October 27, 2011
I’m about ready to wave my tattered, white flag and surrender. I think it’s time to cry uncle and give it up for these two victors. Last week Spence and Gordy figured out how to climb out of their cribs.
Zoom in on my body language. With arms folded across my chest and one eyebrow raised, I watch helplessly as my boys scale the outside of their cribs…
You’ve been there? Ahhhhhhrg.
This picture was taken the first day they climbed out – the moment I found them standing oh-so-innocent-like in the middle of their bedroom.
Don’t let their big lovely browns pull you in. They haven’t napped in eight days (and not from a lack of effort on my part). Alll that cuteness evaporated with the nap. They are ornery, tired, hyper two-year-olds who are going out for the 2012 Olympic Games with their new gymnastic stunts. Or maybe rock-climbing.
Olympic Rock Climbing for three and under. Takers?
So I was standing in the kitchen when I heard the door latch. I stopped what I was doing and listened… to the sound of small feet padding down the hallway, my two boys conversing through binky-mouthed whispers. When we made eye-contact they turned tail and ran back to their bedroom. I grabbed the camera and followed them.
Here’s the footage.
I think I said “Oh boy…” ten times in two minutes that day. Especially when I asked them to demonstrate their newfound skill and they slid out in three seconds flat.
I love Ali’s comment. “They might be doing this in the night every time!” Umm-hmmm. Yup.
Knowing they would still need a nap (they’re only two!) I put them back in bed with clear instructions. “Stay in your bed until Mommy comes to get you. You need to have a nap.”
Two minutes later I heard them again. Here’s Gordon just touching down. With Spencer, his good-hearted accomplice, waiting to hand Gordy his mamie (blanket at our house). And then they see me.
I crack up when I watch this, especially when I see Gordon slink behind the rocking chair. But I’ve had a week to process their new freedom.
Talk to me four days ago and I was not, I repeat not, laughing.
Our predictable, hard-worked-for routine of two boys napping long into the afternoon has suddenly vaporized. Vanished.
I like to call it…
nap annihilation: the calamitous cessation of a nap due to toddling twins sharing the same room.
Since they won’t stay in their beds anymore, let alone sleep in them, I open the door now to two empty cribs and the sound of muffled giggles. Only to find them hiding under one of the beds snickering – burying their faces into their blankets so I won’t see them.
Or I find them jumping up and down together in the same crib – crazy wilda style. I mean what’s not to love about a trampoline in your bedroom?
Or I’ve found them both on top of the dresser. With everything in the dresser rummaged through and dumped out.
Yes, believe me when I say nap annihilation is calamitous. It’s destructive on a couple levels.
Not many things are predictable in our family, but naps are. I’m kind of a nap nazi. All our kids have slept through the night at early ages and they always go down easily. It’s the only way I could survive. We “cried it out” (literally) with each one of them, but it paid off.
Now? All that hard-earned peace of a routine has gone to pot.
I’ve tried tying the door shut (I know – that sounds awful, but the old doors in this house won’t latch shut so they pull open easily without twisting the knob). Tying kind of worked. But I didn’t want to clothesline anyone who got up during the night to use the bathroom, and I couldn’t decide which was worse – having them up at quarter to six in the morning roaming the house, or cleaning up the Hiroshima-like devastation in their room after opening the door.
This is Spencer’s idea of putting their clothes back in the drawers.
Notice I have stripped the room of anything that could break (or might hurt them). I did that a few weeks ago when they started cracking their blankets like bull whips. They whipped their lamp right off the dresser. Broke it twice.
And this was after they figured out how to disrobe during nap time and take off their diapers. That was a fun week. We now masking-tape their diapers before bedtime.
I have no frames on the walls (partly because I haven’t stripped wallpaper in this room yet, but also because they would have been yanked off and hurled onto the floor.
Basically, the dresser is left to tear apart, and I figured, I can handle cleaning up that.
The girls have been sweet to help me fold, stack and put away. Again and again.
(Don’t miss Gordy perched atop the crib. Mmmm-hmmm. Trouble.)
