floor?

I'm about to move the DTs into beds because having moved them to travel cots because they kept escaping from their actual cots, I now find that they can escape them as well.

[jetlagdZebra]

I was in police custody 3x in 1970 (2-3yo). I used to stand on a chair to unlock the front door & scarper down the street, half-nekkid.

So cheer up, could be worse!

[ClareL]

My DS is 26 months and had to go into a bed at 23 months because he was climbing out of his cot. Now in a bed and constantly comes into our room. Tried putting a stairgate on his bedroom door but he climbs over it - and he isn't tall for his age. As already said I was also frightened of him climbing over the gate and falling down the stairs so now I don't shut it. He started by piling his quilt and pillows at the stairgate but now he can get over. I now spend most nights in his room with him at least trying to get him to stay in his own bed rather than ours - but definitely not an enjoyable nights sleep. I wish there was an answer but he is always 2 steps ahead.