Stay in or Move out?

There's been much talk lately (Ms. Huis, Dooce) about toddlers climbing out of cribs. It has started me thinking, although we probably have quite some time before we ever have to deal with this issue.

I know, you are all saying, "they do it sooner than you think." Actually, Kitten is such a wuss that despite her fairly decent physical strength (she grabbed the side of the scale so hard when the nurse tried to weigh her AT BIRTH that her fingers had to be pried open) and rather determined will, she never stood up in her crib before a year old. At which time MIL begged us to put the crib mattress on a lower setting. It was still at the top setting, usually where you put it for newborns. Kitten just never showed an inclination to go anywhere. Kid wasn't even crawling yet. And it was so much easier for me not to have to bend over so far in my large state. And I normally only get stuff done while she's napping, which precludes me doing any work in her room.

So for a myriad of reasons, but mostly because there just was no real reason, Kitten was over a year old before we moved the matress in her crib off the highest setting.

So we don't anticipate having to deal with the crib/big bed issue for quite some time. She actually does stand up in the crib now, but not all the time. In fact, I'm usually a bit surprised when I come in and find her standing, still to this day. Usually she's either still sleeping (mornings) or is either sitting or kneeling in there.

There was some BRIEF discussion (and by discussion, I mean it was mentioned and promptly shot down, as any insane comment should be) about not getting another crib for Meimei, just moving Kitten to a toddler bed and using her crib for Meimei. Obviously, someone was delusional. If the kid isn't crawling out, DON'T REMOVE THEM FROM THE CAGE. I want this containment to last as long as possible, thanks, and I will not willingly give it up.

Besides, Meimei's crib was eventually obtained for free. And she will stay in it until she's 10, thank you very much.

So what will I do when Kitten does start escaping the crib? Or when she is entirely too old to be in one (which I figure will be sometime around potty training time if she hasn't escaped yet)? Um, yeah, I don't know. We probably can't let her have the run of the house. She looks at us now, says no, and proceeds to do exactly what she knows she is not supposed to. So I'm thinking that's not an option. It's either going to have to be a gate in the doorway, although we always close her door at night, or the child-safe knob on her side of the door. That thought used to make me cringe, but now, not so much. Call me a fire-whore, but I think that the idea of a 3-year-old freeing themselves in a conflagration is a little unrealistic. I think we would have to go and get her, or send the firemen in through the window.

Dear god, why do I even consider this stuff? I have been brainwashed!! MIL actually wants to pay to have a direct door put into Kitten's room, which we fully intend to do EVENTUALLY (for those of you who have seen the odd floor plan in my basement), because the firemen might get confused and not be able to save my child. Um, wouldn't they just go in through the window?

ANYWAY, this has gone somewhere that shames me to my very core. One should not live their lives as if there might be a horrible tragedy around every corner.

As an added bonus, when I spoke with someone at work about moving into the new house and mentioned that Kitten would be in the basement (which she was in the townhouse, and believe me, her basic needs have always been met; this is what monitors were made for), she felt compelled to tell me that a friend of hers had a fire and would never again allow her children to sleep on a different floor from her. Huh? If something threatened the life of my child, I would chew through the floorboards to get her out. I don't think holing us all up in the same room just in case something happens is the correct way to live my life. Nor is this the lesson I want to teach my kids about life. ("Mommy, why are we all sleeping upstairs when there are two perfectly good rooms downstairs?" "Well, honey, I am a paranoid freak who can't let go of the idea that some horrifying tragedy will take you away from me. Please never leave.")

Okay, this has really gone downhill now. I think blogging after, say, 11 p.m., might be banned for me in the future. Or things will just continue to get weirder until I either give birth or start drinking heavily.