But then, two days ago, I heard a thundering crash. I was all the way downstairs and ran up to their bedroom to find they had tipped the dresser over completely. It had landed on Gordon. I went into fight or flight syndrome, adrenaline pumping, as I realized Gordon was screaming because his legs were pinned under the dresser. I heaved it upright, with serious effort, and turned to examine him. Remarkably, his legs were fine.
When I looked back at the dresser I could see that the changing pad (several inches thick) had landed on Gordon’s legs first, cushioning him when the dresser fell. I whispered a prayer of gratitude right then. Out loud.
We’ve been through half a roll of twine, but unless we anchor the dresser to the wall, it just isn’t safe to leave them in there anymore. Ali told me we need to “set a trap” for the boys. Not a bad idea.
Barbed wire is sounding good.
And what about crib tents? Have you used them?? If so, do you think my boys are too big for them? Would it be worth the investment?
My sweet guys are morphing into monsters every afternoon. Last night Spencer cried through his entire dinner, didn’t eat a bit, just tossed everything I gave him onto the floor. All tears he was so tired.
Gordon sank into his seat drowsy, and only touched his food long enough to saw his banana in half with the middle of his fork and squish his carrots into a pulp with his thumb.
Gone are these days. Of snuggling and singing before I put them down for a nap. And it makes me boo-hoo. A lot.
My boys aren’t as obedient as my girls. They don’t stay in their beds when I tell them to. Surprisingly, my girls did. These boys are amped up to a whole different level when they’re together. They collude, conspire, and egg each other on.
So what have you got twin moms? Suggestions? Thoughts? Personal experience to share? And even if you’re not a twin mom, I’m desperate for ideas.
I think it has been officially annihilated.
The Beloved Nap
R.I.P.
Everyone is finally asleep and I’m pooped.
I’m calling it a day and waving my white flag…
Mary
Oh Cath. While reading through this Travis goes "I hope we don't have a boy." 🙂 You should talk to my mom. Keith stopped taking naps at an early age and fell asleep (more than once) during dinner. Face-planted it a few times into his plate of food. She may have a suggestion or two of how she dealt with one kiddo. However, two? Good luck my dear! When you find a good solution be sure to pass it my way! I may be needing it sooner then I think. Love ya!
~Mary
Melissa:
i don't know if this will help, but I separated my kids. Jack was the one who had the hardest time going down and so, for a long time – i put Ada in one room and Jack (with me laying next to him), on my bed until they slept.
At bed time, often Jack would "start out" on my bed, until he was good and asleep, and then when I was ready for bed, I'd move him back into the bedroom.
I don't know if any of this is much of a solution, but at least we got some naps in. Seperation was the key, though. And, one of the twins would go down easier, so that helped.
I feel for you, Cath, I hope you find something that works for you!
Rebecca
Cath,
Used the crib tent on Abby… worked great for awhile- till she figured out how to unzip it (I still can't figure out how she did it!). Grace never got out! Slept the boys in separate rooms for naps. Kept putting them back in the cribs. Man, that is a sad day when they figure out the escape…your heart sinks! I may still have a tent somewhere… I think I let my sister borrow it but she wouldn't need it anymore. Let me know.
Kerri
I'm not a twin mom, but right off the top of my head I would say to separate them. If they can't egg each other on maybe they will settle down and get some sleep. I also have a very active son and when he started having a hard time at nap time, I would strap him into his car seat and go for a drive. As long as I could get him to hold still for a bit, he would fall asleep and then I could even come home and take him into the house with out him waking up. That was before gas prices were sky high and I only had him at home so I didn't have to worry about other kids. Best of luck to you! Saying good-bye to naptime is a sad phase of life!
Melinda
I've had two who stopped napping before they were two. The minute they learned to climb out of the crib, naps were a thing of the past. Boys are just wild. I'm praying that my youngest doesn't figure out how. Ever.
It really is heartbreaking to lose those precious naps. I hope you can work something out. I'm sure you will.
