Toddler climbing out of crib...won't stay in her room unless we're with her, etc

[LisP]

My 26 month old has always been a good sleeper.  She sucks her thumb and has fallen asleep on her own in her crib since she was about 10 weeks old.  Last week she had a bad time going down (happens sometimes but I use WI/WO to settle her) and she climbed out of the crib.  Since then, she won't stay in the crib unless someone is with her and wakes 1 or 2 times at night screaming and climbs out and comes in our room.  She will only stay in her crib unless I stay with her.  I finally put an air mattress on the floor in her room and will stay with her until she falls back to sleep.  She also is refusing to nap for the last 5 days and is very OT.  I tried putting her down for a nap on the air mattress with a gate in her doorway but she climbed over it and landed on her head. 

Her usual schedule is as follows.

Wake 6:30-7
nap 12:30-1 (about 2 hours)
bedtime 7:30


Thanks,
LIsanne

[Peek-a-boo]

Have you considered buying a crib tent to help contain her in the crib while you sort out what may be going on with the nap refusal?

[Julianne1984]

Hey, is there any way you can AP a nap to help combat the OT?? (Buggy/car etc)? She's probably getting in such an OT cycle on top of the original reason.

Have there been any changes in her routine recently? Has she been ill? To nursery? Stayed away with family? Anything at all that may have triggered her need for you to be there? Has her Daddy been away working? Just trying to think what may have caused this... xx

[becky1969]

Once they climb out I'm afraid it's time for a BGB.  It's just too dangerous -- even if you stay with her until she falls asleep, if she wakes in the night and tries to climb out that would be baaad.

She might be frustrated with the crib, hence the crying.  I'd try a BGB and see how it goes! We didn't transition my son until he was 3.5, so I *totally* get the waiting! LOL! But, once they climb out, it's sort of game over.  If you want, we can talk about how to transition her to a BGB ... it may solve your nap problems! 

[LisP]

I'm trying the crib tent for now.  We'll see what happens.  I'm working on moving out of her room a little at a time to calm the hysterical crying.  If this doesn't work out in a few weeks we'll be moving her to a bgb.  Thanks everyone.

[Peek-a-boo]

My very spirited LO started climbing out of the crib just after his second birthday.  We tried transitioning him to a big bed and it was a disaster.  We ordered a crib tent, but they weren't locally available and in the time it took to ship we realized that the root of the problem was that his sleep need had dropped, he wasn't tired enough to nap, and, being spirited climbing out of the crib at nap time was the next logical step, lol. 

We started waking him earlier in the morning to increase his day time sleep drive, he went back to napping and seemed to forget that he could climb out of his crib as he never really did it again, so we ended up returning the crib tent.  Ended up being in the crib until he was 3.5 yo.  I felt comfortable leaving him in the crib even though I knew there was the potential for him to climb out because he was big and agile and had done it repeatedly without hurting himself. 

Hope things improve soon!