We are going through that wonderful stage when a toddler learns how to climb out of her bed. All that new-found freedom can really go to your head, I've learned. Children who were excellent sleepers when they were confined to a 3' x 5' space begin waking up early, staying up late, and resisting naps. And that is best-case scenario.Bronwen has become quite proficient in the past week at escaping her crib. At first, she would just try to get up once, just to see if we'd let her up. Since she is our fourth, I was wise to this stunt and knew better than to let her stay up for even one minute. Generally, if I immediately put her back to bed, she'd settle down and go to sleep.
Last night after being put to bed, she got up at least five times. In the pitch dark of her room she had no problem scaling that crib and prying open the door. She cheerfully ran down the hall, informing us that she'd "waked up!"
While I was at spin class this morning, prior to 6:00 am, Jared heard her struggling, half-asleep, to get her bedroom door opened. He gently put her back to bed and assured her that it wasn't time to be awake quite yet.
Today at naptime, she really, really did not want to go to sleep.
1st time she popped up:
"Mommy, I play with bloon!" (balloon)
2nd time:
"Mommy, where is my bloon?"
3rd time:
"Mommy, I hungwy!" (plaintively, as if she had not just devoured a yogurt, a corn dog, half an apple, a warm peice of bread, and half of the mango that I had
peeled for myself.)4th time:
"Hi, Mommy!" (brightly, hoping to trick me into letting her stay up because she was so pleasant to be around.)
At this point, Jared, who was home for lunch, spent 15 minutes lowering her crib to the very lowest possible rung, hoping that she'd be stuck again.
5th time:
"Mommy, where is Daddy?" (groaning from Jared about the collosal waste of time it had been to lower her crib mattress.)
6th time: (after being put to bed with a firm but not-painful tap on her diapered bum,)
"Mommy, you panked me!"
7th time:
"I hurt my chin. My chin, chinny, chin! Kiss it, Mommy! Hug me, Mommy! Tuck me, Mommy!"
I explained to her that her chin chinny chin would be just fine if she would stop climbing out of her crib like a Chinese acrobat and that no matter how many times she got up, I'd put her back in until she took a nap. Thankfully, that was the last I've heard of her for 15 minutes.
Time to turn the doorknob around so the lock is on the outside. Sigh.
(Pictures are from a tantrum that she threw at Disneyland last month. I haven't taken many pictures lately.)
11 comments:
Mine has not yet figured out how to get out of her bed, but may I suggest my lifesaver? A baby gate on their door. I love it for lazy bedtimers, time outs, etc. It will stay until she's old enough/big enough to figure it out (mine has to be stepped on with quite a bit of weight to open).
I've known friends who have put the netted "tent" over the crib so they cannot climb out. I have never had a child climb out of their crib...I guess I'm lucky after hearing some stories like this lately. Good luck!
What a cute little monkey. I can't believe that she is climbing out of her crib. Bummer. I love your recent posts. I actually made mention of your wonderful blog title in one of my recent posts, I hope that you don't mind.
It's a good thing that we love those little monkeys no matter what they do. That was a smart part of the Plan--love those you serve. And since a mom gives her whole life (and mind and sanity) for her kiddos, she has no choice but to love the little stinkers. Even when they drive her absolutely crazy-tired and don't sleep.
She's a cute little monkey, though!
Good Luck!
We had to lock our son in also. We put one of those hook and eye locks on the door. It was the only way to sanity. Mattress on the floor, and locked door. Once he fell asleep, we'd put him in bed, and leave the door unlocked. It is the reason for my present sanity :D
(I'm sure there are those who question that however!)
I am so not looking forward to dealing with that transition.
Kinda funny. Kinda not. I have a child throwing a tantrum right at this moment. Poor things got her Sharpie taken away. Life is so hard. Good for your for sticking to your guns!
Exasperation at its finest ... good luck!
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"
Love,
Papa
Still loving her! Can I have her!!?!?!
My kids all crawled out of their cribs at around 18 months and I was never very good at getting them to stay in after that. My youngest always wanted to sleep in bed with us and it drove me crazy. I decided to put him back in bed everytime he got up one night. After 27 times I gave up...
Post a Comment