so I once more find myself sitting outside a child's door, waiting for them to go to sleep...

[NewBlueCoat]

it's been a busy week in the BlueCoat household.

Our ensuite bathroom sprang a leak last week, so we have been using the main bathroom. Until this morning when I find a lake of water in the downstairs hallway after dh had his shower - yep, second bathroom has sprung a leak (I hate living in a wreck of a house!)

I mop it all up as best I can, try to air out the rugs etc. which makes us late for school, and dd1 is fidgetting and fussing about that - running so late, in fact, that it is past time for us to leave and I haven't even got ds dressed yet, let alone given him breakfast.

I hot foot it upstairs, into ds' bedroom, and find him happily toddling about his room. Lovely. Except I left him in his cot. YEs, the escaping baby has struck again - I might cry, tbh. He's only 18 months - I thought I had a good while yet before he was loose to terrorise us all.

I am now waiting outside his door while he falls asleep for his nap, poised to burst through the door at the first sounds of climbing/falling. I thought my days of sittign uncomfortably in doorways, MNing from my phone were over!

I have no idea what to do re: his sleep situation. HIs bedroom is right at the top of the stairs (can't put a gate across the stairs as the bannisters are dodgy), and don't think I can fit a gate to his doorway. He also has an ensuite bathroom, but can secure that with a high bolt (for now).

He's only just started sleeping thorugh - putting him ina toddler bed/mattress on the floor is going to be a nightmare, isn't it? BAck to the endless nights of putting a roaming toddler back to bed and that's if he ever stays there iin the first place . and it means his naps are practically over, doesn't it? I am so not prepared for him to be up all day - quite often I have a nap when he does!

Plumber can't come until next week to look at the bathrooms, so it's strip washing until then - oh, the joys.

[NewBlueCoat]

thanks, Polter.

THe doorway architraving won't allow a gate. We could take the door frame off, I guess .

He's in a Grobag He must have vaulted the cotbars

He's just an escapologist. He climbed out of his highchair at 9 months old - long before he could even stand reliably . We use 3 different harnesses on him now

I was waiting for the car seat harness escape, but he sneaked the cot escape under the radar first...

dd1 was ina cot until over 3. dd2 showed signs of escaping and so we released her early, but even then she was 2.5ish.

ds has always been the troublesome one

[NewBlueCoat]

He is

[lougle]

Anti-climb paint on the bars?

More seriously, have you tried a grobag? It tends to slow toddlers down.

Baby Dan Flexi Fit Stair gate can be fitted to the outside of door frames, for awkward frames.

[NewBlueCoat]

anti climb paint - now why didn't I think of that?

Grobag already used, and it's not slowing him down any....

we are trying to fit a retractable gate, like the kiddyguard accent (sorry no link - on phone), but the shaping of the frame (old house, original frame which is quite ornate/detailed) might prove tricky. any solid gate would be a trip hazard, given where ds' door is in relation to the stairs, and the fact it has to open outwards. any gate across the top of the stairs would also be an incentive for dd1 to hurl herself over the top . her apparent high functioning is completely absent when presented with a challenge

[NewBlueCoat]

he was alternately charming (when anyone else was looking) wheile waiting for dd2 to finish her sports club, and demonic (when it was just me as his audience) - trying to climb over the barrier (we were in the gallery of a sports hall) to get the netball off the big girls, trying (and very nearly succeeding) to post anything and everything through the gap under the barrier, he nearly fell in the bin at one point , trying to fish out the remains of juice cartons etc. The boy is Trouble, I tell you.

He also has a very good line in feint and misdirection, already

thsnk god dd1 is mostly behaving herself at the moment at dd2's pick up - if they ever team up, gods help me

[AliceinWinterWonderland]

Grobag never slowed DS1 down at all. I was amazed at how fast he could run and how well he could climb in it. And if the zip was in front, he would tuck the contraband inside it, then when he was back in bed, he'd unzip it and out came the contraband item.

I had days where I wondered if stapling the bottom of the grobag to the bed frame was allowed....