advice, please

[grahan]

I've not posted in a long time, really thought that things were finally good with us!  This is the typical schedule for my 25 month old twins

7/7:15 a.m. awake
12:45 - 2:30 NAP
8:00 asleep

Lately, one of my girls, Grace, has taken to climbing out of the crib.  The thing that really makes me upset is that she was always my super sleeper!!  It started just with night sleep.  I began having to hold her down and stay in the room for an hour to an hour and half before she'd go to sleep.  Naps were fine though, she slept just fine in the crib for napping.  Then, yesterday, all was quiet when I put them in for their naps (they sleep in cribs in the same room, very small house but this has always been fine).   Anyway, I went to check in on them after 20 minutes and Grace was fast asleep on the floor.  Part of me was okay with this as she was not fooling around or playing, she went to sleep.  So, for night sleep I tried just putting her crib mattress on the floor to see if maybe she just did not like being "caged" any longer.  That was a no go.  She still screamed at bedtime.  Now, today for nap, she climbed right out of her crib and is making a ton of noise in her room and keeping her sister awake.  I do not think a crib tent is the answer for her.  I really think that it will make her very angry.  I want to just change the crib to the toddler bed but, I just don't know.  Again, she is 25 months old.  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

[Colin Macs Mom]

Yep, if she's climbing out it's time for a big girl bed! For safety reasons if nothing else. Colin started climbing out just after his 2nd birthday and we switched it then.

[grahan]

I agree, for safety reasons especially.  My biggest problem with her climbing out was that she started to cry at the door instead of sleep.  She did not nap at all today.  She just cried at the door.  Then, we took the rail down to turn the bed into a toddler bed and it is the same as it was the last week or so with the crib.  She gets right out and cries.  She used to look forward to sleep!  She'd lay right down and was asleep long before her sister.  Hannah (her twin sister) stayed right in the toddler bed and was asleep within 20 minutes.  After about 45 mins, it was all quiet so I went into check.   Grace was just sitting on the floor, wide awake.  Then when I left, she started back up with the crying.  It is now 8:50 and she is screaming.  She has accumulated a lot of OT too so it seems it is going to be a never ending cycle of OT    I just don't know what I'm supposed to do here...

[aimeeL]

A friend of mine recently had this issue with her LO - a lot younger, though - 18 mos.  Climbing in and out of the crib all night, almost like a game - but clearly tired.  She almost bought a crib tent, but instead threw her in a sleep sack!  And because she could fling one leg over the crib to start her escape, she was stuck!  She spent the first few minutes of nap and bedtime crying while standing in the crib, but very quickly settled to sleep...

[grahan]

It was a bad night.  She finally fell asleep at 9, only after I went in and patted her back while she was in bed.  It only took about 2 minutes, she was exhausted.  But, she was wide awake at 6 am, crying and would not go back to sleep.  So, a 9 hour night after a no nap day.  Ugh.  I'm really worried about all of the sleep she is missing!!   She used to have 11 hour nights and 1.5 - 2 hour naps!!

Funny you should mention that!!  I did put her back in the sleep sack and she could still climb out of the crib!  This little girl is a climber!  The other day, she climbed the goalie net at a soccer field.  She is tiny and reminds me of a gymnaasts with some of the things she can do!!  Anyway, a friend of mine recommended trying the "super nanny" method.  Going in there, putting her in her bed (no eye contact, no talking) and walk out.  And, just keep doing it, no matter how long it takes.  I think that I can handle it for bedtime, just not sure about naps.  If it takes many, many times she will most likely not nap again today... we shall see!