How we stopped our toddler from trying to climb out of her crib
This post is brought to you by VTech and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.
We have a three bedroom house, so there is a lot of bedroom sharing happening. After B’s birth, she slept in our room most of the time (except some naps) because E was such a great sleeper. We didn’t want B’s fussing and eating during the middle of the night to wake E.
But eventually, E started sleeping through the night and we were the ones waking her up because she was sleeping in our room. So, it was time for the two littles to share a room.
The transition wasn’t the easiest, but it wasn’t impossible.
We did encounter one problem (I’m sure you’ve been wondering where the title of the post comes into play).
We would put the girls down (we tried alternating and different times, but the same time worked best). Then, we would see B stand up and babble to E. Then E would pop up and start giggling and talk to B. Then, E would throw her leg up over the side and ride the edge of the crib, contemplating diving out.
Not acceptable! We’ve never had a crib climber, but we’ve also never had a kid in the crib much past their second birthday. Since she was sharing a room, we decided that we were going to combat the crib acrobatics if we could.
Thankfully, we were sent the The VTech Safe&Sound® Pan & Tilt Full Color Video Baby Monitor. So, we were able to watch her after we laid her down and left the room.
It never failed. Within just a couple minutes of her laying down and not seeing her, she would start talking.
After a bit of talking, she’s start to stand up and the next thing you know, that leg is up over the side and she’s trying to climb out. So, how did we stop it? With the talk-back intercom. I know it’s there to help soothe babies with my soft voice. But, for E? She got a very stern command.
“LAY DOWN!”
And, she would dive back into her bed and lay down so quickly you could barely see it happen. Sometimes, she would try one more time and we would repeat over the talk-back intercom: “LAY DOWN!” and she would.
It took several nights (okay, so maybe it takes 21 days to become habit…I didn’t count), but now, she doesn’t even try anymore. So, thankfully, we can keep her in her crib for a while longer and keep her safe.
{Set up for the sake of the picture. The camera does not sit on the edge of the crib when in use!}
Some other cool features of the VTech’s Safe&Sound® Pan & Tilt Full Color Video Baby Monitor
- The camera pans up to 270 degrees side-to-side and tilts as many as 124 degrees up and down and zooms up to 2x.
- The system supports viewing of up to 4 total cameras from one parent unit.
- High-resolution 2.8-inch color LCD
- Automatic night vision: Two infrared LEDs and a low-lux camera automatically detect dim light, providing clear video even in dark rooms.
Check out the VTech Safe&Sound Pan & Tilt Full Color Video Baby Monitor in action in this video.
You can buy the VTech’s Safe&Sound® Pan & Tilt Full Color Video Baby Monitor on Amazon.
We are in the same stage though she hasn’t tried to climb out (yet.) This would also be great when transitioning to a big bed and keeping track when they get up (and perhaps get into mischief!)
Wow! That is so cool! I bet it scared the daylights out of her at first.
When we got a vocal command camera, Red would DIVE back in the bed,too. He was a little afraid of the random voice. But now, he’s used to it. He talks back to us 🙂 🙂 He’s in a toddler bed now, and when we get to the new house, it’s a big bed… I need that mattress!
The camera really helped to solve the problem. Glad it is working for you!
Mine aren’t in cribs but I still do the exact same thing. It’s soooo handy not having to run to their room and put them back to bed!
HAHA, she turned three and was like, OK I’m over this thing, I’m out! I just love this monitor. I never thought I needed the temperature gauge but Peanuts room gets really cold or hot easily and it alerted me when the heater in her room malfunctioned and got too hot. I think I’m going to get another unit for the big girls room too!
That’s what I needed for our camera. The boy was always trying to escape!
We do the same thing for our daughter. One way to curb the climbing- we turned her crib around! The shortest part faces the back and she can’t get out.
But thank GOD for video monitors with communication enabled.