11-Month-old Hitting Head on Crib?

Updated on March 17, 2009
L.A. asks from Durham, NC
11 answers

Hi everyone - It seems my almost 11-month-old daughter has inherited my tendency to flip like a pancake when she sleeps. She just moves around a lot in her sleep in general. Anyway, she often ends up hitting her head on the crib rails or getting her arm or leg stuck (or not stuck but just pushed through) the rails. This seems to be one of the reasons she still wakes up over night. I will hear a "thunk" sound, and she will start crying. Sometimes it is just a little whining, and she goes back to sleep. Other times is full on wail until I come in there. Sometimes it seems like she's been crawling in her sleep too - I go in and she is on hands and knees with her head pushed up against the rails crying.

She has a great consistent bedtime routine and usually has no trouble going to sleep. I put her on her back but she usually flips almost immediately to her side or stomach. She wakes up 2 to 3 times between 8pm and 7am.

Anyone else have this experience? What did you do? She's definitely not old enough for a toddler bed yet - she would definitely fall out, and she can't yet walk. She's not trying to climb out of the crib yet either, but she stands up in there sometimes. Let me know if you have any ideas. Thanks!

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K.B.

answers from Asheville on

Hi Lisa,
I know I'm not supposed to but I put the bumper pads back in. She likes to snuggle up to them. Worked for me. good luck.

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R.M.

answers from Nashville on

I know they say not to use crib bumpers, but mine moves around quite a bit too. Once he was able to roll and crawl on his own and I felt the risk of getting trapped against it was gone, I put the bumper on because he was getting his legs stuck and hitting his head also.

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A.J.

answers from Raleigh on

I would do the bumper also. (I've always used one, though.) My little girl does that sometimes, and it is definitely annoying! But, I just delt with it one night at a time. I think she will phase out of it.

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T.S.

answers from Charlotte on

I have a 10 month old who sleeps with his head buried in the corner of the crib. I've actually left the bumper pads on to avoid him hitting his head as he too tosses and turns in his sleep. I haven't had any issues with him getting caught up in them or using them to stand on to try and get out of the crib. I think it helps that I have the crib set at the lowest possible setting.

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M.A.

answers from Raleigh on

Wow...I felt like I was reading about my 11 month old daughter when I read your post. I have the same issues. After reading all of the posts...and being in the same predicament...I disagree with a lot of them. If your little girl is anything like mine, a bumper is actually more of a danger. I found her one night with her leg stuck wrapped in it! She also uses it to gain leverage climbing, so it makes the crib less safe. She also scoots herself into corners, or against the edge, so a bumper is a suffocation hazard.

After doing a bunch of research, I decided to just leave things alone. It is actually quite common for babies this age to do this. Hopefully, over time, she will become more used to her environment and won't do this any longer.

I certainly sympathize. If you receive any great feedback that you want to pass forward to me, please do!

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E.F.

answers from Louisville on

I recommend the Breathable Baby Crib Bumper.
http://www.breathablebaby.com/

I had the same problem with my first child and this bumper kept his limbs and toys in and had just enough padding without raising the risk for SIDS. When I had my second baby I got a second bumper because had two cribs for a while. They go on snug with velcro and making sheet changes easy.

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V.C.

answers from Wheeling on

Just from experience, this may be a good time to start potty training. She may get restless when she's needing to pee, and starts moving about. Try to catch her a time or two when you first hear her stirring, and see if her diaper's dry. If it is, take her to a potty chair and sit her on it. You may hit paydirt! This worked with my (4) kids and the 3 'grands'!

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V.W.

answers from Wheeling on

Dear Lisa

Is there any way you can put blankets around the rails
And faston them down to stay put.
That way she could not get through the rails.
She sound like avery healthy little lady.
And she learning quick.

It is just an idea.

Vicki W.

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S.I.

answers from Johnson City on

Hi! I also have an 11 month old daughter who moves around quite a bit in her sleep. She also wakes up briefly at least 2-3 times a night. Usually she just wants her diaper changed or has lost her paci and wants it back in her mouth. Anyway, you didn't mention whether or not you have a crib bumper up. We still do, so when she hits her head on the rails she generally doesnt have much of a reaction to it. This seems it would also eliminate the problem of getting feet or hands stuck in the rails. If it doesn't, you could always put her in the Halo sleepsack like we do. There are holes for her arms but it zips up over her legs so she can kick around in the sack but she wouldn't be able to get a leg through the crib railing. Also, it would make it a little more difficult for her to crawl in her sleep. My daughter loves her sleepsack and it keeps her nice and warm. As far as maybe helping her rest a little better, we recently bought a bear that makes different sounds like heartbeat, driving, ocean etc. My daughter likes the heartbeat and she has been waking less since we began using it. I hope this helps!

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

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B.L.

answers from Jacksonville on

We used a cosleeper, which could be adjusted so it was deep like a crib, and it doesn't have slats. It has canvas on the sides, so it wouldn't hurt baby to hit those, nor would baby get caught up in anything (much like a pack and play).

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