“He pulled a jailbreak!”
Those were my friend’s words one morning, when I met her for coffee. She looked frazzled and a little panicky; turns out her 18 month old toddler had climbed out of the crib the night before, and had nearly scared his poor parents to death.
Not that her experience was anything unusual, of course; plenty of parents have experienced those disconcerting “jailbreaks”! Our little ones somehow channel their inner monkeys and figure out how to climb (or maybe even vault!) right out of the crib.
But how do you handle this? What are you supposed to do when you find your toddler (or even worse, your baby) on the wrong side of the crib bars? In this article, we’ll examine your options to prevent or eliminate those middle-of-the-night jailbreaks.
Is It Dangerous For Your Baby or Toddler To Climb Out of the Crib?
First, though, a reminder: if your baby or toddler has figured out how escape the crib, don’t ignore it. This isn’t a phase you should wait out. If your baby or toddler is regularly climbing out of the crib, it can sometimes be dangerous. Not always, of course, but sometimes. A child can be injured by falling from the crib (especially if your baby or toddler’s room isn’t carpeted). What’s more, a child who’s loose in his bedroom, in the middle of the night, is at risk (especially if your house isn’t toddler-proofed).
Let’s review a few options to help with your crib climbing toddler.
Get a Sleep Sack
This is a good option for those of you who have babies who are trying to escape the crib. Granted, this isn’t common; most children don’t start attempting to climb from their cribs until some time after their first birthdays.
However, babies as young as 8 and 9 months have been known to fling themselves from their cribs. This is especially true for babies who hit their mobility milestones (like crawling, standing, and walking) early.
Some kids are just natural-born climbers!
If this is the case in your home, consider a sleep sack for your baby. Sleep sacks enclose a baby’s legs and feet, leaving enough room for the baby to move comfortably, but not enough for the baby to actually climb. Sometimes, a small restriction like that is enough to discourage your baby from doing any middle-of-the-night climbing.
DON’T Get a Crib Tent
I realize it’s odd to include a “don’t” in our list of options, but this warning bears repeating. In the past, specialty products called “crib tents” were marketed as solutions for keeping active toddlers in their cribs. Made of mesh, the tents fit right over the top of the crib and zipped shut, making it impossible for toddlers to climb out the top.
Problem was, these crib tents weren’t safe at all. They posed major entrapment and strangulation risks for children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) launched an investigation into the safety of crib tents in 2008. They (along with 5 major retailers) finally issued a massive recall Spring 2012.
Bottom line: crib tents aren’t safe, and they aren’t a solution for your baby or toddler climbing from the crib.
Lower the Mattress
This one might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to miss the obvious when you’re utterly sleep-deprived! (Then again, maybe you wouldn’t be surprised — if you’re a Baby Sleep Site reader, chances are you’re a little sleep-deprived yourself!)
If you haven’t already, try lowering your baby’s crib mattress to its lowest possible point. This will make it harder for your baby or toddler to get enough leverage to hoist herself over the crib rails.
Switch From a Crib to a Bed
So, crib tents are out. And sleep sacks might work for babies, but they might not for toddlers (especially older toddlers). They do make toddler sleep sacks, but it’s debateable as to whether it will work (or work for long anyway). What’s left, then?
The most effective way to keep your toddler from climbing out of the crib is simply to remove the crib altogether and to transition your toddler into a bed. It can be any kind of bed, really — a regular-sized twin bed works (as long as you add the appropriate safety rails), and so does a toddler bed. A mattress on the floor will even work! In fact, that’s what I’ve always preferred; having a mattress right on the floor minimized falls and made it easier for my boys to get into and out of their beds when they were younger.
Is My Toddler Ready for a Bed?
If your toddler is 2 years or older, then seriously consider making the switch from crib to bed in the case of climbing out of the crib (try to wait until 3-4 years old if they aren’t climbing!) By 2 years old, most toddlers are starting to outgrow their crib anyway; by 2 1/2, it’s likely they’re downright cramped. In fact, this may be why your toddler trying to escape — because sleeping in the crib isn’t comfortable anymore!
If your toddler is between 18 months and 2 years, consider making the switch. 18 months is early, but it’s still within the window of time (18 – 30 months) that is considered reasonable for transitioning from a crib to a toddler bed. 18 months will work for some babies, but not for others.
If your toddler is younger than 18 months, things get tricky. Try the sleep sack method first, as well as lowering the crib mattress. If that proves fruitless, consider making the switch to a bed.