As for the stripping — that was a problem with my middle boy and now my youngest. For that there is an easy solution! Zippered jammies worn backward. It even works with sleepers. I just buy them big enough that the feet can be turned around. Works for naptime too 🙂
TheKristencarol
The first day my twins climbed out of their cribs I called my mom in tears and begged her to pick up 2 crib tents at Babies R Us and speed out to my house by bedtime. She did. Crib tents work! My twins were back to long naps and lounging in their cribs. I also had to duct tape their diapers for about a year. That was a whole nother gruesome tale. Crib tents are about 60 or 70 bucks. So worth it!!!
Grandma Honey
Oh my, I would go out and buy 2 crib tents tomorrow! It will change your life, back to the way it use to be before they learned to climb out. My grandtwins went through this same thing…both learned how the same day, just like yours. My DIL did everything she could to get them to stay in their cribs, but no way no how. Crib tents brought sanity and sleep and safety back into their lives. Go look at these blog posts of mine and you will see what I mean. Oh and they are 2 1/2 and I can't imagine how they could ever unzip them!
http://adventuresofgrandmahoney.blogspot.com/2011/05/crib-tentspeace-at-last.html
and
http://adventuresofgrandmahoney.blogspot.com/2011/09/look-what-amy-gets-to-wake-up-to-each.html
Elizabeth
Oh gosh.
I remember when they first figured out how to get out of their cribs. And before that, the first night I found that they had figured out how to climb out of their pack-n-play into the brother's pack-n-play.
I also remember the learning to take diapers off phase. Found poop smeared on both cribs one morning, discarded diapers aside.
Lovely.
The weirdest thing is that I don't really remember how we did it. I do remember not leaving their room at night sometimes until they were officially settled. And putting them back in bed again and again. Sometimes stern words.
I can so relate to the not-so-obedient comment and the general energy of boys…holy cow.
But oh so love them.
I've gotta think, and if I remember something particularly helpful, I'll come back and comment again.
You're doing a fantastic job.
Frau_Mahlzahn
I'm not a twin mom, but if you are worried, they might get hurt climbing out of their beds — we always used to remove two of the stick-things from the front of the crip, so the kids could just crawl out. However, with my youngest one that wasn't helpful, either, because she still enjoyed climbing out over the top. She is also the one who learned how to climb on the kittchen counter at a very early age. Yes, she fell off a few times (and I didn't have much time to feel guilty about it, since it didn't keep her from climbing back on).
Well, what can I say. She _is_ the most athletice one of the three of them — and I am convinced that climbing when she was so little helped her enormously in terms of balance, agility and so on, ;-). And she is also the most confident one. In fact, I just interviewed people on the importance of exercise and movement, and experts said, that kids who move a lot and get to get "movement experience" (in lack of an English word), later on are the ones who won't get hurt as much, since their coordination and reflexes are better. (Okay, they didn't explicitly talk about climbing on counters, dressers, or out of cribs, but hey… details, *ggg*).
(As far as your thoughts on boys are concerned: my youngest one is a girl, ;-)).
But yes, by all means, anchor the dresser to the wall.
And I am very sure, that although times are tough these days especially as far as lack of napping is concerned — but based on my experience, looking back on it will put a big smile on your face, ;-).
So long,
Corinna
Frau_Mahlzahn
P.S.: I just googled to find out what crip tents are, I had never heard of them. But just looking at the pictures I felt uneasy — I myself would not feel comfortable sleeping underneath such a thing.
So long,
Corinna
Shirlee
Here's a blog post from a mom who used a crib tent. http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2010/09/mom-tip-of-the-week/
I'm writing currently as my crying napper just got woken by his sister.
On hard nap days I just run an errand. The car will put him to sleep usually. But it may not be so easy for you if you have the girls home when they nap. Just a thought…
I have also stood by the door and was a Nazi when I heard any peep or scramble out of the crib and I'd immediately pounce, letting him know I was serious and I was right there waiting till he fell asleep. It only lasted a few days and then he stayed in bed (usually) when I put him there.
Karen Cordano
Sorry you are experiencing a bump in the napping road.
