The Great Baby Escape! (Ways to Keep Your Child Safely in their Crib)

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Most of motherhood is exclaiming, “They are growing up too fast,” or “I’m not ready!” When my daughter jumped out of her crib at 17 months that sentiment could not have been more true. My twins’ cribs were their only truly safe zone and I was NOT ready to give them free reign of their shared bedroom!

Since the age of four months our angels have been the best sleepers. (Shout out to my husband the baby whisperer and master sleep trainer!) You may hate me for admitting this, but our toddlers sleep 12 hours a night in their cribs. I was not ready to give up my cherished sleep! Visions of the twins teaming up to destroy their room and doing back flips off their furniture horrified me. (You’ve all seen the twin terror videos on Social Media!)

Amid my crib crisis I was offered some great advice on how to keep my daughter put. Below are a few helpful tips and creative tricks that just might work for you!

Move to a Toddler Bed

I was not ready to face the music but you might be! Hey, your toddler may love their new bed and sleep comfortably through the night? The most obvious answer is to move your toddler to a bed and never look back. However, if you are like me and holding on for dear life read on!! 

Toddler Sleep Sacks

Like baby sleep sacks, toddler sleep sacks provide a material covering over your little one’s legs (think zip up blanket). Although we didn’t go this route, I see how sleep sacks could come in handy. Toddler sleep sacks help prevent really bendy kids, like my daughter, from swinging their legs up and over the crib railing.

The Crib Tent

This one is a bit controversial. After some research, we learned that the American Academy of Pediatrics warns that crib tents can be dangerous, particularly during emergency situations. It can be extremely time-consuming to detach the top part of the tent and remove the child in a hurry. I’d recommend staying away from this option, but know that if you want to contain your little monkey in mosquito netting this option does exists.

Rotate Your Crib so the High Back is Now Opposite the Wall

This is a great option for any crib with a high back. Simply rotate the crib around so the higher end is in front and the lower end butts up against the wall, making it harder for your child to escape.

Lower the Mattress All the Way to the Floor

Many cribs have removable bedsprings and you can lower the mattress all the way to the floor. If there is a gap between the mattress and the bed frame, I have seen people DIY a barrier on the bottom so the child is safely contained.

Flip the Crib Upside Down

The craziest solution is the one that worked out best for us! Our crib converts into a toddler bed and has a built in mattress frame that’s permanent. As hard as we tried, there was no lowering our daughter’s mattress to the floor. A quick Google search uncovered this trick! With a flat-topped crib, simply flip it upside down! This not only allowed us to get the mattress all the way to the floor, but it bought us another inch or two of height. Just enough to prevent our little gymnast from being able to mount the railing! We have been going on three months since the great escape and she is still contained!

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Facing Reality

I’m not entirely delusional. I do know that my twins can’t sleep in their cribs forever. (We bought the convertible models for that exact reason for God’s sake!) But for now, crib sleeping gives me the piece of mind to get my 8 hours of shut eye and keeps them safely contained. 

Still wondering what to do? Be sure to check out our certified pediatric sleep consultant, Alison Bevan’s tips: Crib Climbing – Keeping Your Little “Escape Artist” Safe and Crib vs. Big Kid Bed – 5 Reasons To Think Before You Switch

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katemoncayo
Kate is a working mom who is constantly trying to balance the chaos of a full-time advertising career with caring for her twins. She is a New York transplant who’s fallen in love with the CT shoreline she now calls home. Kate lives by the beach in Fairfield with her husband and boy/girl twins. When not working or chasing her kids you can find Kate sweating it out at a Bar Method Class or watching reality TV with wine in hand! Having it all may be a myth but Kate is trying her damnedest to live a balanced life. She hopes you can relate as you follow along on her crazy journey through motherhood!

2 COMMENTS

  1. Hi there,
    What brand of crib and model did you use when you flipped it upside down? Thanks in advance for your help!

  2. Hi Jenna! I’m not positive on the exact brand because we got rid of them a few years back, but any crib with equally high rails should work!

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