In this article, we’re not going to tackle the ins-and-outs of how to help your toddler make that transition. We have a separate article on that topic, which you can read here!
Nicole’s Note:
“We hear from parents all the time who switch to a bed abruptly after a toddler climbs out once from their crib. If a toddler is under the age of two, we really try to keep them in the crib, if we can (our recommendation is not until 2 1/2 to 3, if possible). Just because he climbed out once doesn’t mean he will do it again. For some, it frightens them and they don’t try again. Unfortunately, some toddlers lack the impulse control to stay in a bed with imaginary boundaries (even if they conceptually understand they aren’t supposed to get out), so going to a toddler or twin bed too soon can create a ‘jack in the box’ with your toddler getting out of bed umpteen times a night!”
Is Toddler Crib Climbing an Isolated Problem, or Is It Part of Something Bigger?
Finally, something to think about before we wrap up: are your toddler’s crib escapades an isolated incident, or are they part of a larger problem?
If your toddler has always been a decent sleeper, and the crib escaping is something new, then you can focus on finding ways to put an end to his crib climbing. But if your toddler has never slept well, and the crib escaping is just one piece in a larger puzzle of terrible sleep habits, you may need to think bigger. Stop your child from escaping the crib, yes, but focus on improving your toddler’s sleep habits overall.
Have you dealt with a “jailbreaking” toddler climbing out of the crib? What steps did you take? Share your wisdom, parents — we love hearing from you!
Feeling ready to “tame” your little crib-climbing monkey? Please be sure to pick up your FREE copy of Toddler Sleep Secrets, our e-Book offering tips to help your toddler sleep better. For those persistent nighttime struggles, check out The 3-Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep (babies) or The 5-Step System to Better Toddler Sleep (toddlers). Using a unique approach and practical tools for success, our e-books help you and your baby sleep through the night and nap better. For those looking for a more customized solution for your unique situation with support along the way, please consider one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultations, where you will receive a Personalized Sleep Plan™ you can feel good about! Sometimes it’s not that you can’t make a plan. Sometimes you’re just too tired to.
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Christina Santori says
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the person who recommended Little Grounders! I’ve been so concerned about my 12 month trying to climb over the rail that I haven’t been able to sleep. My little rascal was an early walker and he’s already started climbing on everything. So I was terrified about him climbing out of the crib. When I was a baby I broke my arm trying to climb out of my crib!
We ordered the Little Grounders, they were on backorder, and after a few weeks we got them and they are amazing! He can no longer lift his leg to put it on top of the rail. I sleep much better! So glad this site exists. Thank you!!!
Nicole Gilbert says
My now 16 month old boy has never slept through the night. Ever. He is very tall for his age, in fact he is in the 98th percentile and has been since around 6 months old. He started climbing out of his crib around the same time he could stand on his own. First thing was lowering the mattress, by the time he was 10 months the lowest setting wasn’t low enough, he could still climb out. I tried switching to a pack and play since he mesh walls were higher. That was a laugh. He could get out of it easier than the crib. At 11m to a year we got a toddler sleep sack because that is all I could find online as a way to keep him in the bed. It worked for about a hour, until he figured out how to take it off. That was a awesome $30 investment ?. Since he just doesn’t sleep through the night, he never sleeps. I’ve read babies/toddlers his age need around 12-14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, my two other kids slept this much, not my baby. We’re talking the absolute most we have been able to get him to sleep(on a regular 24 hour period excluding sickness) is 6 hours. And even that was broken up in 2-3 hour intervals max. The past couple of months neither me or my husband have had more that 3 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, bc my LO refuses to sleep. Last night was the worst night I have ever had with him. My DH is out of town for the week and my LO decided he wasn’t just not going to sleep but he was going to fuss and cry and scream all night. I couldn’t console him. Nothing was wrong other than he was overly tired, but he didn’t want to sleep. Btw our pediatrician has sent him to sleep therapy and we’ve tried homeopathic meds and Benadryl type stuff all of which seemed to just wire him up. My oldest son moved out and freed up a bedroom two nights ago. So today I moved the baby into his old room, switching the crib for a toddler bed. To avoid another bad night since he wouldn’t stay in the bed at all I put him in mine. He cried again bc he didn’t want to sleep. After nearly losing my mind and crying and wanting to bash my head on a wall I decided to lock him in that room. Btw I also bought a video baby monitor today and installed it. He has been in there a little over an hour and though he isn’t restful, he’s laying in his bed and I think he’s asleep!!! I think we will keep up our nightly routine and instead of leaving the door open I’m just going to keep it shut and let him go to bed on his own. Fingers crossed that this will work!!!
