Toddler Sleeping Away from Home in a Nonbaby-Proofed Room

[LeighW]

My mom has offered for my 27-month-old DD to spend the night this weekend so my DH and I can have a break and a date night.

DD has spent the night there once, but it was a year ago and she was in a PNP. Now, she sleeps in a big girl bed at home and will be sleeping in a trundle bed at my mom's. My DD adores my mom and has spent a lot of time with her--just not many sleep-overs. My 12-year-old niece will be spending the night also and will be sleeping in the bed part of the trundle bed (my DD will be in the part on the floor). My DD adores my niece.

The problem is, there room where they will be sleeping has 4-5 large bookcases in it (the 6-foot tall kind) that are not bolted to the wall. The bookcases are, to put it bluntly, cheap and rickety. They have a lot of knick-knacks on them that my DD loves--she goes right for them every time she is in the room. There are items up high that she whines for until I either get them down or lift her up to see and touch them.

I am concerned that my DD might get up during the night and mess around with the bookcases--climb them, etc. What if she is quiet and my niece does not wake up?

DD has never gotten out of bed during the middle of the night at home and goofed off in her room. She usually stays in bed and screams for us when she wakes up. Sometimes she stands at the babygate that is across her doorway and calls for us--but that happens early in the morning when she wakes up for the day. But, she certainly could get up and play quietly, and maybe she has without us knowing (unlikely, since our room is close-by and I am a light sleeper, but certainly possible). Her room is totally baby-proofed.

So, am I being paranoid here? My mom is pooh-poohing my concerns. My DH is a bit concerned, but is willing to do it.

My mom will not bolt the bookcases to the wall, and will not let my DH do it, at least not before Saturday. My options are to let her go or decline, based on my safety concerns.

Moms of toddlers who aren't in PNPs, what do you do for sleep-overs?

[LeighW]

Anybody??? :confused:

[mom2amelia]

I read your post this afternoon and I didn't respond because I'm not sure what I'd do. Even if she isn't likely to be in any real danger,which I suspect is the case, if you aren't comfortable with it then it's not a good situation. Maybe you could put something in front of the bookcases - like a booby trap -so that if she does wake up in the middle of the night and head for the bookcases she'll make some noise and wake someone up. It's not ideal - it could freak her out, but it will give you peace of mind that she won't hurt herself without anyone knowing.

[EmilyBronte]

I would probably let her go and hope for the best.... but is there anywhere else in the house she could sleep that might be more safe? Is she too big for a PNP now (I have a 7-month old and have no idea how big they get how fast!)?

Whatever you decide, you need to be happy with the decision because it won't be much of a night for you and DH if you are constantly worried your DD could get hurt.

[LeighW]

Even if she isn't likely to be in any real danger,which I suspect is the case, if you aren't comfortable with it then it's not a good situation.

Yes, exactly.

Hmmmm. Maybe a booby trap. Good idea. I'll think about what I can use . . . .

Emily~She is probably not too big for the PNP, but I don't think there's any going back. We emphasized the "big girl" in big girl bed to get her out of the crib a few months ago, and she is totally into it. Unfortunately, there isn't another place where she can sleep. Plus, I think having her in the same room with my niece will be a good thing if she wakes up and freaks out because she doesn't remember where she is.

I don't know why I'm so upset about this. I'm usually much more laid back . . . . :cool:

[dziner]

Has she ever tried climbing bookcases before? If not, how about taking all the enticing knick-knacks down before she sleeps over so there isn't anything to catch her eye? I would think if she woke up and tried anything like climbing your niece would hear her.

[2labradogs]

I don't think you are being paranoid at all. It is just too scary to risk a bookcase falling on her - I guess I am just thinking what my boys would do in that situation. They would definitely climb, and they can be quiet when they want to (and know they are doing something they shouldn't be). I just wouldn't be able to relax, so I would pass on the sleepover until she's over the climbing thing. I hope I didn't ruin your date night, I just wanted to let you know I would be just as worried.

[Renrel]

If you have one of the supergate type playpen things you might be able to set up a barrier so she can not get to the bookcases, or you could offer to secure them for your parents so that this will not be an issue in the future.

[LeighW]

Dziner~she is a climber, although I haven't seen her climb bookcases before. Then again, there aren't any desirable knick-knacks on ours, just books. (And they are all bolted to the wall anyway.)

Renrel~We have offered to bolt the bookcases for my mom. She refuses, for a varieity of legit and non-legit reasons.

Thanks for all the comments.

I'm vacillating between taking down all the knick-knacks and creating a barrier, or just forgetting the whole thing. This is all way too stressful when we can easily call our favorite babysitter. :)