18month old escaped cot!

[Waffle12]

Hi
My 18month old has always been a bad sleeper.

She managed to climb out of the cot a few months ago and appeared in our bedroom. Luckily we could lower the cot base one more level, and looking at her standing up in the cot now I thought there was no way she could escape.
Her sleep has been terrible since about 4 months- multiple wake ups, awake for up to 2 hours in the middle of the night, and a very early riser! Normally we stay in the room with her till she goes back to sleep (I know I know but that's a whole other issue!) We decided that we needed to do some gentle sleep training over the Easter hols, and we started last night, but on about the 3rd attempt at leaving her she appeared out on the landing again!! I have no idea how she did it as I didn't see. But it has obviously scared me to death. We have a stair gate, but the danger is obviously her hurting herself!

What do I do? I think she is way too young for taking the sides off and making it into a big girl bed. I have also read that even apart from that, if she is a bad sleeper anyway then that could make it worse.

I have read that a sleeping bag could help as they won't have the leverage to get their legs high enough. We will try that tonight, but she hasn't used a bag since she was little, and once the warmer weather hits that won't really be an option. We also have a rocking chair next to her bed. I have no idea if she used this to aid her escape, so wonder if I should move this further away. But on the other hand she may be using this to lower herself to the ground which is surely safer than trying to get down straight from the rails? I will put some cushions round the cot from tonight aswell.

Any advice from parents of other escape artists?

I know we need to try and sort her sleep.out generally- we have been trying and this is what we were trying to do last night. But obviously the urgent issue is keeping her safe and stopping the escaping!!

Thank u.x

Sleeping bag helps my Houdini!

Thankfully he’s a good sleeper but he’s escaped once because he managed to get his sleeping bag off.

Sleeping bags are fine in the summer. You can get sheet ones and not put a sleep suit on.
My 18 month could no way cope in a big boy bed yet so definitely try the sleeping bag.

Also can you set up a camera in her room so you can keep an eye on her?

Mine were all in proper beds by 18 months as they could climb out of their cots.

If she can climb out of her cot she needs to be in a bed.

I'd take the side off, honestly. She's worked it out once, she'll do it agian.

We took the side off when DS was 18 months (22months now) because the cot was on the lowest level already and we'd caught him trying to launch himself on to the bureau a couple of times. He only fell out twice and it didn't occur to him to actually get out of bed and go for a wander until last week, even though when the side was in he was desperate to get out. Slept well too, until the clocks changed. And much easier to settle him in the middle of the night when you're not bending double.

Honestly I'd try it rather than mess about with sleeping bags if she's already stopped using them.

Mine went in a single bed with a roll-out bar at this age. Better that they can just get out rather than fall from that height.
Mine slept better in a bed, more room to move.

Thanks for ur replies. We do have a sleep bag, but will also look for the super thin ones.

I completely understand that some parents will change their children to proper beds at this age, but I just don't feel she is ready and will make sleep problems worse as she will have so much freedom. Obviously safety will come first and if we try a bag and any other suggestions and she still manages to escape then we may have to reconsider, but I just really don't feel she is ready and I don't feel happy with it.

We do have a monitor but this happened while she was moaning- we are trying to leave her longer before going into her, and she wasn't proper crying, just protesting. I honestly didn't think she could get out so I wasn't watching the monitor at that point. She is not tall for her age or anything. But she is super agile and a climber! It is the same cotbed we used for our eldest and she used it with the rails till about 3 with absolutely no attempt at escape (that we know of- but even if she did try she definately never ever managed to get out)

My DS has never been in a cot- we went from safe cosleeping to his “big boy” bed when he was 3 so personally not an expert but my sister put her DD in a low bed/took the side off the cot, baby proofed the room and popped a babygate across the door of the baby’s bedroom when her daughter was a similar age, for a similar reason- might that work for you?

Thanks @OhShitShit
We don't fully close her door at night- we started just leaning it shut when she went through a particularly bad sleep patch as we didn't want to make any extra noise when leaving her room but we will start shutting the door properly from tonight.

Oh god, I would never expect an 18 month old to put up with being stuck in a cot!

We took the cot side off and used it one of these. DS was then happy to stay in it until he was 3 (at which point he was too long for it). Didn’t fall out, but could get out by himself in a morning.

