Crib Problems (Chewing on the Rails, Standing up Etc.)

Sounds like the discomfort from teething & the new standing up skill are combining to make this happen for your little guy. The crib must just "hit the spot" on his little gums. It's funny we are going through this at the same time. My husband has compiled a whole album of the many times we found our little girl sleeping with both legs sticking through the slats in her crib. She has stopped doing that now that she is 7 months old but she is still doing the standing-up thing. Because she is my third child I seem to be better at getting her to do what I want her to do. When I lay her down for her nap & she pretty much always pops up, hanging onto the rail, grinning at me or bouncing in the crib. I just turn from the door & say, "Lie down, baby girl!" walk out. I don't close the door all the way so I can see what she will do next. Sometimes, she actually does "obey" and lie down sucking her thumb. Lately, I have observed her standing there a little bit longer, sometimes crying for a couple of seconds, then putting herself down to babble to herself before drifting off to sleep. As others mentioned, sometimes (like today) I have come back into the room, given her a teething toy (She woke up with 3 new teeth today! Numbers 5,6 & 7!), then gently lay her back down saying, "Go to sleep, my baby girl," "Mommy loves you," or something like that. It works just fine as she eventually puts herself to sleep. If she cries for a minute or two that is okay too. I didn't want to train her that crying will bring me back to the room so sometimes I keep an eye on her discreetly just to make sure she's okay but I don't run back in if she cries.

Hi,
My son did the same thing at basically the same age. He actually took the first layer of wood off some parts of the crib but eventually he just moved on. He also did the standing up thing and at first I would go into his room and lay him back down. After a while tho I just let him be, until he cried for my help which wasnt that often. Prteey soon he learned to lay himself back down and go to sleep. I think its normal for the age they are just exploring.

I also bought him a Curious George to put in bed with him. The face glowed if you hugged him. It really helped with the standing up.

My son got his foot caught in the slats once and it really scared him. After that there was never another problem. I put toys in the crib with my son to distract him when he woke up from his nap. It helped with him trying to get out of the crib because he had something else to do.

At developmental & cognitive growth changes, these things happen. They have "new" skills and are "practicing" them. Short of teaching them that they "can't" use these skills... it is also a phase that will pass.

Both my kids did this. Then as quickly as it started, it stopped. For my son, once he climbed out of his crib, and fell out (we have carpeting below), and although he didn't get "hurt" he cried and cried. He learned and never did that again. Now, he never ever tries to climb out of the crib. As for chewing on the rails.. there are rail guards you can buy. As for getting his legs stuck in the slats.. .yes, this has happened once to my son and to my friend's as well. But for my son, once he does it and gets stuck, he doesn't do it again.

they chew on the rails because he may be teething. OR, give him something IN his crib, that he CAN chew on. At 10 months old, you can put a couple child safe toys in there with him, to distract him and to let him snuggle with etc. That is what we did.

As they change physically/cognitively/and developmentally...they WILL pull-up/stand-up/ and what not in the crib.. this is how they learn and practice their skills...although to us adults, it's not a convenient time that they do this. It WILL pass. Don't worry. But yes, you WILL need to go and lay him down again... OR, let him learn to put himself down in a sitting position, then to a laying down position... so that he can learn to "self-soothe." If he is not yet able to sit back down, and then lay down on his own..then yep, you need to wake up, and put him back down.

Good luck, sorry have to rush off and get the kids...
~Susan

Hi C.,
I am going through this right now with my eight month old. I have lowered the matress to lowest level and now feel a little more comfortable. As the other responses state, this is stage they go through. My daugter, now three, did it too, but beat me at falling out of the crib before I could lower it all the way. She fell out once and learned, she did not get hurt, just frieghtened. My son has also gotten his foot stuck between the slats, he did not get hurt. During the middle of the night I have found him awake standing up and laughing. Everytime I lay him down, he pulls himslef back up and does it again. So our routine is now to go into the living room rock him back to sleep and then put him back down. As mentioned you can be the railing guards, my son is teething and likes to chew on it too. I also try to put a toy or too in the crib to distract him, sometimes it works. Worse case for me, I put him in his play pen or bring him back to bed with me so I get some sleep. Good luck, once you get through this stage, get ready for the next!!
D.

Hi C.. Most babies start to pull themselves up in the crib, mine were doing that at nine months. I'd go in in the morning and they would be standing there looking around. The crib I have for all 3 of my babies, had a teething rail. on the rail of the crib, and my first baby got his legs stuck betwen the slats even with the bumper pads, so what i did was i took the crib apart and Just used the crib mattress on the floor, I putall his stuffed animals around it and it work great until he was ready for a twin bed. J.