Most mornings, I don’t bother with an alarm clock. Instead, I rise when my kids wake up, ready to start the day. Recently, I heard my daughter stir and headed to her room, only to find her halfway over the side of her crib. One leg was precariously perched over the edge while the other was on tiptoes, as she attempted to pull herself over the confines of her bed. It was clear that we needed to upgrade my son to a new bed this weekend so that he could pass down his toddler bed to her. She was not about to wait much longer for us to make that decision.
In retrospect, I should have realized that she was done being confined to her crib.
That afternoon, I placed her down for a nap, expecting to hear her chatter when she woke up. Instead, after about an hour, I was greeted with frantic cries. Rushing in, I discovered her in a precarious position—one leg dangling over the side and the other wedged between the crib slats. It appeared she had lost her grip, causing her knee to slide through the slats.
As I attempted to guide her leg back through, her baby chub created a snug fit that made it impossible. I tried turning her, easing her leg, and wiggling it around, but nothing worked. Panic set in as I realized she was completely stuck and sobbing uncontrollably. I called for my son to bring me my phone. Entering the room, he looked concerned but quickly said he couldn’t think with all the noise and told her to be quiet. Ah, the compassion of a 4-year-old.
I explained her predicament to him and asked him to fetch some items for her comfort. He returned with a miniature chair from his table, which I placed inside the crib to give her some relief from standing on one leg. Although she looked more comfortable, she was still crying. My call to my husband went straight to voicemail.
In a moment of sheer stress, my mind went blank. Just then, I remembered that my in-laws lived nearby. I frantically called my father-in-law, half-shouting that his granddaughter was trapped in her crib and that he needed to hurry over with an Allen wrench to help disassemble it.
My daughter continued to cry, so I sent my son back to grab my laptop to put on a cartoon for her, hoping it would distract her. He returned with pretzels and an entire jar of applesauce, which made me chuckle—he was handling the crisis better than I was.
When my in-laws arrived, I quickly realized the Allen wrench wouldn’t help. The crib wasn’t designed for easy disassembly, and we would need to cut her out. In a burst of inspiration, I dashed next door to borrow tools from my neighbors. I knocked on their door and breathlessly explained that I needed a small saw to free my daughter from her crib. My neighbor, who had built her own furniture, was more than happy to help.
While my neighbor set up her saw, my son began narrating the plot of his cartoon, oblivious to the urgency of the situation. As soon as the saw roared to life, my daughter fell silent and trembled. After cutting through one slat, we quickly bent it back and freed her leg. I felt the blood rushing back into her limb as I lifted her up.
We were fortunate with my son; he never attempted to escape his crib. When my daughter came along, we hesitated to transition her to a bed since she was still under 2. However, witnessing her attempts to climb out was a wake-up call. We were lucky she didn’t get hurt.
Moving forward, I have a plan for emergencies. I’ve saved my neighbors’ phone numbers in my contacts, and we’re considering getting a landline for serious situations. Plus, we’ve set up a mattress on the floor for my daughter to sleep comfortably.
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In summary, transitioning your toddler out of their crib is crucial before they make the decision for you, especially if they show signs of wanting to escape. Being proactive can prevent stressful situations and ensure your little one’s safety.