HELP....my 15 mth old can climb out his cot!!!!

[Zoomum]

Hello,

Can anyone help or have advice. My LO has just learnt to his delight that he can climb out his cot. We are all still in the same room still as we are in a 1 bed flat. Anyway, just as he had become happy to just be left to go to sleep by himself, now comes his new trick. This means that I say, 'Bye bye', (which is our signal for bed time), leave the room and then he climbs out of the cot and runs riot around the room and ventually starts crying because he wants me or dad to come to him. And yet if we respond and go the the room then he thinks it's playtime. This means that we are held hostage....we want to relax in the evening too!!!! So what do people do. I cannot tie him into his cot obviously. I've never really left him to cry but I'm starting to think this is the only option otherwise I will be running back and forth trying to get him to stay in the cot, or repsonding to this crys.....he is our first and his dad and I are perplexed.
Help anyone with experience!!!!

is the cot on its lowest level? If so, then all you can do is do rapid return and keep putting him back in the cot and leaving again until he realises he has to stay there. For his own safety you may need to think about getting a bed rather than a cot as he could have an accident while climbing out.

What about the rapid return type approach where you just hang about outside and each time he gets out you go in quickly pop him back in the cot and say nothing and repeat until you're both exhausted! Had to do this with my DD in a bed as she'd get out over and over. Some nights it went on for ages but she has been pretty good recently and once in bed doesn't get out again.

Hi, yes his cot is on the lowest level...he is very agile, I am impressed with his climbing skills. But I think we will have to get a bed as it's quite a drop. I have noted the raid return approach. i think that's the way we'll have to go............

sleeping bag?

Is he in a grobag? Might stop him being able to climb out.

I odn't think my LO would appreciate a sleeping bag. As it is he gets very frustrated and tangled up with his blanket. I have to cover him when he;s asleep. My DP and I have decided to put him in a low bed with sides and a little gap so that he can climb down. My DP is very handy and is gonna make it! This is because DS climbed out of bed this morning and fell flat on his face...bed it is then.

Can you take the side off the cot ? If it is a dropside you should be able to without losing stability . Then use rapid return.

I think you are absolutely right about about putting him into a bed once he can climb out. Can you put a stair-gate on his bedroom door?

If you haven't tried a sleeping bag, I'd really recommend borrowing one and giving it a go. He might not get frustrated and tangled as they can still crawl in them. My LO is the same age, and personally I'd be scared of what damage she could do left to her own devices!