OMG tell me I am not alone!

Ok so the boys are 2 years and 4 months old and are complete monkeys. They are very well behaved most of the time but we do have one major issue. When they were put into the toddler beds because they were climbing out of their cribs at a little before they turned 2 it all started. First we had to screw their beds to the floor because we have wood floors and they were moving them around everywhere in their room, esp when they were supposed to be in bed. I would have to go into their room several times to put the beds back. Then the learned how to open their dresser drawers so we put child locks on them, but since they could still open them a little bit they would use them to climb on top of the dresser. So then I decided just to turn the dresser around backwards and that worked for awhile. Then they figured out that they could also move the dresser so last week I had put a screw in the bottom of the dresser and into the floor. Now I have to get the power drill out when I need in the dresser. Before drilling the dresser they started climbing up into their windows and standing on the window sill. They have had many time outs for that. But anyway the other day they managed to unlock and open the windows. It's getting into the 50's and 40's here at night and I dont need them freezing. After looking online and only finding something that allows you to only open the window a little, I ended up putting screws in just above the bottom window so it cant slide up. I was concerned about safety with a fire, but DH is on the volunteer fire dept and said that for one if the windows were even just locked then they would have to bust the window from the ouside anyway and that the boys are not even old enough yet to know to go out the window if there was a fire. Anyway I feel like I have had to do way too much to secure and twin proof their room. They work way too good together and I wonder if they would be doing any of this if they were not twins. My older son never gave me this much trouble. I want them to learn what they can and cant do, but not at the risk of safety. They really are good about staying out of stuff around the house, just normal 2 year old curiosity. Please tell me that some of you are having issues somewhat like this!!!!!

 

:hug99: My two are not climbing out of their cribs yet... but I dread moving them into toddler beds for that reason... I have no advice... but I hope someone else does and it gets better. :hug99:

 

Oh man, you are scaring me. We have just started the climbing out of bed thing and I am dreading making the switch to beds and making sure the room is 100 percent child safe!!

Hang in there! :hug99:

 

I can completely relate. Our girls are TOTAL monkeys! They have been able to climb or take down baby gates for about a year now. We had to secure their dresser to the wall because they kept climbing on it. I can't have anything pretty out because they will find something, somewhere to climb on to reach it, doesn't matter how high up it is. It's very frustrating!! I keep thinking they'll grow out of it, but they haven't yet. They get into anything and everything. Like you, my son never gave me this much trouble. I just keep telling myself, this too shall pass!!

 

My grandbabies are not at that age yet so can offer much advice but to say be glad they are 2 they will be over it sooner.
One of my 9 month grand-daughters has already figured out how to scale the dresser so I can only imagine the things to come. She climbs it uses the knobs like hand and footholds on a rock wall.

 

You're not alone. Mine push their cribs and toybox around the room and they climb in and out of the cribs with ease now (started climbing out at 15 months). I have crib tents because they aren't mature enough to stay in a bed and because I really, really need that 90-120 minute nap time to recover. When we do switch to beds, there won't be a dresser. I'll put a flip lock on their closet and likely put their mattresses on the floor to start and save myself the headache of them pulling the mattresses off the beds. I'll have to turn their doorknob around so I can lock it from the outside. It'll look like a little prison when I'm done. I also have the problem of them being able to open the windows but we have the kind that crank open and the hardware can be removed.

It stinks to have kids who are physically able to accomplish things before they are mature enough to simply not do it.

 

You poor thing!

 

You are SOOO not alone!!! We had carpet, so we didn't have to screw down our furniture, but aside from that we went through EVERYTHING you described! One day I even came home to my completely naked son in our huge window facing the culdesac on top of his dresser! I was so embaressed! Believe it or not, it gets easier. I wish I had a suggestion! We eventually got in the habit of laying down with them for 5-10 min until they fell asleep so that they wouldn't get up and go crazy like that. We haven't had to do that in probably 6 mo though.

 

Oh I have 1 like that. He figures it all out by himself. We got him a crib tent and he will be in that until at least 5yrs old (no kidding, if I have any say in it) A few months ago I left him in his room for about 5 min (tops) and found his crib next to the window and he opened it (has been unlocked and opening the windows for months) and pushed out the scream and climbed out. It is about 7-8ft drop. He was running around the neighbors yard when I got to him.