Before becoming a mother I was so sure of how I'd handle all these difficulties. I proudly said I'd never do cry it out. But reality often makes a fool out of you (or me, in any case) and my eldest was a terrible sleeper who needed the structure of CIO. He's 2 and a great sleeper now. We transitioned to a big boy bed about 2 months ago to make room for the new baby and we've had to resort to some tough love with him. All toys (and lamps and night lights) have been removed from the room, there is just a small pile of special books. And my husband turned the door handle around so the lock faces outside. Yes, we lock him in. Another thing I would have sworn I'd never do. He might run around for a few minutes, but eventually he crawls into bed and goes to sleep. A couple of weeks ago it all sort of fell apart at nap time. We were struggling for several hours a day to get him to sleep and he was exhausted. We finally tried putting him down an hour and a half later and it worked like a charm. He's back to 2-3 hour naps. And he is much more pleasant to be around. For two I'd totally separate them if space allows.
Good luck!
cristie
dang…already?
it helped to insist that binkies and blankies had to stay in their beds. then they would choose their little comfy spot.
xox
diana banana
tents! they've worked out our house, and you can wrap the little zipper string around the end so they can't unzip.
good luck!
The Evans Family
I'm afraid to talk about this (because it might ruin my good luck) but my twins just turned three and still haven't even TRIED to climb out of their cribs. I think I would cry if I lost their naptime. But, I have had problems with them talking and playing too long at naptime so I separated them. They are in different rooms only for naps and it has worked great. Oh boy, good luck!!
Heather
cath you need crib tents. they are worth every penny. my neices were climbers and my sister in law used it until she was 4. you can pin the zipper pull down so they can't get to it. I say RUN (don't walk) to the nearest babies r us. You know I'm a nap nazi too (jack still naps at 4.5) so get thee some crib tents to restore the sanity! Hope you guys have a great Halloween! xo
Michelle
Is is awful that we giggled through your whole post? Your boys are adorable.
I am amazed that crib tents worked for so many of your readers– it didn't foil Mary for two minutes.
Bolt the dresser to the wall. Ben still has a scar on his top lip from climbing up to get his red fire truck and the shelf tipping over on him.
Michelle
hmm, I just looked at that crib tent post. That's exactly the kind we had– 10 months old and it kept her in for 120 seconds. I guess Mary really isn't normal….
knit one, knit two
oh dear, i feel for you. petunia figured out how to climb in and out of her crib (it's side by side with freddie's). mostly she climbs into his crib (which makes him mad) but she fell out on the other side a few weeks ago and i think it stunned her but it'll be a matter of time until she does it again. poor freddie tries to climb out but his legs are too short.
the boy never tried to climb out of his crib (i surmise becos he had short legs like freddie) but by the time he was 2 1/2 we took a side off of the crib and made it a sort of day bed. sort of a preemptive measure. it won't be long until that will be the same fate for the kiddos. we thought about crib tents…your readers comments have been very interesting. we have to step up the toddler proofing too. do they make latches for drawers? i wonder if they would help keep drawers shut/clothes from jumping out?
as for naps, i'm terrified of the day when the kiddos give theirs up. my condolences. 😛
Kerri
I feel half your pain…can't even IMAGINE it with TWO (incredibly amazingly darling) monkeys. Keep us posted on the crib tent thing. We also had a dresser crash on a child, and it was terrifying, so I second bolting it to the wall.
Sarah
But they are SO cute!!! With their big brown eyes and blond curly hair!!! I know how hard giving up nap time is…it makes for REALLY long days. I have no advice because I can't even imagine what 2 2 year old boys must be like…I am sure they just constantly entice each other and egg each other on with their antics-and will for the rest of their lives. I love the binkies too…we have one little boy here who is having a hard time letting his go.
Good luck Cath…hope you get those naps back.
Anne Marie
Oh Cath, I am truly sorry! You have been in my thoughts and prayers as you navigate this new territory (with your husband as busy as can be). I'm going to have to give this some thought. I'll come back to post any ideas later today. Just know that I love you.
catharvy
Okay Team. You've been awesome. I am so grateful for all your responses. After hearing from you, I decided we need to at least TRY the crib tents.
