2.12.2010

Why I make my son sleep in a tent

So I wrote earlier this week about how I gave birth to Macgyver. This week I also tried stacking 2 gates on top of each other and putting a crib mattress on the floor. I had to climb on a chair to get in and out of Jackson's room. He still escaped. He somehow climbed the tower of a gate. We tried shutting his door and putting a child safety lock on the inside but that really made me nervous because I couldn't see what he was doing. He would take anything hard he could find, including his feet and slam them against the door. I would eventually cave and open the door because I just had to know what he was up to - especially if he was finally quiet. Then I came up with my master plan and I bought a two man camping tent. I set it up in his nursery and filled it with blankets, pillows, play mats, and a crib mattress. The top of the tent is all sheer mesh (it came with a rain top but I obviously don't need that) and I can easily see inside. So now I zip him up into the tent and breathe much easier knowing he cannot escape. He hasn't figured out zippers yet and once he does I plan on safety pinning the two outer zippers together. It sounds horrible but I swear if I showed you a picture the inside of the tent is like a sweet little play den. My older son is incredibly jealous. Have any other parents gone to this extreme to keep their young child in their bed? I just couldn't sleep worrying about him getting out at night and hurting himself. This way I know that he is in an environment where there is nothing but soft objects and stuffed friends. It's weird to say but yes, my son sleeps in a 2 man camping tent inside our house and I've never slept better.



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4 comments:

Amy said...

Haven't gone to this extreme yet but we definitely might! And I am absolutely positively NOT judging you! My little one is 2 and just attempting to transition to a big boy bed (toddler bed). Right now he stays in his bed with the help of one baby gate at his door but I know the days of that working are numbered. I really and truly have been wanting a tent for his room anyway (just because I think they're fun and so does he) but I really think this might work. As it is now he falls asleep most nights at the foot of the gate and almost never takes a nap because he's up playing no matter how many times I put him back to bed. Might have to look into this. :)

Lori A. said...

More power to you! Bed time was so stressful when mine were that age. It sounds like he's safe and ok with it...so if it works.
When our son was a baby he hated laying flat in a bed..he slept best in the swing. I had people who told me it was the worst thing to do and he was going to have so much trouble going into a regular bed down the line, etc...well, he's 6 now and he's fine. It didn't make sense to try and force him to sleep flat in a bed because, well, he wasn't sleeping!! Which, of course, also meant we weren't...He didn't sleep in it *all* the time or really for very long...but it worked.
As long as they're not getting hurt or scarred for life, do what you have to do.

Diane said...

Oh, I am laughing! But only because we're past that stage and I understand it. The extremes we go to that we never imagined, huh? I think that's a very inventive idea. I had problems with my son when he was awake. I work from home and built multiple barriers around the house to keep him in without feeling caged, and it was sooo difficult. A tent with mesh top? He probably would have LOVED having his own little house. Good thinking, mom!

lfhpueblo said...

Every time I read about your little boy, I just get this picture of the Doris Day movie "Please Don't Eat The Daisies." They had their youngest in a playpen with a top, that was locked shut with a keyed lock. I think that little boy was always saying "Okey Dokey" or something that sounded like that.
Hey, you got to do what you got to do to keep him safe.

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