Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

So what do we do when the baby can escape his cot?

20 replies

Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 20:27

My ds is 18mths, is just about climbing out of his cot. He was sleeping in his cot in my room and generally sleeping through 7-6ish so he's gone in to share with dd (5). Usually if he woke up in the night he'd come in with me or he'd scream the place down and wake up dd and we're in a flat with elderly neighbours and paper thin walls so it was the easiest option, he'd just go back to sleep with the exception of colds/ teething etc over the winter.
However, now when he wakes and I bring him in with me he fights to get out of the bed and walk about. He's also climbing and almost getting out of his cot and due to the layout of my room which can't really be changed he could easily smash his head on the chest of drawers if he did, especially in the dark and the early unbalanced days of finding his way out. We have a baby gate on the bedroom door but I can't let him roam for 10 mins because he opens wardrobes and pulls everything out etc.
I would put him in a toddler bed in dd's room but we just came back from a short holiday with a similar set up to that and he wouldn't even lay down to go to sleep at bedtime despite being overtired, he just wanted to get up. At home he's very happy to go to bed in his cot at 7, we had 2 days of 9.30pm screaming whilst away and had to walk him in the pram to go to sleep then getting up at every night waking.
What should I do? Any ideas/ suggestions appreciated.

OP posts:
moreismore · 09/05/2019 20:30

For safety he needs to come out of the cot and into a bed. Can you convert his cot at all? Just take one side off? I think the roaming around will be a phase but I’m afraid I don’t know how to deal with it beyond babygate on the door, I see that’s not ideal as he’ll be sharing...

BlueMerchant · 09/05/2019 20:35

He definitely needs a new routine involving a toddler bed in my opinion. Once the 'novelty' wears off he should be fine. Put child locks on wardrobe and drawers and it's a case of a few stressful nights while he adjusts I think.

DameMargaretofChalfont · 09/05/2019 20:38

I favour this beauty!!!

Should curtail any escape activities Smile Wink

So what do we do when the baby can escape his cot?

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 20:39

I know, he's not quite trying to get out too often and if he's in with dd he can't do himself too much damage other than getting tangled etc which I do worry about of course. It's all new to me as we were in a 1bed with dd until she was over 2 and was happy to just come in with me if she woke in the night, once she was in her own bed she was old enough to understand bed is for sleeping and not to get up and to call for us if she needed something as we still had a monitor and she didn't want to get up and touch everything! DS doesn't even really want to be up, he wanders about moaning but does fight to get out of bed!

OP posts:
DinosApple · 09/05/2019 20:40

My eldest was a climber, we took the side off the cot as soon as she could climb out (around 14 months). There was a gate on her bedroom door but she was over that pretty quickly too.

I used to put her to bed and lay down next to her with my hand on her and pretend to or actually go to sleep and she'd settle down.
On those nights when she just kept getting up, I consistently put her back again. It didn't take too long for her to get it (but it was a while ago now, she's 10.) There weren't any screamy tears or I wouldn't have done it. Her sister was due so I felt I had to crack it before she arrived.

Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 20:40

Dame can I get it on Ebay do you think?

OP posts:
TitianaTitsling · 09/05/2019 20:41

dame are you planning on taking to Dragons Den? I'm in!

Aquamarine1029 · 09/05/2019 20:41

If he is climbing things, please be sure that your dressers are secured to the wall. He could pull a drawer out and step in it which could cause the dresser to fall forward and crush him.

Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 20:42

That's the thing dinos, he doesn't want a cuddle or me near him. I'm happy for him to come in my bed and have that, he's fighting me and screaming to get up!

OP posts:
DinosApple · 09/05/2019 20:43

My granny had a lid for my auntie's cot back in the 50s for her early climber Grin.

Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 20:44

Aqua all secured 100%, all Ikea stuff so very dodgy if not and DH is a handyman so we're ok on that front thankfully.

OP posts:
Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 20:46

We watched Incredibles 2 and I quite liked Mr Incredible's setup for JackJack! SS might want a word though...

OP posts:
Butwhhhyyyyyyy · 09/05/2019 20:49

I put my dc in a grobag sleeping bag, stopped them climbing out of the cot as they couldn't get there legs over as leverage to get out

DinosApple · 09/05/2019 20:50

Screamers are hard work OP Flowers.
I guess locks on the drawers and cupboards then?

Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 20:59

But I think he'd hate that, he doesn't really like covers over him either, same as my dd.
He's only recently started doing the screaming, he has a bad temper generally at the moment- the terrible 2's are strong with this one and nice and early. He was a dream baby Sad

OP posts:
Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 21:06

Dinos if we put him in toddler bed in with dd he wouldn't need it, their room is baby proof with just a unit with pull out boxes full of toys. She could go in my bed and me in hers until he settles down a bit but I don't really want to encourage the night getting up and roaming. There's a gate on their room too (to stop dog and cat getting in) so I could sleep in with him for a bit but how do I get him to go back down without screaming? At the moment I put him in with me (DH is sleeping in the living room for unrelated reasons) and just lay him back down and shhhing, patting his back and trying to cuddle him every time he tries to get up which is easy enough in a king size bed but he's screaming bloody murder at me and just dozing off and starting again! 1-4am last night on and off!

OP posts:
BertieBotts · 09/05/2019 21:17

Could you do the supernanny thing of just taking him back to bed over and over again until he learns it isn't getting him anywhere?

BertieBotts · 09/05/2019 21:19

Without murdering him I mean :o

Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 21:32

Bertie I would go for that approach and did for a while with dd when she went into a bed in her own room. But I just think he's a bit young, only just 18mths so I think it might be a bit futile and like banging my head against a brick wall. I'm hoping the climbing out won't become a 'thing' he tries now, in our room he has to have the cot right at the foot of the bed so he has a step up on our wooden end bit that he doesn't have in their shared room and now he's in there I don't give him a few minutes to see if he'll go back to sleep because dd has school in the morning and an earlyish activity on Saturday. So he grizzles and cries until I get him out but when I do he starts with the trying to get up!

OP posts:
Pineapplewheelnuts · 09/05/2019 21:34

Thanks for all the replies, it's been helpful to sit down and properly think about it and I've realised a couple of things that I didn't before.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.

Swipe left for the next trending thread