My Toddler Keeps Climbing Out of The Crib

I have a weekly Zoom call on Fridays with some fellow entrepreneurs. I was on my call this last week and I heard a big “thump” come from upstairs. Big enough that I knew either something had fallen off of the wall, or someone had fallen off the bed. The only problem being - Drake and I were the only ones home.

I muted my call & not 2 seconds later, I hear a LOUD cry.

Drake has been sleep trained since he was 3 months old, so crying while he’s supposed to be napping is very weird and rare - and often warrants an immediate response.

I sprinted upstairs to find him laying perfectly in his laundry hamper…OUTSIDE of his crib.

Within the last few weeks, he has now mastered the skill of unzipping the bottom of his sleep sack. This allows his legs free.

I quickly scoop him up into my arms for some comfort and I check his limbs to make sure nothing is out of place. Thankfully he was okay, but he definitely freaked himself out.

I did notice though, that he had unzipped the bottom portion of his sleep sack to allow his legs some freedom. This felt concerning to me, since I didn’t want another spill out of the crib.

SO - I have a few toddler sleep tips to help keep them SAFE and IN THE CRIB.

1. Keep the crib.
   Firstly, one of the biggest mistakes parents make when their toddler starts climbing out of the crib, is to immediately move them into a toddler bed. DON’T DO THIS. It is SO hard to keep your 2 year old in a bed and they don’t fully understand consequences and rewards, so you might notice a “honeymoon” period with them in their new bed, all excited and obedient, but that will quickly change. I want you to try to keep your toddler in their crib until they turn 3.
   ”But Bailey, I’m having another baby - I need my crib.” This is NOT a reason to move your toddler. Newborns use the bassinet for the first few months, then you can transition to a playpen if wanted - OR pick up a cheap crib from a Facebook Buy N Sell page and now you have 2.

2. Lower the crib mattress to the FLOOR
   This means that sometimes, the bars holding your crib mattress will need to be completely removed, and you literally plop the mattress onto the floor. This means the mattress will be deep in there, but it will discourage climbing because it is so low.

3. Re-introduce (or continue using) the sleep sack
   Put it on backwards so the zipper isn’t so readily available, or if it’s one of those sleep sacks that has the zipper snaked around the bottom by their feet, then use a safety pin to clip it into place.

4. Don’t be super reactive if they climb out
   If your child is getting a BIG reaction from you every time they climb out of the crib, then chances are, they’ll keep doing it. If we’re responding with taking them out of the room, punishing them, or changing our expectations with them around sleep, then it can become attention-seeking behaviour.
   Similarly to how sleep suffers when babies learn a new skill (crawling, walking, talking), sleep takes a bit of a hit when a child can learn to climb out of the crib.

5. Bedtime Expectations are key
   Your child needs to understand what your bedtime expectations are for them, otherwise they’ll be confused when you react differently to them climbing out, each time.
   Children are SPONGES and they are seriously so smart. Tell your toddler that they must stay in their crib and that climbing out is not safe and you don’t want them to get hurt.

6. Positive Reinforcement works wonders
   If your toddler stays in their crib all night long, then REWARD them. They need to know that they’ve done a great thing and that you are so proud of them.
   Have you ever noticed that if you say “Good job ___!! You are AMAZING.” You child immediately perks up and starts smiling?
   So if they sleep the night through without climbing out of the crib, tell them! And while you’re telling them, make sure you add in that you’re proud because they stayed in their crib and didn’t climb out.

Well mama, I know that you’ve got this.

There is a good ending to my story with Drake. Since he climbed (or fell) out of the crib on Friday, he has not even tried since. What he has done, has pointed to his laundry hamper and said, “mama, dake fuh dohn.” lol. I then respond by, “yes baby, you fell down. When you’re in your crib, you need to lay down.”

But of course, if climbing out of the crib isn’t your only issue you’re facing with your toddler….and it seems to be sleep as a whole, feel free to check out my toddler sleep package to see if working together would make sense. I love working 1 on 1 with clients.