So sweet Kristen (bless you!) offered to drive to babies r us, buy two of them and bring them over, but get this! They don't carry them anymore! (Thanks for saving us the trip Rebecca.) Kristen called the store and then texted me to say, "I had to hear it for myself. It's true. They don't!"
I want to know, what buyer made that decision??? So I'm looking at crib tents on amazon. They can arrive in two days, free shipping with amazon mom. And until then, maybe trying to separate the boys is a good idea. But I'm not sure how to separate them, and contain them. That's the trick. Containing all this energy.
I'll check in again a little later. You're all wonderful. Thanks for your understanding.
Anne Marie
Nap annihilation! Friend, what a funny term for what's happening. Your boys are just as darling as can be. It's almost harder for me to imagine them being out of control when they're that cute!
I've written and deleted my thoughts a few times now. Aargh! I DETEST giving advice of any kind, particularly of the parenting variety, and it looks like you've already been graced by some great comments. Just know that I have complete trust in you and your ability to mother those boys beautifully. And, I'm just so glad that Spencer was okay. How scary!
Good luck with it all. I really hope those crib tents work well (and whatever else you might try!). May your little monkeys travel quickly to the land of Nod tonight (and tomorrow and the next day….). xo
LizzyP
Reading this post reminded me of our own experience with this one year ago! I was incredulous. I'm sure I said "oh, boy", but what I really remember saying was "unbelievable" over and over.
The tricky thing for us is that my Amelia can endure to bedtime without her nap, but my Elias just cannot and it is painful to watch him fall apart. I never found away to teach them to sleep since Elias won't be coerced to sleep with Amelia up and partying . . .
Mimi
Not dealing with twins but I feel your pain. We LOVE the crib tent. Used it with Brett and bought a new one for Cade in August because his climbing out was making our lives and his miserable. They have been wonderful!
Anonymous
I would look into crib tents, too. I'm with Heather. Ella gave up her nap this summer and generally only naps if she's sick or if the bed schedule gets messed up. -Erin
Tricia
I thought about crib tents, but my girls are so mischevious sometimes that I worried about them hurting themselves while they houdini-d their way out of them. I'm curious to see how that works out for your boys. I ended up just giving in and letting them play. I found that the witching hour meltdowns were less dramatic than they were for my older ones at this age simply because they had eachother to distract themselves from the fatigue. They definitely still needed the sleep though. Such a sad, sad day when naps end.
The only tip I can offer is a chain lock on the upper outside of the door. We did this so we wouldn't have to worry about them climbing out in the midddle of the night and wandering around the house. The chain lock is nice because they can still open it up enough to hollar when they get up in the morning or need someone.
Once they could climb out and naps ended, my girls started sleeping on the floor for the next 6 months- so we eventually pulled out the crib mattresses and put them on the floor for them! Funny girls.
We still deal with the hurricane of clothes on a daily basis- or, rather, a resurgance of the hurricanes (I thought it was over for a short while, silly me.) And we also had one climb up a tall dresser and it tipped over on her. I will never forget how that felt to run in and see her there pinned underneath. My heart pounding out of my chest. She was miraculously unscathed too! And neither of them ever did it again. Burned into their memories, thank heavens.
Tricia
Okay- I just watched the videos. I'm laughing out loud. =)
Melissa Black
I had a friend lower her twins' mattresses even lower than the lowest setting. I believe she set them on top of some storage boxes that were underneath. With the mattresses lowered her girls could not get out and they went back to taking long naps. My boys are only 13 months and have not tried to escape yet, but I do nap them in separate rooms. One in a pack-n-play in my room and one in a crib in their room. It may be easier to escape from a pack-n-play though, but at least they would not have the encouragement of the other. We may have to switch things around when our boys are able to climb out. One other idea-my grandma used to sew a ribbon between the feet on her boys' p.j.'s. It was long enough for them to waddle around, but not long enough for them to throw a leg over or get it wrapped around their neck. And after all of these dresser stories I may go bolt ours to the wall today.
jennie w.