I put tension rods in the window, so the bottom sash is locked down, but we can still open the top for fresh air. He has discovered this and now climbs to the top of the crib to play with the top sash. We have new replacement vinyl windows and I so do not want to put holes in them for a nail. Put did do that with the sliding door he opens all the time.

My husband is also a volunteer firefighter and I just know that most know where the boys room is so they can get to them if need be.

He loves to climb the dresser and it is to big and heavy for me to move it. I am about to sell the furniture in the guestroom and I am thinking about moving the dresser in there.

My other guy has no interest in that stuff and will come and tattle on his brother when he is doing something wrong.

I just say that he has a VERY GOOD gardian angle.

 

Oh goodness thank you so much for sharing you experiences. I was sure that others must be making trouble as well, but I just needed to hear it I guess. Like everyone says... at least we know they work really well together and are good problem solvers, that will be good in the future when they learn to use their powers for good instead of bad LOL. We have also had to cut the feet out of their jammies and I sewed string on the top area of the zipper so we can tie them in a double bow so they cant get out of them. Once I caught Brady helping Tyler unzip his from the back before we started tieing them. Gotta love um!!!!

 

Yikes! That was funny to read, but scary! I liked the part about how you have to get out the power tools whenever you want to get into the dresser.

 

Oh I sooo know what you are talking about. I am terrified of leaving mine alone for any length of time bc I don't know what they will get into. We have locks on EVERYTHING..whatever one doesn't think to get into, the other does. They are on my counters constantly so we have to lock the top cabinets too, we had to put our knife block away...can't keep anything on the counter. In their room they are constantly taking off their clothes and hanging out in the windows. I go insane..seriously. They have pulled the border off the wall. Both of their dressers are secured bc we already had an instance where it fell over on them. We had to take the shelfs down bc they were haning on them. The bathrooms are all locked up bc they flush stuff down the toilet. I am at my wits end. We have locks everywhere...its pathetic. I will say (dare I say it) it does feel like its getting a little better as all the stuff I stated is not contiuing to happen still...it is all starting to slowly stop..... I still don' trust them though...
Oh and neither one of my singletons gave me anywhere near this amount of trouble!!

 

I must say that reading all of these posts is making me feel a little better about my own situation. There is nothing worse than telling another mommy about the crazy stuff your kids are doing and have her give you the deer-in-headlights eyes and say that her kids never did ANY of those things. <_<

OH, and I so get you, Jen, about the toilet business. I spend a good chunk of time each day unlocking and locking the bathroom door because they are either putting stuff (usually dog food) into the toilet and flushing or climbing into the sink to paint the mirror with soap and spray each other with water. Thank you for the glimmer of hope that they'll get over this.

 

My guys are monkeys too, and if they were climbing out of the cribs, I'm sure we'd be in a similar plight.

Can you bring the cribs back in and try crib tents?? That seems like an absurd amount of child-proofing you have to do! With twins, anything that would make your life easier is the way to go. Maybe because they are so active, introducing the beds closer to age 3 would be a good idea.

With all that activity, is anyone sleeping??

Michelle

 

There is no way we would be able to put them back in cribs, I know they would freak out, plus the crib tents are wayyyyy to expensive. Suprisingly I do get enough sleep. Once they are asleep, around 7:30, they are out until about 7:00 in the morn. Mainly my problem is when they were going to bed when it was still light out during the summer, and in the morning. Sometimes when they wake up they are so quiet, but mostly it is when they are playing in their bedroom.

 

OMG!!!!!!!!!! I am so sorry, I was totally cracking up while reading all your posts!!!!!!!!!!! I love the getting the drill out to use the dresser and painting the mirror and putting dog food in the toilet. I am in hysterics...only because we are not there yet...aaahhh what we have to look forward to. SO funny! No one else would understand!
GOOD LUCK!!
jena

 

Count me in the monkey boat.

I swear I could've taught a graduate-level course in child proofing by the time they were 13 months old. HOWEVER, you and debid's monkeys, though a good 6 months older than mine, are definately getting into more stuff. I read her posts with a slight cringe, knowing what's too come.