Sweet Pea has been able to climb in and out of his crib for quite a while now, as long as the side is down. Hubby and I weren’t crazy about this, but he didn’t actually start this activity until he was able to do it confidently and seemed to only do it while playing with his brother. We weren’t really ready for him to wander the house alone at night like his big brother did when he got a toddler bed, and he didn’t climb in and out that often, so we’ve been putting off moving him to a toddler bed. I know, I know, safety first, right?
The other morning I went to get my darling 3 year old out of bed and he refused to let me get him out of bed…he proceeded to climb over the rail while it was UP! I guess we waited too long! Needless to say, Sweet Pea is no longer our baby in a crib. I set up his toddler bed an hour or so after he got up!
He’s definitely not been a baby for quite a while, but now he’s in a toddler bed and loving it. I’m also pleased to say we have not found him wandering the house at night, or sleeping on the couch when we come down in the morning. He’s only fallen out of bed onto the soft pillows and blanket once, the first night!
My lesson from this: put safety first and your nightmares behind you. Your little one is growing up and keeping him in a bed that is potentially dangerous is not worth it. He’ll surprise you with his abilities more often than hiding them from you. I’m very thankful he didn’t fall and that I didn’t have to learn this lesson as a result of injury.
Have you ever learned a lesson like this the hard way?
I had to laugh about "sweat pea." It was early morning, and I heard a "thud" coming from our very first child's bedroom. Then I heard giggles. I quickly went in to investigate. Little first-born child had climbed up and over the crib railing — yes, it was up all the way. We immediately converted it to a toddler bed with no railing, and everything was fine. 🙂
Can I just say I dread the day when my littleguy can climb out of th crib. I am sure it is coming soon… and he does not like to go to bed. Ug. And my brothr broke the toddler rail on our last move… so that one is a no go anyway.