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My son was born ready to climb out of his crib. Given that my husband and I are both tall people, it wasn’t a huge shock to learn that my son is tall for his age.
On top of that, he is very gross motor dominant, making him the ideal toddler candidate for climbing out of a crib. We prepared for this to become an issue early on.
The other day I was washing dishes, and my son had wandered off into my bedroom. When I went to get him, not 5 minutes later…
He was ON TOP of my nightstand. Yes, my 15 month old climbed on top of my not-so-short nightstand all by himself.
So all of this made me wonder, if he could climb atop a nightstand, what on Earth stopped him from climbing out of the crib??
Best way to stop climbing out of the crib.
Use a sleep sack. One day I went to get my son after he awoke from his nap, and I noticed him attempting to get his foot up. He couldn’t with the sleep sack on.
It’s no secret that I love the HALO Sleep Sack series of swaddles and wearable blankets. I hadn’t ever considered that a wearable blanket would deter my son from climbing out of the crib, but it’s completely GENIUS!
According to the sizing chart, an XXL will fit a child 26-36 lbs and 35-40 inches. So the HALO SleepSack Wearable Blanket won’t prevent it forever, it can certainly bide you a nice amount of time.
It is recommend starting as young as possible with the wearable blanket, so that your child is always used to it. The sleep sack is completely safe to use. Your child can move around, stand, and even walk in the crib with the blanket on.
The blanket will prevent your child from lifting his leg up high enough to get it over the rail. It will also prevent his feet from getting enough traction along the rails to climb out of the crib.
Other things to try…
Keep the mattress on the lowest setting. We did this at around age 6 months. So we were well ahead of the curve when it came to keeping the mattress as close to the ground as possible. Can you tell we were anticipating him climbing out of the crib? If you are reading this post, I can only assume you already tried this.
Consider moving to a toddler or twin bed. This is usually the least ideal option depending on the age of your child. My son is 15 months and we are no where near being ready for a regular bed. He would never stay in it. Most recommend transitioning somewhere around the age of two, plus or minus a few months. 18 months is definitely considered early, but I’ve heard from other moms this can be done.
If you want to transition your child to a bed, it’s really important to make the room and house as safe as possible.
More reasons the Halo Sleep Sack is awesome.
If you are on the fence about the sheer awesomeness of the Halo Sleep Sack, here are a few more reasons I completely love it. It prevents an older baby from taking their clothes off, which also prevents him or her from removing a diaper. I’ve heard too many horror stories of older babies and young toddlers having a hay day removing their diapers and making a huge mess in the crib.
The sleep sack is also awesome in the event that your child has a rare diaper blowout. It will contain the mess, preventing it from smearing everywhere.
If you are interested in taking a look at the sleep sack, you can check out either the HALO SleepSack Swaddle or HALO SleepSack Wearable Blanket on Amazon.
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How did you handle a child climbing out of the crib?
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Emily
This is brilliant! Just got one for my 19 month old, please please work!!!! Toddlers can sure be tenacious, and I’m desperate for sleep… thanks for posting this.
Andrea Melody
So glad I stumbled upon this. Sleep sack? I even have one I’ve never used someone passed onto me. Trying it tomorrow night! My daughter just turned 2 and now climbs over every chance she gets. Used to sleep 11 hours and now wakes at 3am and won’t stay in her crib. How old can these sleep sacks be used ? She’s 34 lbs and almost 36″ tall. I don’t think she’s ready for a bed (I know I’m not)!
Crystal B.
Love this article. I tried the sleep sack and my little one escaped! I ended up finding a company named “Little Grounders” – link below – that makes pajamas just for this! They were awesome and totally worked! I had to beg them to send me a pair because when they launched they sold out so quickly and now everything is on backorder. Anyway, my husband and I can FINALLY sleep because of these, so maybe they will help someone else. Good luck!
https://littlegrounders.com/
Sarah Gordon
Thank you, thank you, thank you! These totally worked for us.
Gina
These Little Grounders worked like a charm for us. What a brilliant idea! They’re really good quality in terms of fit and material too (we hate those cheap carter’s pjs). We were a little concerned that maybe he’d trip in them, but not the case at all. He runs all around the house in them…he just can’t climb! We actually get a kick out of watching him try to climb on things and finally just giving up when he can’t. These work great for us. I really appreciate you sharing.
jennie
We tried Little Grounders and OMG, they are amazing! My baby boy looks so cute in these pjs and he can’t climb on ANYTHING when he’s wearing them. I’m not one to write reviews (about anything really), but these were so helpful that I’ve been telling everyone about them. FYI…they run a bit big in my opinion, so keep that in mind. Otherwise very happy.
Catie
Perfect! Got our Little Grounders yesterday and they totally did the trick. If anyone is interested there is a mother’s day special where they waive shipping too.
Beth
My question about the little grounders is, if they know how to unzip, can’t they just take them off?
Catherine
So it’s funny because that’s what I thought too. But my toddler hasn’t even tried unzipping it and he’s almost 3! They say that on the website too. I love the Little Grounders.
The sleep sacks were completely useless for us. We even turned them around backwards. He got out in under 10 minutes. I just bought my Sister in Law a Little Grounder for her 12 month old who is already trying to climb on furniture!
Lavi Mac Garrity
Hi. I would like to order two. Pink and bleu.
Or eed and bleu. I have a noy and girl. They 21 months but big for there age. The boy rould need the size of 24 months. I live in cape town SA. How much is it and how long to deliver?
Todd
Negative on the sleep sack. He just unzips it, even when we turned the sack around and zipped it from the back. He soon skipped the unzipping part and scales the crib in the fully zipped up sleep sack, and yes, with the mattress springs at the lowest setting. He’s definitely got his dad’s Airborne blood. Going to try using perforated metal strips to lower the mattress springs below the factory settings. If need be, will raise the legs and fabricate wood slats between them so he can’t low crawl under! Good thing I have wood working skills!
Hector
Same here. The sleep sack was completely useless. Don’t even waste your money. We bought the Little Grounders per the recommendation of some of the other commenters. They were extremely helpful. Perfect actually.
Brittney
Did this work for you? We’re trying to figure something out for our twins. The mattress is currently on the floor & cribs turned around so the tall back is the front. We added a piece to the bottom so they can’t slide out but they’re still climbing over the side. I need solid end pieces that go to the floor so there isn’t anything for them to get their foot in or risers for the side rails so they’re too tall to get their legs over.
Stephanie
Hey my son is 20 months old he is climbing out of his crib I don’t what to do I need help
Hector
Buy Little Grounders. They helped us tremendously. littlegrounders.com
Good luck!
Cassee
My daughter has been climbing out of the crib since 14-15 months. The sleep sack was my first line of defense. Sadly that failed me, it only took her a couple weeks to figure it out. She is now 17 months and bedtime is a nightmare and a half. I wish the sleep sack worked as well for me as it did for you.
Anne
Cassee did you ever figure out a solution that worked for your daughter? My son is 15 months and got out of the crib this morning- when I came in his room he was standing up with his sleep sack still on and fully zipped so I feel you.
Michelle
Same thing here. Going to try the little grounders one..
Ali
What about when he starts chewing on the zipper pull of the Halo sleep sack? Doesn’t seem safe to me. I had to stop using them with my second son!