Help! Two year old climbed out of cot. What do I do now?

[PleaseHelpMeWithMyClimber]

Our just turned two year old has just climbed out of his cot. Luckily I was around, but he then started eyeing the stairgate. The obvious next step would be to get him a bed, and take off the stairgate, I guess, as falling over the top of the stairgate would be worse than falling without it. However, I feel absolutely sick with worry about the lack of barriers; we have a small landing and DS is really boisterous and fearless. We have tried to teach him to come down the stairs sensibly but I worry that he could run past and fall, or just forget everything we've taught him in the excitement of having new-found freedom.

Another issue is that he takes ages to to to bed at night and we have to sit at the top of the stairs until he's gone to sleep. He then wakes in the night most nights and comes in with us. We've wanted to change both these things but so far it hasn't happened. This new development means I definitely think we need to keep staying upstairs until he's asleep, for now, as at least that way we know he's safe. I'm wondering whether to put an air bed in his room so that I can sleep in with him for a bit, as that would mean he can adjust to the freedom of a bed, maybe get used to staying in his room all night, but can't actually get out of his room and anywhere near the stairs. Perhaps after a little while in his new bed we can remove the stairgate and teach him how to be safe, and only have me "move out" of his room when we feel he's got used to his bed and not having a stairgate? Is that crazy? Sensible? Likely to cause more problems? He still naps and I'm wondering if perhaps I need to cut these out or I guess have to do the same thing in the day and basically just not leave him alone in his room? He doesn't seem to understand when I tell him not to do things, or that they're dangerous, and I'm a SAHM so all of his naps are at home. How have others managed these changes with their two year olds?

[BabyDreams2018]

Put a mattress on the floor and take any furniture he can pull over on top of himself out of the room. Put an extra stair gate on his bedroom door with some sort of alarm or bell so it rattles if he goes near it. At 2 he may be a little young to be using the stairs on his own in case he falls or loses his balance. If he hasn'the dropped the nap, I wouldn't drop ot yet. He may still need it or you will have a very cranky overtired boy by mid afternoon.

[BabyDreams2018]

I'm sorry for the typos.
Hasn't....
drop it

[KalaLaka]

Is all your furniture bracketed to the walls? That's another thing to do.

[Sarahh2014]

Hi get a foam bumper to put under bottom sheet then take off one side of cot bed he won't be able to fall out

[BubblesBuddy]

My friend’s twins climbed out of their coats at 11 months and they were 6 weeks premature!

Several naps a day is too many. Sleeping with him is a bit ott in my view. He should be learning to settle now and staying with him will not be conducive to your and your DH having enjoyable evenings together. You need to try and train your DS to go to bed and stay there. A bedtime routine with the understanding that bed means bed can be gradually introduced. I would do a room gate and a stair gate if you are worried about safety. If he continually needs to be put back to bed, share the job with DH. Don’t talk to your your DS when you do it. Just scoop him up and put him back. You aim should be to have some time with your DH and not spend every evening with DS in his room.

[Della1]

Keep the stair gate!!!! I don’t think he will be able to climb over it. You need it there to keep him in his room at bedtime. Make sure his room is safe and put him in a bed. If the room is safe, he can play with toys until he is tired. Have a strict bedtime routine- bath, milk, teeth, story and bed. Keep it the same every night. Kiss him goodnight and tell him you’ll check on him in five minutes. Leave the room and check on him a couple of minutes later. Repeat “night night” etc. If he cries just call up “it’s time to sleep, night night.” Check again after a couple of minutes. When he wakes in the night repeat the same phrase “it’s time to sleep, night night.” Try to break the habit of him coming into your bed and encourage him to self settle. Not sure if this will help but it’s worked with all three of my children and none of them have ever slept in our bed.

[Della1]

Also, my dts had a stair gate on their room until 3.5 yrs (when they were able to open it) and it taught them to stay in their room. They are allowed to play with toys, read etc but know that bedtime means bedtime so they don’t come out of their room even though there is no longer a stair gate on it.

[Etymology23]

Could you put a hook and eye on the door? Not totally shut that way but no way of getting downstairs.

[Artus]

My son climbed out of his cot at 18 months, and unfortunately also over stair gates. We put him in a bed, taught him to come down stairs on his bottom. Luckily he never tried to get out of the bed - not the same challenge!

[Geneticsbunny]

You can get tall stairgates. I agree with babydreams and della. Make the room safe and make sure he can't get out.

[TeenTimesTwo]

Take out of cot, move stairgate from top of stairs to his bedroom door?

But first check, did he use something to climb out? On ADD2s 4th night with us we woke to find her crying at the stair gate. She had used the arm of the armchair beside her cotbed as a step to help her climb out. Once we removed that we had another 6 months at least with the sides up.

[Ropsleybunny]

A child who can climb out of their cot is safer in a bed. I would tackle the issue of him messing you about at bedtime at the same time. You just have to be very firm and put him back into his bed, as many times as necessary. Eventually, he'll stay in bed. You just have to be more determined than he is. Use a stair gate at the top of the stairs to make sure he's safe.

No way should you move in with him, you're just exchanging one difficulty for another. We moved our 21 month toddler into a bed once he could climb out of his cot. He wasn't a great sleeper either but perseverance on our part paid off. It was especially important at this point as I was just about to have DC2.