How To Keep Your Toddler Climbing Out Of Crib: Top Tips

At a certain age, your child stops being a small helpless baby and turns into an active little toddler. They are intent on asserting his or her will on the world. There are many challenges that come along with this phase, one of those being that your toddler can now attempt to climb out of their crib, and successfully at that. So how do you keep your toddler from climbing out of the crib?

It can be very frustrating for parents, as well as a little scary. You need to put your child in their crib to sleep but you don’t want them getting injured while they attempt to break free or wander around at night without you knowing. Safety here is our biggest concern, so keeping them in their crib is a priority. 

All is not lost, however, as there are things you can do to encourage your active little one to stay in their crib without them trying to climb out of it. 

At What Age, Do Toddlers Climb Out Of Their Crib?

Toddlers can climb out of their crib almost as soon as they can walk, from around 12 months. However, even if they can walk, they may not start doing this until they are closer to two. 

On average though, most toddlers who partake in escaping their crib will do this at around 18 months. 

The age of 18 months is around the time most toddlers will have the balance and strength to climb out of their cribs successfully. 

How Do I Stop My Baby/Toddler From Climbing Out of His Crib?

There isn’t a one size fits all answer to this question. There are many methods for helping your toddler stay in their cot at night. What is right for one mom and toddler may not be right for another. But you may find other solutions that work just fine. 

That’s why you will find several solutions in this article to help your little one overcome his crib escape artist routine. There should be at least one solution for everyone here. Your toddler won’t be leaving their crib without you knowing. 

9 Simple Solutions To Keep Your Toddler In The Crib

1. Lower The Crib Mattress

Lowering the mattress to the lowest position possible can make it harder for your toddler to climb out. Ensure there are no gaps between the mattress and the crib sides to avoid any safety issue.

This one may seem obvious, but sometimes the simplest solutions can be forgotten about or overlooked. 

Your cot should come with two mattress heights. When your little one is a baby, the mattress height should be on the higher one. It’s possible you may have forgotten to lower the mattress height to the lowest setting once your child has reached toddler age and could potentially climb out. 

2. Use Pyjamas That Prevent Them From Climbing

I bet you are wondering how pyjamas would stop your child from climbing out of their crib? Well, it can be done. If you make a few adjustments to your child’s pyjamas or buy a certain type of pyjamas. 

You could first try buying pyjamas that are a little restrictive. For example, pyjamas that are made of non stretchy material. Depending on the material and how restrictive they are, they might stop your little one from stretching their legs enough to climb out. 

Another way to do this is to sew a piece of thick material between both legs. This material needs to be long enough, so it doesn’t affect their walking movement, but short enough that they can’t spread their legs enough to get one over the crib and climb out. You can actually buy these pyjamas already made and they really are genius. 

3. Teach Your Child When They Can And Can’t Get Out Of Their Cot: Bedtime Routines

Bedtime Routines and Clear Rules: Establish a consistent bedtime routine and teach your toddler that crib time is sleep time. Utilizing a toddler clock can help reinforce when it’s okay to get up.

This certainly won’t be for all parents and toddlers, but it may just be the answer for a few. 

The first is to try to catch them in the act and purposefully put them straight back in. If this is done each and every time your toddler escapes and is done with enough repetition, they will soon learn that there is no point in escaping as they will always end up back in their crib. 

The second option is to use a device such as a toddler clock, traditionally used for sleep training. However, it can be adapted as a solution for crib climbing toddler. If you are happy that your child is safe when getting out of their crib and they are old enough, you can teach them using a colour changing toddler clock. It will show a sun when they may climb out of their cot. e.g. after a certain time in the morning.

It’s important to set boundaries around bedtime.

4. Reposition the Crib

Some cribs are higher at the back than at the front. If this is the case, then you should be able to place the lower side against the wall instead of the back. This will leave the higher back part of the crib for your toddler to get over. It’s likely that this part of the crib will be too high for them to climb over. It solves your toddler climbing problems. 

Be aware, however, that the side of the crib may not be higher and this could still be a route for your toddler to escape. 

This method really depends on the type of cot you have, especially if the sides of the cot are raised further or not. This won’t be a suitable solution for those whose cots are even all the way around. 

