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Questions about toddlers bedroom

Hi all

Having read a few of the threads lately on toddlers beds and moving LO one cot to bed etc. I have a question...

When they are in a "big" bed - should their bedroom door be open?

Toby's bedroom door is always closed. We (currently) live in a 3-storey townhouse (hoping to move soon!) and our room is on the top floor, Toby's on the middle. We have no stair gates, they don't fix properly on our awkward stairs (curved around) so we have given up and are trying to teach Toby how to handle them etc...

When he goes into a bed, can we still leave the door closed? we will hear him on the monitor anyway, when he wants us to get him! (he only plays for a bit before he starts crying!!!)

It is our aim, when he is well adjusted to his big bed and we have moved house (not getting another 3-storey), he will be able to come out of his room and into ours in the morning. We will then fix a stair gate to the top of the stairs.

He's not even in a big bed yet but we feel we need to plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joo xxx image

Replies

  • Hi there, I have always shut lo's door as I have cats and don't want them getting on the bed in the night.

    We don't have a monitor anymore as it broke but we have floor boards in lo's room so if he gets out of bed I can hear him straight away!! and if he cries then I can always hear him (i've developed ears of a bat since becoming a mother!!)

    We have a stairgate on his door entrance tho cause we can't fit one on the stairs, so I could leave his door open if I wanted, but this gate is very handy when he's playing in there during the day.

    In the mornings when lo gets up he comes to his door and just knocks until we come and open it. He can reach the handles but its very stiff so he can't open it yet.

    so what I'm really saying is, there's no wrong or right, just do what you feel comfortable with and what works for you x
  • I think I would still close the door, like you i'm not in that position yet but as my husband works shifts and can leave the house at 4am or not get home till 1am and we have to walk past lo's door to get to our room (not to mention the bathroom is next to her room too) I think just the coming and goings would wake her up.

    I dont doubt that we'll be able to hear her if she wakes, and move around over the monitor.
  • We close the bedroom door, I think we'd disturb him going up to the bathroom etc once he was in bed otherwise. I do still use a monitor, but aiming to wean myself off it soon and will still close the door. IMO the room needs to be toddler proof anyway, as they can get our of a bed - and I'm sure you'd hear him if he did.

    Just to warn you though, once they can open doors there's no stopping them, and it happens all of a sudden. On the plus side, my ds never gets out of his bed unless we go to him, he'll shout when he wakes in a morning until we go in.
  • Thanks all!

    Feel much better now - was feeling a bit evil for wanting to keep his door closed for the time being!

    Sunflower - no chance for a while. T is on the 9th centile for height - short arse like mummy and daddy!!!!!!!! unless our door handles are unusually high, he won't reach them for ages!!!

    :lol:

    xxx
  • We have always closed cole's door (keeps the cat out) at night and he does have a gate on his room too - I shut him in with the gate rather than the door when I shower so i can still hear him, and we just shut the gate when he has a nap. He's always been fine doing it that way. Our stairs are a bit weird in that they've got an extra step added after the house was built so a normal stair gate won't fit well cause it would be too low. We'll eventually put a dog gate up for the extra height on the stairs but its not an issue till he'll be going out of his room in the night to the bathroom.

    Do whatever works for you imo image
  • We have always had the door closed on Max's room (he is middle floor and us on the top floor too) and we still do now he is in the big bed and he can now open the door but has only dones so for about 2 months.
  • I always keep the door closed and always will although we do have a stairgate at the top of the stairs. I agree with others that moving around would wake her. Having said that my lo is on the 0.4 centile for height and at 21 months is still miles off reaching the door handles so would not be able to come in to
    our room. Does your monitor have a sensor mat? That would go off if they get out of bed. I can always hear her crying/shouting through the wall if I forget to put the baby monitor on.
  • We keep Lily's door ajar as I want her to know she can come to us whenever she needs to, eg nightmare, and for a cuddle in the morning.

    However, as you might have seen form my other post we're having probs getting her to stay in her bed atm so getting little visits at all hours of the night! So we may change tack yet (although the one occasion we did shut her in she got distressed and I could hear her crying "Mummy stairs, Daddy stairs, Maddie stairs, door" which was totally heartbreaking. Needless to say, haven't done it since :'( )
  • We have always kept dds door shut. I like PTB's way of keeping the door open so she feels safe but dd just has to shout mama or dada and we will go to her. If we left the door open she wouldn't go to sleep she would be out of bed and playing with her toys.

    She can open the door but never does she just waits for us xx
  • I'm the same as mrsnoname. ds1 can open the bedroom door, but doesn't and waits for us to go and get him. He's been in a toddler bed since 17m.

    We have always shut the door because we too have a cat who likes to sleep in cots/beds!

    We only live in 2 bed town house though, so we can hear everything! we still have baby monitor atm as ds2 is 10m, but I think I'll get rid of it soon!

    xxx
  • We have always shut her door because of the dog mainly but if I try to leave it open (like when the weather was really warm and her room was stuffy) she gets up and shuts it herself!!
    I would put a babygate on his door now and close it so that when he can open the door by himself he is used to the gate being there and doesn't feel locked in.
    Good luck!
    xx
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