Need to redecorate the girls' room

Since the girls have been in beds (october I think), they have been great about staying in their rooms in the morning quietly playing together.. No crazy climbing, and the biggest mess I've found is all their dress up clothes around the room. Our room is right next to theirs, so I wake up when I hear them wake, and go get them.

This morning I heard loud banging on the wall between our rooms. When I walked in, they were up on the changing table with a bunch of their stuffed animals, and EVERY.SINGLE wipe that was in the container. They decided that the changing table was their 'club house,' and they were assembly-line changing their stuffies diapers. There were also about 10 diapers strewn about the room because they were 'too big for little bear/tiger/beary/etc.' I am thankful that they didn't decide the stuffies had rashes that needed diaper cream, but I'm freaked out that they were up on the changing table.

So do I move it out of their room? Its also their dresser and I don't know where I'd put it. I gave them a stern talking to about not climbing ON furniture (after I nearly busted a gut trying not to laugh at the scene). They also have a small book shelf in there... Do I take everything out except their beds? I don't want to over react, but I also don't want them falling off something and breaking their arms (the story I told them this morning about my sister when she was 2- she broke her arm after falling off the back of the couch because it was up very high... I am NOT above scare-tactics!).

I know many of your kids have done much crazier/messier/more dangerous things, so please give me somme BTDT advice!!! Thanks!!

 

I wouldn't necessarily move the furniture out of the room, but I would definitely anchor the furniture to the wall, especially the book shelf. That way, if they do decide to be jungle jims, then falling over on top of them won't be a worry. As far as the wipes and diaper stuff...yes, get that out, then they won't be tempted to play with it.

 

I wouldn't take the furniture out unless this becomes an every-morning activity. Just make sure the changing table and bookshelf can't tip over, and remove messy or fragile stuff. We still have a comfy chair and small bookshelf in our girls room along with the laundry hamper and their two beds. Some mornings I come in to laundry all over the place, or two giggly girls climbing on the chair, but at least there's nothing breakable or overly messy in the room.

 

Give them another chance. If it happens again, I might consider removing it for a while. Is it anchored? If not, I would do that ASAP for sure. I know with my girls, when they do something pretty extreme, and I let them know it absolutely cannot be done again, normally they don't.

 

I definitely agree with anchoring it to the wall if you can. Our changing table was attached to DD's bed and she kept climbing up on it. I was worried that she would fall off and DH just unattached it from the bed and took it downstairs for now. We really were not using it for anything and telling her not to go up there was not working, despite our best efforts.

 

my parenting class teacher recommended against this, but we don't have anything in their room they can't touch--save for the window blinds (which we prefer they leave alone). their closet is latched close, and anything they can't touch (like the occasional humidifier) is up on top of the dresser, where they can't get to it. we got rid of the changing pad and stuff like that months ago, lol. we just do that on the couch, the floor, or standing up outside!... there aren't a ton of toys and they do pull stuff out of the dresser sometimes, but we already removed the bottom drawyer anyways, so they couldn't climb up.

we don't leave them alone in there very often, but when they are in there they mostly just look at their books and stuffed animals. occassionally they jump off their beds (twin beds on the ground but also their crib mattresses are in there). it's not much of a room, but at least it's safe for them!

gl, jl

 

i guess i should add that our entire living room/dining room is just a giant play room! it's covered in playmats and all their toys are in there..... wouldn't want to make it sound like they don't have any fun at home at all. it's just that their room has always been a "sleep only" place. particularly since we put them in twin beds when they were 2 (climbing out of cribs for months before that).