Once my mom was babysitting and my little guy wouldn't stay in his bed. When I came home he was fast asleep–with his pajamas safety pinned to the sheet. My mom saw no problem with that. She actually thought I'd be grateful for her brilliant idea.
I just can't get over how you don't have piles of stuff under your cribs!
lauren
I swear by crib tents and I've used them for all three of my kids. They are expensive, but someone once said to me, "How much is a good night's sleep worth to you?" And there was my answer. I am also a nap nazi and my philosophy (after zipping them into the crib tent) is that they can sleep or they can play, but they WILL stay in bed for two hours during naptime. Usually the amazement of staying awake through naptime wears off after a few days and they start falling asleep again. Don't give up.
kara jayne
just one more plug here for crib tents. and for those who think it looks mean or dangerous just think that before they could climb out they were just at 'trapped' as they would be with a tent or locked door.
my kids started climbing out at about 2 years old and up went the tent. we would make it a big deal and tell them how fun it was to have their very own indoor tent! (it's all about the presentation) it is SO WORTH IT cath. i'm telling you…kids with enough sleep are a joy…the opposite is also true. you are doing them a favor by protecting their sleep.
good luck.
oh, and michelle…get mary some magician lessons…sounds like you have the next Houdini on your hands. i did have to safety pin the zipper to the tent a few times, but after that my kids could never get out.
catharvy
All of your comments have been so helpful. Thank you everyone! I just ordered two crib tents from amazon. We don't have any other option right now but to give it a go!
Loved the ribbon idea Melissa. Wow. That's genius. And the safety pinning Jennie – too funny.
Lauren – we have the same philosophy about staying in beds (asleep or not) for nap time. So I have to remedy this containment issue.
Now here's a laugh. Last night Spencer woke up around 1 AM and came into our bedroom. It was pitch black and I couldn't tell which boy it was. I figured both were out of their beds roaming. So I picked up Spencer and whispered, "Who are you? Gordon or Spencer?" He didn't answer and I thought from one glance in the dim light it was Gordy. So I put him down in Gordon's bed but could feel something lumpy and hard underneath. It felt like a book but when I went to pick it up I realized it was Gordy's leg! I had set Spencer right down on top of sleeping Gordy! The girls had a good laugh this morning when I told them what happened.
I'll come back later to respond to some of your other comments. For now, thank you again.
I'm putting the white flag in my back pocket for a bit. Stand by… the tents arrive on Tuesday. I'll let you know what happens.
AJ
My daughter was getting close to climbing out of her crib at about 13 months. I found a crib tent on the KSL classifieds for $15.00. She hated it the first night, she was fine with it during her nap the next day, and that second night she had figured out how to unzip it. We got a piece of ribbon and tied the zipper shut (I know – it sounds awful, but like your doors, you've got to do it), and the crib tent has been my salvation ever since (she is almost 2 1/2 now). I HIGHLY recommend the crib tent…just tie it shut and welcome back naptime!
Anonymous
Oh man! I am scared after reading this post!
-em scalley
Meesh
I cannot believe out of three kids I have never had a climber and you have two of them! Jonathan's nap is my solace each afternoon and I would DIE without it. I hope the crib tents work for you!
Michelle
Rebecca
I'm mourning that my 3 and a half year old is giving up her nap a full year earlier than her two older siblings did. You have my sympathy! I can't imagine how it would be to have 2 two year olds give it up together.
As for the diaper removal, my sister used duct tape and she called it the "magic belt." It definitely holds better than masking tape but you do need scissors to remove the magic belt in the morning. It's a lot better than the clean up though if they get the diaper off when it's full.
Let us know how crib tents work out in a few weeks.
catharvy
Melinda – zippered jammies worn backwards. smart. xo
Grandma Honey – thank you, thank you, for linking to those past posts. It was the video and pics that sold me on the crib tents.
Elizabeth – have only done the fecal clean-up once. Don't want to do it again. So we are ON the tape thing. Loved your story.
