Saw him out. That was my conclusion when my 2 1/2 year old appeared solidly stuck. Now, to give myself credit, I paused before destroying his lovely, oak crib to consider.
He wasn't screaming, so he wasn't in pain yet. (I'd just noticed the noises from the monitor didn't sound quite right. Ha!)
I'd wiggled and jiggled his body every way I could think of without success. The situation still looked the same as it had when I first entered: one toddler leg outside the crib, one toddler body inside the crib, firm crib slats maintaining this distressing separation.
He was likely to start swelling and getting upset soon despite my presentation of a no-big-deal tone.
If he'd already swelled too much and there was no other way to get him out, saw it was and... better sooner than later.
Get the saw and... I decided to see if the fresh perspective of my husband could come up with another solution. As the phone rang, I thought OIL! So, I headed for the kitchen while presenting the situation. Aside from asserting that if my son got his leg through the crib slats he could certainly get it back out, my husband also seconded the oil idea.
This saga has a happy ending for both progeny and property! Fully slicked, my son was released with no lasting damage.
So, I take from the experience:
1. Present the calm face and try to keep calm thinking.
2. Know a second opinion can help (especially in addressing spiraling thoughts).
3. Saws should really be a last resort in parenting! :)
how did you keep him from doing it again
ReplyDeleteHe just never did it again. It must have been an odd position to get in originally and I imagine he got big enough that he couldn't get through the slats again. It was just this small time in-between when he couldn't pull out easily, but could still get through that he needed some oiling to resolve the problem :)
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