Janelle Reid says
@Nicole Gilbert – Thank you for stopping by and sharing your story with us. I am so sorry to hear you’ve had such a hard time with your toddler’s sleep! I hope you continue to see an improvement! I think making sure the room is safe if he does roam it is ok is a great idea. If you find you need help our sleep consultants do have experience with this and have more ideas for troubleshooting this issue. If you are interested, you can email our Client Relations team at [email protected] or you can view and purchase a package on our website here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-toddler-sleep-consulting-services/
Hang in there and I hope you and your husband get some much needed and well-deserved sleep very very soon!
Violet says
My 16 month old son escapes his crib every now and again, the first time he did it it scared me to death, I woke up and had an 8 month old baby looking me in the face at the edge of my bed, I’ve come to realize he always comes into my room when he does it and wakes us up so I don’t worry about it so much anymore, sometimes he will bring toys into our room and just sit on the floor and play then come climb into bed with us.
Janelle Reid says
@Violet – OH my, 8 months! That would have scared me too for so many different reasons. 😉 I think it is a rite of passage as a mom to be terrified by your child standing next to your bed. I am glad you’ve figured out something that works! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your experience with us!
Catherine says
This would terrify us. At the suggestion of some of the other posters here I bought the Little Grounders for my son and they really are great. You may want to consider them too.
Marc says
Hello, My 27 month old daughter just discovered climbing out of her bed. Being the dad, when I would put her down for naps and bedtime. I would talk to her for a min and rub her hair and back to calm her down. I have been doing this since she’s been born. But now recently my wife is blaming me for that being the reason she is escaping during her time. She screams and try’s for back rub. Climbs out of her crib. Runs up stairs to grandmas room lookis for us. She knows that our bedroom is right next to hers downstairs. I’ve lowered her mattress all the way to the floor. I’ve even removed 2 parts of the crib so it can go even lower. When she stands in it, the top of the crib is up to her nose but she still manages to get out easily. I’m being blamed for several different things I do to comfort my daughter and she won’t stay in her bed at night. Im considering converting her crib to a toddler bed since it can be transformed. But I’m scared it might swing the door open for more nights roaming the house screaming for us. I’m running out of ideas and need some guidance. Thank you to all that take the time to read this.
Debbye @ The Baby Sleep Site says
Hi @Marc – Thank you for visiting us, and I am sorry to hear about your struggles! We completely understand how tough sleep issues can be, especially with toddlers, and that they can really cause some marital tension. The biggest issue here is safety. If your daughter is regularly climbing out of her crib, we would recommend switching right away to a toddler bed, twin bed, mattress on floor. You do not want to worry about her falling and getting injured when climbing out. Yes, this may cause more nights where she gets up, but with consistency and setting expectations, you can work on that, and sleep may just improve overall with her new big girl sleeping arrangements.
These links should help:
ttp://www.babysleepsite.com/toddlers/limit-setting-toddler
https://www.babysleepsite.com/toddlers/sticker-chart-tips
Hang in there and know that you are not alone! Please contact us again if things do not smooth out!
Rob says
Our 18 month old is starting to climb out. She has gotten to the point where she is straddling the side of the crib, but she is too timid to get to the floor because its about a 2 foot drop.
We are going to remove the frame that supports the mattress and drop the mattress to the floor. That will ‘buy’ us some time in having to change over to a toddler bed. She is very active and loves to climb, but I do not want to watch her playing in her room at 2AM on the baby monitor. It’s safer to have her contained in the crib (or pack-N-play) when napping or sleeping. She is very ‘mommy-clingy- and I think the last thing my wife wants is to have our baby falling out of the crib and then climbing up the stairs to our bedroom all hours of the night.
We have gotten into a great rhythm at bedtime and she falls asleep on her own. Our baby will sleep 11 or 12 hours per night, but after about 20 minutes of wake-up time, she is starting to get antsy and wants to come out and play.
