Odd request I know. My son is 4 and my daughter is 15 months. They play together very well (well he plays and she follows him around :) ). They often play together in their rooms - which for the most part are very safe. I check in on them often and leave the baby monitor on so I can here what they are up to. Just a clarification...They are NEVER left for extended periods of time...I may leave to use the restroom, empty the washer, that sort of thing. My daughter escapes from her pack and play (thankfully she hasn't been able to get out of her crib). My son has bunk beds. He had to earn the privilege to sleep on the top bunk..it's a very big deal. The ladder is screwed in to the bed and can't be removed ( we bought it used and worry about stripping the screw holes). Today my daughter discovered the ladder. I can't keep her off, so I have had to banish them from playing together in his room. Anyone have any clever ideas to keeping her off and safe? Eventually she is going to figure out the door handles and be able to get in his room,and if she is anything like her brother, those baby locks may keep her our for one afternoon.
They have a ladder cover that you can put around the entire ladder to keep kids off of it. We had one on our bunkbed when my son was 2 and went from the crib to the bed. Can't remember where I got it, but somewhere online. That thing was a lifesaver.
You are probably going to have to just keep them out of that room for a while. My youngest sounds like yours. Unfortunately, everything I do to stop her from climbing, just makes her more intent to do it. I had to hide all the kitchen chairs for awhile because she wouldn't stop climbing in them and rocking on them - even after an er trip for hurting her finger that way. Fortunately, once removed from sight for a while, she got disinterested in them. You probably won't have to ban them from there more than a week or two.
My 15 month old plays in the room she & her sister share. I don't have issues with the safety of it, as like you I've made it a safe room & check in often.
Here's an idea for the ladder: get a big cardboard box, cut it into two large pieces (taller than the 15 month old & a bit wider than the ladder),put one in front of the ladder & one behind & then tape 'em together; so you've got a cover that your little one can't remove. You'll have to take it off & on everyday, obviously, but it's cheap & easy. You could even get a couple pieces of poster board rather than cardboard & let your four year old help you decorate them with markers. It'd be prettier that way. :)
Good luck!
put a bolt up high on the door on the outside so you can lock it.
put a play yard around the ladder
unscrew the ladder and put hooks on top of it so you can take it on and off during the day
let her climb up - if she falls off, will be a good learning experience (not really LOL)
i have a very climby 21 month old, she will figure ways to climb even with no ladders, i feel for you.
patty is being very hoity toity,most of us will let our toddlers wander around the house in safe rooms, you cannot watch them every second.
No ideas but would love to see some suggestions , I have a similar issue with my 19 month old who keeps climbing onto a chair and onto the dining table , clearly me lifting her off what feels like thousands of times/day and saying no is not working!!!
Ladies,
I'm afraid I'm not going to have the kind of answer you were hoping for. I have never left a child that young alone in a room for more than about 20 seconds unless I first placed them in a playpen. I don't think you can monitor the bunk bed thing. Obviously you are little more relaxed than I am (which I'm not saying isn't a good thing) but if this is what you are comfortable with then I would say your only option is to unscrew that ladder and put it away or keep gates up where your daughter plays.
Good Luck,
P.
