My baby stands up in the crib and can’t get back down. What do I do?
Lower the mattress to its lowest setting before your baby can stand; that is MedlinePlus safety advice. Pulling up to stand is a milestone the CDC lists by the first birthday, and early standers can have a short period of disrupted sleep. If standing has turned into weeks of night waking, the cause is usually how your baby falls asleep, not the skill.
Safety first: the mattress
MedlinePlus advises lowering the crib mattress before your baby can sit up on their own, and having it at its lowest level before your baby can stand. If your baby is already pulling up and the mattress is still high, lower it today.
Other crib checks at this stage:
- Remove hanging crib toys and mobiles. MedlinePlus says to take them down when your baby first pushes up on hands and knees, because they can strangle a baby.
- Keep the crib bare. Anything inside can become a step.
- Move the crib away from windows, blind cords, curtains and furniture your baby could reach.
- MedlinePlus says children should stop using a crib by the time they are 35 inches (89 cm) tall.
Some babies doze off sitting up or slumped at the rail. Once they are asleep, lay them down on their back.
Standing is a short phase. Weeks of broken nights afterwards are usually not about the skill, and that waking is what Actually Sleeping fixes.
Why it happens
The CDC lists “pulls up to stand” among the milestones most babies reach by 1 year. A small study that tracked babies with home sleep recordings found that, in babies who pulled to stand early, by 8 months, the new skill was linked in time with a period of disrupted sleep. Pulling up is easier to learn than getting down. So your baby stands, gets tired, and calls for help.
Why a short phase becomes weeks of waking
The skill itself settles. What often does not is the pattern that grew up around it. Parents lay the baby down twenty times, and standing becomes a game. Or they rock or feed the baby back to sleep after each stand, and soon the baby needs that help at every waking, standing or not. By the time the baby can get down easily, the night waking has a new reason to continue.
Often the milestone has passed, but the nights have not recovered. The fix is the same as for most night waking after 6 months: a baby who can fall asleep on their own at bedtime and get back to sleep between cycles. Dr. Sam writes a plan for your baby’s age, feeds and current habits, with bootcamp-style coaching before the first night and daily 1:1 check-ins as new skills come and go. Parents of babies this age describe it in reviews from families of 7 to 9 month olds.
Schedules matter too. A baby who isn’t tired at bedtime has energy to practise, and getting the timing right for your baby is part of every plan.
Is it time for a bed
Standing is not a reason to leave the crib. Climbing out is a different matter. If your toddler is climbing out or has reached 35 inches, see when to move from a crib to a bed.
See also the 8 to 10 month regression.
If standing in the crib has turned into weeks of broken nights, book a free consultation with Actually Sleeping.
Want this fixed for your baby?
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Frequently asked
Should I keep laying my baby down every time they stand?
Repeatedly laying a baby down tends to turn standing into a game, and it does not teach them to settle. Once your baby falls asleep sitting or slumped, lay them on their back. How to respond at night is written into each Actually Sleeping plan.
When should I lower the crib mattress?
MedlinePlus advises lowering it before your baby can sit up on their own, and having it at the lowest level before they can stand. If your baby is already pulling up, lower it now.
How long does the standing phase last?
It varies. If night waking continues for weeks after your baby can get down easily, the skill is usually no longer the cause. Habits that started during the phase, such as being rocked back to sleep, often keep the waking going.