No matter how much of an eye sore it is, we are all a lot happier with the crib tent in place. Greta, although as tall or taller than most 3 year olds, is just 20 months old and a climber. Her climbing became an issue when she would climb out of her crib every time we put her in it to take a nap or go to bed. There were days last week when I had to wrestle with her for hours, putting her back in her crib over and over and trying to help her relax and take a nap with no success. She was a different child–cranky, always crying, wouldn’t eat anything and, frankly, I was pretty emotional myself at the end of the week. Exhausted, Chris and I tried taking out the spring platform in her crib and putting her mattress on the floor. She climbed out. We tried taking out the mattress completely and just creating a little bed out of blankets on the floor and she got out. We tried having her sleep on just the mattress outside of her crib and locking her door and she still couldn’t relax and sleep. She just wasn’t mature enough for a toddler bed quite yet. Then a friend told me about a crib tent, to which I replied, “Are those things even legal?”
Well, they are. And after a few days of exhausting more options and feeling more tired and frustrated than ever, we checked the online classifieds and someone was selling a “like-new” crib tent for half of what they retail for (they retail for $60-$80) and we went and picked up the tent ten minutes later. It has been a dream and a life-saver. A sanity saver. Greta is back to taking her normal nap and sleeping so well at night.
For naps and bedtime, we just lay her down and zip up the tent, and she can’t climb out which gives us great peace of mind and eliminates her anxiety about always having to climb out of her crib. The fears about her really hurting herself or escaping while we are asleep are completely gone and we are all resting well again. Greta has adapted really well, too. She doesn’t really have the room to jump like she used to (her most favorite thing in the world), but when I unzip it, she goes wild for a few minutes:
As for climbing over other things, we haven’t found a way to prevent that. But seriously, the girl has no respect for gates any longer. She just climbs over them, or like in the picture below, pushes them down. Le sigh:
So what about you? Do you have things in your home that aren’t so pretty but work so well, you don’t care? What’s your take on crib tents? Do you have a super tall toddler that has zero boundaries?
This kid enjoys small tents.
I waste no time in looking online to see what type of blind you pick- your
conservatory appeal perfect fit blinds will definitely be considerably
boosted. The triple cell shades offer the best light control to a room.
I was just about to order this thing when I realized it was recalled….sad face. Just a heads up.
Sometimes function has to come first.
Not sure if you play along, but I sent a BLOG AWARD your way. Check it out on today’s blog post.
dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.com
Have a great weekend!!
hi! i found your blog through the pinterest challenge (I posted one too @ 1088churchill.blogspot.com) we have a 2 year old and a 4 year old. We graduated both kids from their crib at 2 years. We have a sturdy babygate on their door (which makes the whole room feel like a giant crib) and it works wonders til they are a bit older and understand boundaries.