Corinna – fascinating interview on exercise and movement. yes, if and when they can't climb out of their cribs anymore (cross our fingers) there is no lack of countertops or pianos or tables for them to scale. Your comment had me chuckling. thanks for your understanding.
Shir – your link? also hugely helpful. thanks so much!!
Karen – I may have to try bumping back nap time as well. Thanks so much for your thoughts.
Cristie – also doing the comfy items while only in bed. yes – dang is right!
diana – bless you for commenting. every vote for the crib tent helped.
Evans Fam – Oh lucky you. Let's knock on wood together. Keep them napping as long as you can!
Heather – "Run (don't Walk)" I have laughed over that one more than once. THANK YOU!
Michelle – Yep, I think Mary is one of a kind. 120 seconds? Wow. Let's hope my boys aren't that astute. As for giggling, of course you're not awful. Give me a couple more weeks and I'll giggle with you. 🙂
Knit1,Knit2 – yes we need to latch or bolt that dresser down somehow. Keep your two napping as long as you can! It's sanity for the home. Thanks so much for your comment.
Kerri – oh dear. Yes, terrifying!
Sarah – I know. They are cute. But they'd be so much cuter with a nap! 🙂 xoxo
Anne Marie – You're so careful and sweet in your comments. I'll let you know how the tents work out. Land of Nod, yes. That's what we're needing around here! xoxo
catharvy
Liz – Yes, now they know what's going on when they're napping – what they've been missing! I hope we can go back to that blessed nap.
Mimi – again, every vote for the crib tent helped. Thanks dear friend!
Tricia – thanks for the lock/chain idea. Home Depot trip has to happen as soon as Halloween is over! And the dresser tip-over. So glad I'm not the only one who's been through that terror. And so glad your daughter wasn't hurt. "Burned into their memories forever." lol.
Lauren – "don't give up" – I needed that encouragement. Thank you!
Kara – "all about presentation" – hugely helpful tip. Of course! Thanks for the reminder!!!
AJ – thanks for putting in your two cents!! so appreciate.
Em – Yep, you should be shakin' in your boots! 🙂 But hey, you'll be able to borrow our crib tents at that point, right?
Meesh – Yes, dying over here. Need Nap. I'll keep you posted.
Rebecca – I love the term "magic belt" – definitely going to use that. Thank you!!
corinne
cath – i didn't read through all the comments, but we used a crib tent with my 2nd son and it worked like a charm! you are welcome to use it if you would like – then you only have to buy one of them! let me know (email me).
so sorry about the death of the nap. so glad your son was safe after the dresser crashing over – that is my worst nightmare!!!!!
xo
corinne
Raluca
with our 2 years old daughter sleeping bag worked just fine. something like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Deedee-Sleep-Sleeping-Months/dp/B004I8VD8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320283995&sr=8-1
the child has less mobility wearing it.
good luck in bringing back the so-necessary-for-everybody nap 😉
Faires Bears and Toads
I sympathize on the most basic level possible. I have never had twins! My little one entered the terrible twos two years ago and I think that he may just be stuck there. I am amazed at the quiet patience in your voice and demeanor. How in the world do you do that? I need to learn that.
Cindy
Hi,
Just checked in on your blog and don't have time to read all the comments, but did want to say that I used a crib tent with one of my triplets from the time she was 12 months. The other two were very jealous but we couldn't afford to buy two more just to help them feel cool. We took it down when she was about two and within a week or so she was escaping, so we put it back up again until she was three. We had to saftey pin the zipper shut on the outside, where she couldn't grab it and unfasten it.
I was also a nap nazi–three sleep deprived 2 year olds were more than I could handle. So they napped as long as I could keep them going. There came a time (can't remember the age) where I had to sit just outside of their bedroom with a book to remind people that it was nap time. I got a lot of reading done…but it was worth it to have well rested kids and a better rested mom. Good luck!
JJLanier
Oh I just love this! So glad that I found your blog! My 9 month old twins are #5 an d #6. So life is rarely calm and quiet. I will cry the day they stop taking naps!
I like the crib tent idea!