Sleep much? Mount a baby safety gate and get your zzz’s.

Sick and tired of getting out of bed every hour just to put your toddler back in her bed? I know how you feel. For me, it started when my baby turned 2 ½ years old and kept climbing out of her crib. I figured it was time for her to move into her “Big Girl Room.” But, the transition didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped. Every night, I had to sit at the doorway of her room until she fell asleep. Even though her room was baby-proofed and I knew that she would be safe, I couldn’t sleep if she was awake and free to roam the house. Plus, she kept hopping in and out of bed every few minutes looking for me. Three years later, the same thing happened with my middle child! I was miserable and sleep-deprived for weeks!

Now I ask myself, why didn’t I think to buy a gate for the doorway? Not sure… Gates were a safety product that I had always thought of for keeping my kids out of somewhere as opposed to keeping them in. But, it makes perfect sense. Moms discussing sleep issues of transitioning toddlers from crib to toddler bed always offer a gate as a solution. Blogs like this one http://bit.ly/toddlersleepproblems provide many suggestions on how to get your toddler to stay in bed. I guess you have to use trial and error to see what works best for each situation. But, in my opinion, a gate is a great place to start.

So, when our third child gets to be “that age,” I’ll be babyproofing his room and getting a gate for his bedroom door. There are so many products out there, but chances are I’ll get a tall gate that will prevent him from climbing over. Both Kidco www.kidco.com and Cardinal make baby safety gates that get excellent reviews. Many online merchants like One Step Ahead carry both brands; however, many don’t offer the extra personal touch that Kidproteq www.kidproteq.com does. Kidproteq’s personalized approach helps you buy the right safety product the first time. And, maybe this time around, I’ll finally be able to transition my baby to a bed without sacrificing my sleep!