We did find a solution to keep her away from climbing. Our baby usually goes down for the night around 8PM. Mom and dad head to bed around 11 or so. At that time, we place bath-books in the crib so that when she wakes up, she is occupied with reading the books. The best thing for a child is to wake up and learn colors, shapes, letters and numbers. So the first thing she sees is those books to stimulate her learning and it keeps her away from climbing. Within 30 minutes of her waking up, we enter the room to start her day before she gets to climbing.
Good luck all!
Janelle Reid says
@Rob – Wow, thanks for sharing! It sounds like you and your wife have really thought this through and have found a way to keep your daughter safe in the midst of her curiosity. Thanks for using the Baby Sleep Site as a resource!
Cassie Berman says
Our 18 month old started climbing out the their crib and we were able to use Little Grounders to put an end to that. We found them online and they sent us a free sample and asked only for feedback/ improvement suggestions. Before that we tried lowering the crib, but that didn’t work and sleep sacks were completely useless. We kind of had to beg for the pjs because they technically have not been released yet, but it was worth it. The little grounders were great and we love these pjs!
Jessica Diller says
@Cassie, thank you for commenting. I’m glad to hear that you were able to find something that helped your child sleep better!
Aunt says
My niece is 10 months old and hit all of her milestones for gross motor pretty early. She’s small but she can climb! Her parents have the crib mattress down (I think as low as it goes), and it is pulled up against the bed on the short side. I’m always concerned when watching her overnight that she will climb out because she climbs the side and she climbs her playpen past the point of safety. She has bumpers because she was hitting her head on the sides hard but she can stand on them. She’s never made the actual flop over but I’m scared I’m a deep sleeper so if she did I might not wake and then she’d be on the high bed without any bars. She can’t stand a sleep sack and mom and Dad are just lighter sleepers I think or feel secure that they’ll wake from 10 months of sleeping with her often IN the bed. Ayyy, maybe I just don’t sleep much when I watch her ? I’m too nervous to let myself enter a truly deep sleep and for the first few hours of her night and the last few of her morning they take her into the bed with them so I’m WAY too afraid to truly sleep with her in the bed with me.
Janelle Reid says
@Aunt, Thanks for commenting, and wow, what a busy little niece you have! 🙂 It can be so hard to take care of other kids in fear of something awful happening – under your watch! I would do my best to trust her parent’s judgment on this one, and try to get some sleep when she stays with you. If she is staying in a different room, maybe consider getting a baby monitor and turning the volume up so you can hear if she starts moving around so you can take a peek and check on her? I know I always sleep a little bit lighter when I’m waiting for something (an early alarm for a flight, whenever one of my kids have a cold, etc) so you may just not sleep as deeply during her visits. Good luck, and thanks for using the Baby Sleep Site as a resource!
Emily DeJeu says
@ Megan — to be clear, when you say “climbing his crib”, do you mean that he’s pulling up to a standing position and then standing in his crib? That’s definitely frustrating (as you mention here!) but that’s not cause for concern safety-wise. In this article, I’m specifically addressing toddlers (and possibly babies) who literally climb OUT of the crib and end up on the other side of the crib bars.
The solution definitely isn’t a bed — you’re right, there’s no way a 6 month old is prepared for that! You mention that your son has never been a good sleeper — it could be that he’s ready for some sleep training. Have you checked out our free guide? If not, you can access it here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-through-night-free-ebook/
I’d suggest downloading a copy of that and reading it to see if there are tips and techniques you can use at home, to encourage your baby to sleep better at night.
Let us know how it goes, Megan! And thanks for commenting 🙂
Megan says
My 6 month old has been climbing his crib for the last 2 weeks. He was never a really good sleeper but nights have gone from bad to worse with his new skill. He climbs the crib 3 to 4 times/ night and stands there screaming until my husband or I come in and place him back down in his crib. I believe once he stands up, he is too scared to let go. It took him a day to learn how to stand up; why is it taking so long for him to learn how to sit, or lay, back down? We try to let him cry it out but that has lasted up to 2 hours in the middle of the night and he stands that whole time. The crib is at its lowest and there is no way he is ready for a bed.
C says
6 months! That’s early. I have 2 kids and only my second one in a climber. I could not imagine transitioning a 6 month old to a bed. You should try the Little Grounders. We’ve been very happy with them.
Emily DeJeu says
@ Meg — that article (about how to make the transition from crib to bed) is due out in early March, so it should come in time for you to read it and glean some ideas before baby #2 arrives!
Strength and energy to you today, Meg — I remember well how exhausting it is to be chasing a toddler while pregnant! 😉