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Moving to 'big bed' - baby gate or shut the door?

2 replies

mowmylawn · 27/04/2014 20:37

Next weekend we're moving our DD (just turned 2) to a toddler bed - DS is due in August and we need the cot. Would have preferred to have waited a bit longer but hey ho!

I know she will be a wanderer and we will need to contain her in her room. There's nowhere upstairs apart from door frames where we can put a gate, including the landing. In every area there's always something in the way (radiator, door, handrail etc).

When your LO moved to a bed, did you use a safety gate on their door or keep the door shut? She can't open the door as the handle is really quite high up (it's like this on all of the upstairs doors, no idea why!) so closing the door seems like a good option to me, less faffing about. Plus if her door isn't completely shut then it swings open, yo can't just leave it open an inch or so. So if we had a safety gate then the door would be pretty open and she'd probably wake up when we went upstairs or the cat was having crazy time.

Just wondering if I am missing a major problem with having the door shut? Thanks!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Mildpanic · 27/04/2014 20:47

This is going to sound really awful but the most effective thing for getting our then 2 yr old DS to stay in bed was when we moved house and he could no longer reach the door handle to let himself out. (1930's doors)
We knew he was safe, had been told to go to bed, routine, stories, windown etc. neighbour said several nights he was seen waving at the window. Eventually he gave in, maybe 3 nights and always settled quickly after that.
He was never distressed, just trying it on.
I would favour closed door rather than gate. They can climb over a gate!

mowmylawn · 27/04/2014 21:55

Thanks mildpanic, good to hear someone else did this. Due to the upstairs setup I will be sleeping probably 6 feet from our DD's door anyway so I'm sure I'll know when she's awake!

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