How to Stop Your Toddler From Climbing Out of Their Crib
Almost every mom asks herself at some point what to do and how to stop your toddler from climbing out of their crib. Lots of toddlers go from being great sleepers to not sleeping well at all because their parents make crucial mistakes when they start climbing out of their crib. This results in your toddler not getting enough sleep, not going to bed easily, and can ruin nighttimes for the entire family. But that doesn’t need to be you. Here is the complete guide to answer your burning question: How to stop your toddler from climbing out of their crib.
How to Keep Your Toddler In Their Crib
Newborn babies need to learn how to fall asleep on their own. The first thing you want to do is eliminate any factors that might make it difficult or impossible to get your newborn to sleep in their bassinet. You want this process to be as smooth as possible for you and your newborn to get good sleep. In order to do that, it is important to understand all of the factors when it comes to sleep. As a new mom/parent or second time mom/parent, there is always more to learn when it comes to your baby and getting them to sleep in their bassinet.
Keep your baby in their crib.
One of the biggest mistakes parents make when their toddler starts climbing out of the crib is ditching the crib immediately. DON’T do this. There are many other things you can do before transitioning your toddler to a big bed. Your toddler is beginning to learn new skills like climbing and it is a fun adventure. But moving your toddler out of the crib too soon can result in:
Your toddler constantly coming out of their room
Your toddler coming into your room all throughout the night
Waking up early
Getting poor sleep
Taking hours to fall asleep
In order to prevent this, don’t make the same mistakes I did with my first by moving my baby to a big boy bed too soon. You can prevent your toddler from becoming a crib climber. Keeping them in their crib for as long as possible is the best option for both of you.
2. Move the mattress to the floor
The first step that you can take to stop your toddler from climbing out of their crib is ensure their crib mattress is on the lowest setting. Cribs usually have multiple height options and having it on the lowest setting will make it much harder for your toddler to climb out.
The crib mattress can even be moved to the floor if the lowest setting is not low enough. It might be worth it to disassemble the crib to get the crib mattress onto the floor to prevent crib climbing.
3. Sleep sacks
Sleep sacks are a great option to stop your toddler from climbing that is also a safe sleep option. Having your toddler in a sleep sack will prevent them from being able to climb because their legs will be in the bottom of the sleep sack and unable to climb the side of the crib. A sleep sack doubles as a wearable blanket which will also promote safe sleep.
There are many sleep sack options for toddlers. If it is summertime, try getting a light-weight sleep sack to prevent your toddler from getting too hot. If your toddler is like mine and can unzip their sleep sack to take it off, try sewing on a button or two. It might seem tedious at first, but sewing on a few buttons is far easier than any of the other alternatives.
4. Crib Tent
There are many options for crib tents, however they are not recommended for safe sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against using crib tents because they can cause entrapment and suffocation. There are many other effective options you can consider as an alternative to crib tents.
Since using a crib tent is not safe, you should try other methods as an alternative. The risk does not outweigh the reward.
5. Sleep training techniques
There are many professionals who have developed sleep training techniques that actually work. So many parents have experienced their children climbing out of their crib and there are many proven methods to get them to stop without moving them to a big kid bed. Taking a toddler sleep training class can be a good option if you want a detailed and proven plan to get your toddler to stop climbing out of their crib.
In popular mom groups, the Taking Cara Babies course is highly recommended. This course extensively covers “crib climbers” and what to do in detail. Sleep training can be highly beneficial for babies and parents. Some moms who always had terrible sleepers are shocked at how well sleep training works once their babies become great sleepers.
Your baby might actually be a great sleeper. You might just need a little bit of help from someone who is experienced in this subject and can share their knowledge with you. Parents like to think they know everything and can “do it themselves.” But what is the point when it is making you and your baby miserable? If you can afford a highly recommended sleep training course, it is worth it for your own betterment and your babies’.
6. Move the crib
Sometimes babies and toddlers can easily climb out of the crib because they use other furniture or a wall. Moving the crib can help this. Try moving the crib away from any furniture and away from any walls. Sometimes, just a change of scenery and a new place can make them lay back down in their bed and stop climbing all together.
7. Try a Pack and Play
If none of these options are working or you have already tried them all, you can always try a pack and play. The reason this works so well is that the sides of a pack and play are soft. And it makes it very hard, if not impossible, for them to climb out. A pack and play can be a great option to stop the climbing.
8. Toddler Clock
A great option to teach your toddler to stay in their bed is using a toddler clock. You can buy a clock with different lights that let your toddler know when it is time to stay in their crib and when it is okay to wake up. If you have a Hatch sound machine, you can also set routines on their as well.
Amazon sells clocks specifically for this purpose. The light turns red when it is time for bedtime and turns green in the morning when your toddler can get out of their crib. This is helpful to have either way so that your toddler can start learning routines. And this will help them know when mommy and daddy will come to get them from their room.
If they are getting out of their crib while the light is red, you can let them know that they need to stay in bed until the light is green and walk them back to their room. This might take some more time and persistence than the other options. But it will be much easier than transitioning them to a toddler bed or floor bed.
9. Create a Consistent Bedtime Routine
Creating a consistent bedtime routine will help your toddler understand and prepare to fall asleep. If they are tired and know that it is time for bed, it will help them fall asleep easier and ensure that they stay in their bed. You want to check and make sure their diaper is changed, their “tired tank” is full, their temperature is good for sleep, and they are full. If any one of these is out, they will not fall asleep easily and will be more likely to climb out of their crib. You also want to ensure that you don’t get to a point where they are overtired as this will make it extremely hard for them to fall asleep.