Really?
My ds was happy in his cot until he was 2½ years old and then moved into a single bed
He did wear a sleeping bag until he moved

My DS managed to climb out once art 17 months. We put him in a sleeping bag and thought it was fine. At 18m I put him to bed and went to the loo about 15 minutes later he was screaming and making the most awful noise. I ran back into his room and he was on the floor out of the sleeping with what turned out to be a broken leg.

I think he had tried to climb out the end of the cot onto the cabinet and fallen. I have never felt guilt like it.

If they can climb out the sides need to be off.

Yeah we had a very similar issue. I was very against the "big boy bed" but after two falls at 18 months that required medical attention, we were advised by A&E to go with a proper bed. It's actually really helped with his sleeping after a few nights of adjustment. A stairgate was essential.

Good luck!

I wasn’t ’happy’ for mine to be in beds at 18m, would far rather have them in cots for longer. But all the advice I read said that as soon as they climb out it’s dangerous to leave them in a cot any longer, so we put them in beds.
If you’re dealing with sleep issues now it would probably make more sense to take the sides off and deal with the issues in one swoop.

I wasnt impressed when my 2 escaped early (22months for DS1, 18months for DS2, both in sleeping bags) but please, if they can climb out take the sides off. Not to do so risks them falling head first from the top of the cot bars, and can cause serious injury.
It's time to remove the bars.

This is making me smile remembering the first time my youngest pole vaulted from her cot and appeared in our room looking so delighted with herself!

Good luck OP. I'd try the sleeping bag too.

Another vote for going to a proper bed. Once they can climb it she beginning of the end of the cot. It just becomes too dangerous and you won't be able to relax. Get a Stairgate for her door so she can't wander the landing. You might find being out of the cot and in a bed helps her sleep as she doesn't feel so caged in.

ds could escape his cot from 12m in a sleeping bad. He escaped his travel cot also. Once he got used to toddler bed he slept alot better

@RestingPandaFace

My DS managed to climb out once art 17 months. We put him in a sleeping bag and thought it was fine. At 18m I put him to bed and went to the loo about 15 minutes later he was screaming and making the most awful noise. I ran back into his room and he was on the floor out of the sleeping with what turned out to be a broken leg.

I think he had tried to climb out the end of the cot onto the cabinet and fallen. I have never felt guilt like it.

If they can climb out the sides need to be off.

Id seriously reconsider leaving her in the cot if she can climb out of it. It is pretty standard advice that this is the point you move to a bed / remove the sides, as from this point on it becomes dangerous to stay in. She knows she can get out so she will continue to try to do so.

It sounds more like youre not ready for this stage, more than the child isnt.

Youd be better to out a safety gate on her bedroom door now. Until she can vault over that, of course.

As others have said you need to make the switch to a bed as it's just too dangerous for her to stay in a cot. I would baby proof the room (make sure all furniture is attached to walls) and remove any toys. Then make the switch to a bed with a bed guard and a gate on her door.

As soon as they can climb out of a cot then they are ready for a 'proper' bed.

The climbing out is More dangerous IMO.

Get a sheep clock or similar where it clearly lets them know when they can get out of bed. Anytime before that you treat like any other behaviour you want to correct.

My oldest stayed in his cot until he was 2 and a half. My youngest climbed out at 18 months, even with a sleeping bag on! Interestingly my youngest was a terrible sleeper until we put him in a single bed. We moved from the cot to a toddler bed but he hated the toddler bed and kept falling out. Once we put him in a single bed with a bed guard and a stairgate on his bedroom door he started sleeping through. We had a camera in his room, turns out he is a really active sleeper. He kept waking himself up in the cot because he'd hit the sides and the toddler bed was too small but a standard single was perfect and he had plenty of room to roll around without hitting anything. He's now 6 and still a really active sleeper!

Gosh they are so funny climbing out, all my 3 did as well but I agree with sleeping bags lol!!

Thank you everyone.

Sorry to hear that some of you have had bad experiences with ur little ones getting hurt from climbing out of their cots. Of course I completely understand there is a risk once they are able to climb out, and please don't think I am a bad parent for contemplating carrying on with the cot. I just don't know anyone that this has happened to so early, and I think I am just quite shocked that she has been able to do this, and was kind of hoping that a sleeping bag and other adjustments would maybe solve the problem and mean she wouldn't be able to get out. But obviously from some of your stories this isn't the case and can't be relied on.

We will get everything ready to transition to taking the sides off asap.