My younger daughter, who is now 22 years old, was able to escape from her crib at 13 months. At first I couldn't figure out how she did it, but since her bedroom was on the first floor of our house, I was able to quickly run outside and watch her in action. By the time I got outside she was already straddling the side railing, then she hiked the other leg over the rail and used the crib slats to slide down to the floor. Voila! She had escaped! I, too, was concerned that she would hurt herself so had to get her into a big-girl bed right away. And she certainly was not potty trained yet, so I simply used a plastic sheet in the event of any accidents. Good luck and hope this helps shed light on what Alex may be doing to escape his version of prison..... :)