A good bedtime routing might look like this:
Eat dinner
Play
Bath or shower
Brush teeth
Pajama time
Read a book
Put on sleep sack
Turn on the sound machine
Lights out and go to bed
This kind of bedtime routine will check off all of the boxes to make sure that you are setting them up for success to fall asleep. This will also create an association with the routine and being sleepy. They will know what to expect and will know that it will be time to go to bed soon.
If your toddler is becoming resistant to a bedtime routine because they don’t want to go to sleep, you can try a visual timer. A visual timer helps them see how much time they have left before you will begin their bedtime routine. This way you can let them know when they have 5 or 10 minutes left to play so that it is not abrupt and they are fighting you. They will feel more in control and cooperate better.
A parenting tip is to make what you are doing a game to get them to cooperate. For example, you can race your toddler to their room. Or you can brush your teeth with them to see who can clean their teeth better. Imagine if someone was bossing YOU around all day. You probably wouldn’t be so inclined to cooperate with them. That is how your toddler feels.
10. Positive Reinforcement
If you try one of these methods and they work, you should give your toddler positive reinforcement to let them know that what they are doing is good. This can be a treat in the morning, a sticker or even just letting them know they did a good job. Any kind of positive reinforcement is going to help them and let them know what they are doing is good.
Sometimes, toddlers know when they are doing something bad, and sometimes they are just trying something for the first time. Your toddler is learning new skills and growing. The first time they try to climb out of their crib, they might not even know they are doing something wrong. So, you can let them know when they do something right in addition to when they do something wrong. This will help them and then they will know what to expect.
What to do the first time your toddler starts to crib climb
The first time your toddler climbs out of their crib, don’t overreact. The best thing to do is let them know that it is time for bed and sleep and put them back in their crib. They are likely going to want to push their boundaries. If they know that every time they get out of their crib, you are going to put them right back, they are not going to want to keep doing it.
You want to avoid overreacting and making it more than it is. Most likely, they will try once or twice and begin to understand that it isn’t okay and you are going to bring them right back. When you run into trouble, it is when you give in or change what you are doing.
If you bring your toddler into your bed just one time, they are going to learn that when they climb out of their crib, there is a chance that they will get to sleep in your bed. And they might try every time to get into your bed because of the one time that you let them. You can avoid all of this by bringing them back to their crib every time. If they know that you are going to bring them right back, they are not going to fight as hard.
When is it time for a big kid bed?
At some point, your baby will outgrow their crib. You should try to keep your toddler or baby in their crib as long as possible. When they are that young, it is hard for them to understand why they need to sleep and stay in their bed. As your toddler gets older, they will be able to understand the concept of staying in their bed, they will learn self-control and they can understand more what you are communicating to them. Until then, it is much easier if they stay in their crib.
Around three years old is when toddlers begin to get too big for their crib and can move to a big bed, toddler bed, or a floor bed. Most toddlers will be ready between the ages of 2-4 years old. It is also much safer to wait until they are older to avoid the risks of the objects they will have access to in their room when they are out of the crib.
Sings your toddler is ready for a big bed:
You can’t get them to stop climbing out of the crib
They are asking for a big kid bed
Your toddler is physically too big for their crib
Just because you are welcoming a new baby into the family and want to put them in the crib does not mean you should transition your toddler to a toddler bed. You want to wait until they are ready to transition. If you move them out too soon, you will create a nightmare having a newborn baby and a toddler that doesn’t sleep well at night. Or a toddler who can’t fall asleep at night. In addition to this, transitioning them out of their crib right before brother or sister comes along can make your toddler feel like they are being replaced or kicked out.
When it is the right time to move them out of their crib, you will know and they will know too. There is no set “right time,” but you will know when they are ready and can stay in their bed without your intervention.
When they are one and two years old, they do not have the impulse control needed to stay in their own bed. When they move to a big-kid bed they will have to be old enough to be able to stay in their bed on their own. At a young age, this is just not realistic yet.
When they are ready, you should research and create a step-by-step plan that will make it a smooth transition for both of you. It is much easier to go into it with research and tips from people who have done it before. This is why toddler sleep training courses are so highly recommended.
Toddler Beds vs. Floor Beds
There are many pros and cons when it comes to toddler beds and floor beds. If you are looking to transition out of the crib, you should consider all of the options to find what is best for your baby. Having a new bed is a big change for your toddler. Consider showing them both options to see which they would like more to help them want to sleep in their bed. Letting them choose their own bed can significantly help the transition.
Middle of the night wakings
When your toddler is climbing out of their crib in the middle of the night, you should treat it no differently than during the day. You are likely very tired and don’t want to keep putting them back in their bed. But if you can stop it right away and they know they are going back to their bed, it will make it so much easier. They will know what to expect and will stop climbing out.
Potty Training and Sleep
If your toddler is potty training, consider an overnight pullup so that they can stay in their crib longer. If they are still in their crib, they will probably not be ready to wake up on their own to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. Make sure that they go to the bathroom before bedtime to make sure they stay dry throughout the night.
If your child is like mine, they wait until they are alone in bed to go #2 in their diaper. If this is the case with your toddler, make sure to keep a baby monitor on so that you can hear if they need a diaper change. You can let them know to tell you if they are old enough to understand instead of crying as well.
How to stop your toddler from climbing out of their crib
If you try all of these methods, I guarantee that your toddler will stop climbing out of their crib. It might take work on your part, but it is less work than transitioning them to a big kid bed. Do everything you can to keep them in their crib and you will have peaceful nights. If you are introducing a new sibling, get them their own crib or bassinet. This is the complete guide to: How to stop your toddler from climbing out of their crib.
