Should I "lock" her in?...

[Kim]

Will you guys settle a debate for my dh and me?

If your 2.5 year old wakes up in the middle of the night and wanders about the house making messes and getting into things, would you lock the child in her room?

And by lock, I do not mean with an actual lock that you'd have to take time to unlock in an emergency, but one of those doorknob cover things on the INSIDE of her bedroom door so that she can't get out but we could easily get in?

And if your answer is NO, can you offer alternative suggestions on how to keep a toddler from waking up in the middle of the night and wandering about the house?
Thanks.

 

[mom2many]

Have you tried a monitor so you can hear when she get's up, or how about a baby gate even if it is one on top of the other. I just think how scary it would be to be completely "trapped" in your room.

Also unless her room is 100% toddler safe I would not recommend it.

 

[Kim]

Her room is definitely 100% toddler-proof. The problem with gates is that she knows how to unlatch them, and she can climb them also. Even still, I feel nervous about locking her in there, but my DH is pushing for it. He thinks I baby her.

 

[Xero]

I might consider putting the safety knob on her door honestly. I would just be so worried about what could happen in the time that I don't notice her being awake. Its not so much that I have the mess to clean up or that she isn't getting the proper sleep she should be (although those are also important factors), its moreso that it could be dangerous. She could hurt herself on something or eat something she's not supposed to or get stuck somewhere that no one can hear her. I mean maybe I just worry too much lol but that would freak me out. I was going to suggest a gate too but I guess she's too smart for that! lol A monitor is still a good idea even if you do lock the door though.

 

[JBKB3]

We actually use the child gates stacked on top of each other. Not all night but just until our youngest goes to sleep. She actually requests that they be put up, perhaps it is a comfort thing.
We had to resort to two stacked gates as she has been able to climb over one since she was about 12-14 months. She didn't earn the nickname Monkey for nothing. We prefer the gates because we can still see in and hear her. I don't know if your gates are different than ours but there is no way our 3yr old can unlock them. It has a tension bar and it is very tight.

If you "lock" her door you may injure your child when you try to come into the room and she has fallen asleep next to the door, mine has done it a time or two next to her gates.

JB

 

[ElliottCarasDad]

We have one of those door handle things on our daughters door for the same reasons you listed. Mainly because my wife works second shift and doesnt usually get to bed until 2am and doesnt always hear if someone gets up early. My son usually just watches tv or turns on the computer. My daughter though gets into EVERYTHING!
I dont see anything wrong with it personally. Would someone leave their house during the day and let their toddlers roam free in there?

A monitor would work too I guess, but only if it woke you up. If your kids are like mine, they go into stealth mode anytime they know they are up to no good.

 

[xox.ilu.xox]

we did the doorknob thing until hayleigh got scared when the door was closed, so we put a baby gate up on her doorjam, and left the door open so she wasnt scared. Honestly I like the baby gate way better, she doesnt need any of those anymore as she just comes into our room and cuddles if she is up earlier then we are. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[stjohnjulie]

I wouldn't lock the door....that seems a little unsafe to me. I would just tie her to the bed.

JUST KIDDING!!!

You could try one of the little security alarms. The ones that beep when someone passes through the beam. Or, if she is ok with the door being closed, one that will go off when she opens the door. But it has to be loud enough that it wakes you up. They have a lot of inexpensive little security alarms on the market.

I just wouldn't feel comfortable having her not be able to get out if she really needed to. Too many 'what ifs' for me, I wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

Good luck with your little gremlin! And chalk one up for mom! I with you on this one

 

[Xero]

Yeah I saw those little alarms at the dollar store one time lol, for a dollar!

 

[kara]

I would. I do like the gate-stacking idea, too, though. That's my first choice, actually. Our house is relatively well toddler proofed, but I still think a child wandering around at night is the least safe option.

 

[BeanTownBigEasy]

Yes. Don't lock but blockade somehow.

 

[ElliottCarasDad]

Yes. Don't lock but blockade somehow.

Honestly, what is the difference?

 

[rolltidemom86]

well i am going through the same thing my daughter is almost 3 and she climbs over the gates, can unlock doors, and i am a hard sleeper so you can imagine the fun i have, the baby door locks you get at walmart and target are the best options just don't let her watch you put them on

 

[Antoinette]

i have this problem with my son. he has been able to get out of his room since he was about 1. he would climb out of his cot, push the "story chair" up to the door, open the door and wander the house. i used one of the "locks" so he couldn't get out but i could get in. it worked fine. there was no damage to him physically or emotionally and he is finally sleeping through the night (at nearly 3 years of age mind you)

 

[momat18]

of course not!!!

get a baby glider and when the baby wakes up, sit her on the glider and rock her till she is asleep again.

 

[alter ego]

our house in child proof, but we are very lucky in the layout, in that our room and the nursery are down a hall, so we can shut us in together.
that way master 3 can come in to our bed, but not access the rest of the house.
our 17month old sleeps in our room, but will share with her brother until we get the renovations finished with our new bedroom and parents retreat *yay*
have you tried reward charts for staying in bed/in her room? has she told you why she gets up? maybe make sure she has a drink/snack/book in her room, and encourage her to stay there (apart from the toilet) till you come in the morning?

 

[Debbie822]

i think a door lock from the inside is a great way to keep her in her room but what if she has to go to the bathroom? That might be a problem!

 

[MomMamaMommy]

This is a tough one for sure. My gut response was no, because it would be dangerous (what if there was a fire and she was stuck or something)--but on second thought, the likelihood of her being in danger while shut in her room at night is probably less than the likelihood that she could get hurt while wandering around your house getting in to stuff in the middle of the night. So--I say "locking" her in might be the way to go. But, like other posters have mentioned, I think I'd make sure I had a monitor, also.

 

[InstantNoodles]

We had a reversed door on our toddlers room. We chose to lock the door until she figured out the door wasnt going to open, then when she went to bed we unlocked the door.

 

[NurseMama]

We put childproof door handles on both our girls doors for the same reason. My main concern with it was incase fire, she may be trapped in her room. I discussed that with my dad (fire chief) and we decided that likelihood of fire starting in her room was very low and the risk of wandering at night and doing something dangerous high. Her room is toddler safe and we have a video monitor.