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Just when you thought taking care of a newborn was exhausting, you realize that keeping a toddler alive and safe is a whole different ball game. Babies are curious by nature but they are confined to you due to their lack of mobility. Once your toddler starts running around, you’ll never stop running either. And the worst part is, putting them in your crib while they are sound asleep may not be a good solution to their inclination to move about and potentially hurt themselves. While wrestling your child into their pajamas and dealing with them kicking you while you attempt to feed them is one thing, leaving them alone when they can easily climb out of their crib and get hurt in the process is a whole other scenario to deal with. But parents can’t be expected to watch their children every minute of the day. So, what do you do? If you’re wondering how to keep your tiny tot from climbing out of their crib, then this is the article for you. Read on for a couple of tips and tricks!
1. Check The Mattress Height And Adjust It
This is your first go-to step when dealing with a crib climbing toddler. In order to ensure that your child is safe, lower the bed to the lowest setting your crib allows. Then remove any excess pillows, bumpers or bedding in the crib. These accessories can help raise the crib by a couple of inches which is something you want to rectify. And finally, turn the crib back around as if the back side was taller than the front. Your child’s safety is of paramount importance during these vulnerable years. So make sure to block them from being able to easily climb over the rail so that they don’t fall down while trying to climb out of their crib while your back is turned. Ridding the rib of all the extra pillows and bedding will give them less things to use while mapping out their escape plan.
2. Make Sure You Stay Away From Crib Tents
A crib tent may sound like a great solution in theory but we would advise against using them and so would sleep experts. Crib tents have been found as unsafe for the use of babies and toddlers alike time and time again. In fact, even Consumer Reports has them on their list of dangerous baby products to avoid. They pose a great risk of straggling your tiny tot if they were to move around in their sleep and get tangled up in the fabric. So, stay far away from these tents.
3. Control Your Reaction
The thought of your child, that you work hard all day round to keep healthy and safe, climbing their crib and injuring themselves while you sleep can be a scary, anxiety inducing thought. But when you do see it happening, it’s important to not freak out or have a huge blown out reaction in front of your little one. Instead, go up to your toddler and tell them not to climb their crib in a neutral stern tone. Keep your demeanor and tone consistent and in a few days they will stop doing this action to elicit a reaction out of you.
4. It Doesn’t Mean It’s Time To Ditch The Crib
Usually when kids start scaling the crib, parents think that they are asking for a bigger bed and need to be shifted right away. But this isn’t necessarily the case in most scenarios. Keep in mind that toddlers are curious and have next to no impulse control. Sometimes they just do things because it seems like a fun idea and there is nothing else to it. So a couple of these “jailbreak” attempts are expected to happen. At this stage in their lives, kids just want to explore their environment and test new ideas. They want to find out what impact and consequences their actions can have. Which in this case doesn’t work in their favor. But none of this signifies that your toddler has outgrown their crib or doesn’t want to sleep in it anymore.
5. Always Consider Their Age
If the crib climbing days are few and far between then your little one may not be ready for a big bed just yet. But they are a little older and seem to be getting out of their crib every night in search of a roomier place to sleep, then it might be time to consider getting them a bed. Make sure to always take into account the age of your child in every decision you make regarding their sleep. How much they sleep and where can be greatly influenced by their developmental stage.
Getting your kids to sleep soundly and stay in their crib isn’t as easy as it was when they were a baby. But that’s okay, with a few tips up your sleeve your little one will stay just where you left them and remain safe and sound all night long!
Sources
Reports of Injury Risks and Reasons for Choice of Sleep Environments for Infants and Toddlers, NCBI