5. Use An Age-Appropriate Sleep Sack

If you used to use a sleep sack when your child was little, now you’ve reached the phase where you need to stop your toddler from climbing out of the curb, you could re-introduce it. Even if you have never used one, now might be the time to start. 

The toddler sleep sack will keep your toddler lovely and warm through the night while also doubling up as an anti escape tactic. Your toddler shouldn’t be able to manoeuvre their legs enough to climb out. 

If they can undo their sleep sack, a great tactic is to put it on back to front so they can’t undo it and get out of it. The zip ones are great for this too. 

6. Add Or Remove Cuddly Toys And Playthings

It may sound strange that I’m saying to do two completely opposite things, but stay with me. 

If your child already has cuddly toys and playthings in their cot, they might use these, stacking them up to help give them more height to climb out of their crib. If this is the case, definitely remove these so they can’t use them as aids to help them climb out. 

However, if your little one is climbing out of their cot and they don’t have and playthings or stuffed animals, adding them as a distraction could help to encourage them to stay in their cot. 

Part of the reason toddlers want to climb out of their cot is boredom. So if there is a little entertainment in their cot, it may stop them from wanting to climb out of their cot if there is something to play with in their cot. 

If these toys stop them from going to sleep in the first place, you can always keep them out of the cot as they are going to sleep and place them at the bottom of the cot afterward to if they wake early morning they have something to play with. 

Children should not have any cuddly toys or playthings in their cot with them until they are at least 1 years old. 

7. Move Them From The Crib To A Toddler Bed

Once your child is frequently attempting to climb out or has reached the age of three, it might be time to move them to a big kid bed. This can be seen as an exciting new milestone for your toddler. When transitioning from a crib to a big bed, it’s often a big change but a necessary next step in your child’s sleep journey. This can be an exciting first time experience for your little guy and a great option to promote better sleep habits.

8. Keep Them Safe With A Crib Rail

It’s important to make sure your toddler can’t get out of their toddler bed. They should be kept safe by using a crib rail on the side of the toddler bed, which is there to stop them rolling out and hurting themselves. Make sure you also use a safety gate at night time, or when they need extra supervision so that they are kept as safe as possible.

9. Keep Them Safe With A Baby Gate

For added safety, install a baby gate at their bedroom door or at the top of the stairs to prevent wandering during the middle of the night.

Crib Tents

We recommend that you do not use crib tents, as there have been a lot of safely concerns and product recalls on these products.

Final Thoughts

Whew, what a journey parenting is, right? As your little escape artist grows and starts plotting their next crib escape, it might just be time to think about making the switch to a new bed. Remember, every little climber or ​comes with their unique set of challenges, whether it’s mastering potty training, overcoming sleep regression, or just navigating the toddler years.

And, as your little houdini attempts new feats of escape, always remember to double check that everything is secure, from the lowest possible setting of the crib mattress to ensuring crib railing is up to snuff.

FAQ’s On Toddler Climbing Out Of Crib

1. When should my toddler stop sleeping in a crib? Transition your child to a toddler or twin bed between 18 months and 3.5 years, particularly if they’ve mastered the new skill of crib climbing or have outgrown the crib.

2. How do I keep my toddler from climbing out of the crib and won’t sleep? Ensure all safety measures like the lowest mattress setting and sleep sacks are in place. If the escape attempts continue, consider it might be the right time for a toddler bed.

3. Is it normal for toddlers to fall out of the crib? While it’s not uncommon for toddlers to take a tumble, especially if they’re in the climbing phase, we definitely want to prevent it as much as possible for their safety. If it happens once, it’s a good cue to reevaluate the crib setup or consider transitioning to a bed. And always, always make sure there’s nothing hard or sharp near the crib that they could hurt themselves on if they do fall.

4. What is too tall for a baby crib? If your toddler’s chest reaches the top rail, it’s safer to transition to a bed suited for a young child.

Parenting is one wild ride, isn’t it? But remember, you’ve got this! And every child is unique, so while it’s great to know the general guidelines, always trust your gut and do what feels right for your family. Sweet dreams to your little one! 🌙🛌👶

Do you have tips for how to keep your toddler from climbing out of crib? If so, comment below!