One night, after we put the kids to bed, George and I were downstairs watching tv. All of a sudden we hear a heck of a thump on the floor above us followed by the pitter pat of little feet and then Olivia screaming. Nate had jumped out of his crib, ran straight over to her bed and began pestering her. Olivia had just fallen asleep and was very upset he had disturbed her. I decided to put her in his crib where she would be somewhat safe from his taunting and try to get him to sleep in her toddler bed. At least he couldn't really hurt himself by falling/jumping out of the toddler bed. I spent 45 straight minutes putting him in the bed and then leaving the bedroom only to have him jump out of bed, run to the doorway, open it just a crack and smile or giggle at me. So, I'd march him back to bed and start the cycle over. After nearly an hour of this, I decided that wouldn't work. We tried to bring him to bed with us. He refused to settle down and sleep. Finally at almost midnight, I put him in Olivia's bed and laid down with him, almost barricading him in. He must have been exhausted and he did eventually fall asleep.
We had a few sleepless days and nights trying to figure out how to contain him before we decided to try a crib tent.
So far, it's working. He was very angry the first night we zipped him in. Since then, he's figured out that he can't escape, so why bother fighting it? It has been a godsend though. He's too young for a toddler bed and I can't have him getting hurt jumping out of a crib either.The same thing happened with the baby gates recently, for instance. Olivia can open them now and roam freely. That might not be so bad, but Nate follows right behind her and has also learned how to operate the gates. Really, I am just trying to keep these kids from getting hurt but how can I protect them when they're too smart for their own good?
This whole parenting thing is a constant challenge! Just when we think we're one step ahead, they outsmart us again. Drats!
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