What to Do When Baby Climbs Out of the Crib

November 20, 2019 Lauren Olson

Hi friends!

I’m Lauren, founder of Sleep + the City, a top-rated baby + toddler sleep agency! I am SO happy you are here to read and discuss a topic that I get asked about almost daily:

What to do when baby climbs out of the crib?!

Otherwise known to some as “GAME OVER”, when your baby climbs out of the crib for the first time, this could pose a danger risk, and the potential to ruin those healthy sleep habits of a once-good-sleeper. If your babe is too young for a toddler bed (see my recommendations here for that), then you need to take some steps as soon as possible to keep your baby in the crib to prevent injuries (or your child beginning to visit you nightly which can, over time, lead to bed sharing.)

Expert Tip: If your baby is under 2 years old and wasn’t sleeping prior to jumping out of the crib, then you may want to combine the solutions below simultaneously with one of my modern sleep training classes, packed with easy sleep training solutions for any family.*

What age does a baby start to climb out of the crib?

For starters, the age when a baby climbs out of the crib can vary on the basis of gross motor skill ability. For some children, this can mean with a little practice, they can climb out of the crib before their first birthday! Most commonly though, babies will begin to attempt to climb out of the crib between 12-24 months old.

How do I keep from baby from climbing out of the crib?

Once a baby climbs out of the crib the very first time, you must take immediate action that very day to stop the habit from forming. At first, a baby that climbs out of the crib can be cute, or funny to some parents, especially if we are impressed with their newfound skills. Instead, here is a good trick to try at home: allow your baby to in their crib during the daytime, while you’re present in the room folding laundry or picking up their toys. Once you see baby throw a leg or foot up on the edge of the crib rail, give a firm “NO NO!” and place their foot back down on the mattress. Don’t make it game, and don’t reward the behavior (even if you want to laugh—hold it in!). Discouraging the behavior during the daytime will help your baby realize that this is not a fun game to practice at nighttime as well. Here are some other way you can try as well to discourage a child from climbing out of the crib:

Dress baby in a sleep sack during nap time, and before bedtime. Limiting their mobility to even throw up a leg over the side in the first place will now be possible with an age-appropriate sleep sack. You can find my favorites here and here, and read more about how to dress baby for sleep here.
Turn the crib completely around so that the high backside of the crib now faces outward. It’s much more difficult for baby to climb out of the crib when the side railing is higher.
Drop the mattress completely to the floor. You’ll want to be sure that no more than a 1-inch gap is between the top of the mattress and the bottom railing so baby doesn’t have the potential to become stuck at night.
Take out all items that baby may use as a “staircase”. This includes thick stuffed animals, pillows, etc.
Try some hands-on sleep shaping techniques to respond to baby in the middle of the night if they still attempt to climb out of the crib, or begin crying out for you. With the methods that I use with children over 12+ months, results are often typical within 5-10 days without ever using cry-it-out.

What do I do when baby climbs out of the crib and comes into my room?

If and when your baby climbs out of the crib and comes into your room, you’ll want take immediate action (using one of the steps above) once you’ve returned to baby’s room. The easiest middle-of-the-night solution would be a sleep sack, although when you make ANY changes to a child’s sleep habits, you’ll likely receive some tears or pushback from your baby. If your child is over 2 years old, I would recommend also downloading a copy of my Toddler Sleep DIY guide—this power-packed guide addresses the most common pain points when it comes to training (or re-training) toddlers to sleep. BUT, it overdelivers by not only telling you the common problems, but getting you on the path to fixing them, for good.

When should you stop using a crib? How do I transition my baby from crib to bed?

I recommend keeping the crib for your child until at least 2.5 years old, or even 3.5 years old when the nap begins to disappear naturally. Many families will initially see positive results after switching to a toddler bed too early, but it’s a slippery slope (meaning at first, they wake up early. Then start coming into your bed earlier and earlier, yikes!). Be sure that you read about the Transitioning to the Toddler Bed section of your Toddler DIY Sleep Guide to take the appropriate steps BEFORE you attempt to move your babe into a new bed to keep these mishaps from occurring.

What if my 2-year old toddler is climbing out of the crib at night?

When a child turns two, it’s extremely common for them to experience the “Two-Year Regression”, which is coupled with a huge spike in separation anxiety aside from a child’s primary caretakers (sorry Grandma that visits twice a year). You can read more about the two-year regression here. It’s extremely difficult to expect your younger toddler to understand safety rules and boundaries if they have access to the entire house at night.

If the tricks above don’t work, or you’ve already moved your babe to a bed, you’ll need to download your copy of my Toddler DIY Sleep Guide and use the “BRB Method” as soon as possible, which is a modern AND gentle sleep solution to helping a child stay in their bed all night. Be sure to also bolt heavy furniture to the wall (or remove altogether), remove all toys aside from a few books and stuffed animals, and keep all cords out of child’s reach. Keep a baby gate at the top of the stairs, and think about also installing a device up high on your front and back door frame to keep them from exiting the house at night.

If your child is constantly leaving his/her room without you knowing, I would also recommend a Toddler Door Alarm, like this one from toddlermonitor, which is super easy to install and sends an alert to your smartphone if your toddler’s door (or any door in the house you choose), does happen to open at night.

What about those crib tents that claim to keep baby in the crib all night?

I don’t recommend crib tents ever for clients. A crib tent is a tent-like mesh device that attaches to the crib, designed to keep your baby inside of the crib. Unfortunately, the dangers of strangulation or becoming stuck are a real possibility if the dome itself happens to invert or detach accidentally from the crib. Use the suggestions above and always keep safety a top priority in your baby or toddler’s room.

Do you need more?

After reading this, are you still left with some questions? Well my friend - I’d love to answer them! This is why I started offering one on one consultations. Because parents needed more individualized time to work with a sleep expert. And if that’s you, I can’t wait to to work with you - book your consultation with an expert sleep consultant.