2 year old crib climbing contract

In our family, we have started laying out visual contracts and system loops with our toddlers, so they can see what it is we as parents are trying to teach them.

Usually we choose our contracts to deal with a problem situation, where the parent and child are clashing about what we want out of a situation. Like when our 2 year old learned how to climb out of his crib, and our beautiful nap time sleeping ritual fell apart.

From this war of wills, we ended up drawing out the contract together. We tried to make it a no-words contract, but we ended up deploying a few no’s.

Then, after drawing and talking it out together with the 2 year old (what was good, what was bad, what we expected…) we let him play with it and explain it back to us. Now we just need to see if it plays out any differently…

In the meantime, the contract is hanging along the stairs, so we can talk about it on the way up to bed — and also so he’ll see it as he comes down after possibly sneaking out of his crib.