Updated September 2026: An earlier version of this article suggested padded or "breathable" crib liners, soft toys, and straps inside the crib. That advice did not follow American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) safe sleep guidance, and we have removed it.

Hearing your baby thump against the side of the crib (or cot) in the middle of the night is unsettling. If your baby keeps hitting their head on the crib while sleeping, rolling over, or pulling up to stand, you are not alone, and most of these bumps are minor. The good news is that the safest setup is also the simplest: a bare crib that meets current safety standards, set up correctly for your baby's stage. This guide explains why it happens, how to prevent it and protect your baby safely, what to avoid (including crib bumpers and rail padding), and when a bump means a call to your doctor.

Why Does My Baby Keep Hitting Their Head on the Crib?

Babies move a lot, awake and asleep. The most common reasons for head bumps in the crib are:

  • Active sleep. Babies shift, stretch, and scoot during sleep, so bumping the crib bars while sleeping is common.
  • Rolling. Many parents first notice the bumps when their baby starts rolling over and knocks their head on the side of the crib.
  • Sitting, pulling up, and standing. A baby standing in the crib and hitting their head is usually a baby practicing a new skill: pulling up, wobbling, and falling or sitting back down hard.
  • Rhythmic head banging or rocking. Some babies and toddlers rock or bang their heads against the crib to settle themselves to sleep. A medical review in American Family Physician describes rhythmic head banging as something that can occur in normal infants and young children. If it is frequent, intense, or comes with other concerns about development, bring it up with your pediatrician.

Bumps tend to cluster around new skills: rolling, which often starts around 3 to 4 months, then sitting, crawling, and pulling up later in the first year.

Are Crib Bumps Dangerous?

Usually, no. A crib that meets current safety standards has slats close enough together that a baby's body cannot slip through and trap their head. The AAP states that with current safety standards for crib slats, bumper pads and similar products "are not necessary for safety against head entrapment or to prevent injury." Still, watch your baby after any bump, and know the warning signs that mean you should call your doctor.

How to Keep Your Baby from Hitting Their Head on the Crib

These steps help protect your baby from bumps against the crib bars and rails without adding anything to the crib that could raise the risk of suffocation or entrapment.

1. Keep the Crib Bare

The CPSC's guidance is "Bare is Best": nothing but a fitted sheet in a crib, bassinet, or play yard. That means no bumpers, liners, pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, or positioners. It can feel counterintuitive when your baby keeps bumping their head, but soft items in the sleep space are exactly what the AAP links to sleep-related deaths.

2. Check Slat Spacing and Mattress Fit

If your crib is older, secondhand, or a hand-me-down, check it. The AAP and CPSC both call for slats (the vertical bars) no more than 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) apart, which the CPSC describes as about the width of a soda can. Also check the mattress: if you can fit more than two fingers between the mattress and the sides or ends of the crib, the AAP says that crib and mattress combination should not be used. Stop using any crib with missing or cracked slats.

3. Lower the Mattress as Your Baby Grows

The AAP advises lowering the mattress before your baby can sit, and setting it at the lowest position before your baby learns to stand. Lowering the crib mattress keeps the side rail tall relative to your baby, so they cannot lean over it or pull themselves over the top. The AAP notes that the most common crib falls happen when a baby tries to climb out, and says to move your child to another bed when they are 35 inches (89 cm) tall, or when the side rail is less than three-quarters of their height (about nipple level).

4. Use a Sleep Sack Instead of Blankets

A wearable blanket (sleep sack) keeps your baby warm without loose bedding in the crib, and the AAP calls wearable blankets preferable to blankets. Skip weighted sleep sacks and weighted swaddles. The AAP recommends against placing any weighted product on or near a sleeping infant.

5. Stop Swaddling When Your Baby Tries to Roll

The AAP recommends stopping the swaddle once your baby shows signs of trying to roll, which usually happens around 3 to 4 months but can happen earlier. Always place your baby on their back to sleep. Once your baby can roll both ways (back to tummy and tummy to back) on their own, you can let them stay in the position they roll into. If they can only roll one way, NIH Safe to Sleep says you can move them back onto their back if they roll onto their tummy during sleep.

6. Baby-Proof the Nursery Around the Crib

Where the crib sits matters too. The AAP advises against placing a crib near a window, and the CPSC recommends moving cribs away from window covering cords, preferably to another wall. Keep the crib away from dressers, shelves, and anything a standing baby could reach or pull on. Once your baby is crawling and cruising around the nursery, the edges of that furniture become the next thing to bump into. Soft corner protectors can cushion dresser, nightstand, and changing table corners. Corner protectors go on furniture only, never on or inside the crib. The CPSC also recommends anchoring dressers and other furniture to the wall to prevent tip-overs.

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7. Help a Head-Banger Wind Down

If your baby is banging their head on the crib on purpose to fall asleep, you cannot pad it away, and you should not try. Instead, focus on a calm, predictable bedtime routine. Rocking, back rubs, or sitting nearby until your baby settles can give them another way to calm down. These soothing techniques and sleep tips may help. Mention the head banging at your next well-child visit, especially if it is frequent or you have other concerns.

8. Give Them Plenty of Movement During the Day

Supervised floor time lets your baby practice rolling, sitting, crawling, and pulling up while awake, with you there to spot them. The more familiar a new skill becomes during the day, the less surprising it is when your baby tries it in the crib at night.

Are Crib Bumpers Safe? What About Mesh Liners and Crib Rail Padding?

When your baby keeps bumping the crib, bumpers and rail padding can look like the obvious fix. The AAP addresses this directly: crib bumpers "may seem as though they can help protect babies from drafts and bumps, but they should not be used in cribs." Here is what the safety authorities say.

  • Crib bumpers are banned. The federal Safe Sleep for Babies Act, signed May 16, 2022 and in effect since November 12, 2022, made crib bumpers a banned hazardous product regardless of when they were made. The law defines a crib bumper as any material meant to cover the sides of a crib to prevent injury from impacts, or to keep a baby's body from getting caught in the openings. That includes padded bumpers, vinyl bumper guards, and vertical crib slat covers. If you have a hand-me-down bumper, do not use it.
  • The AAP does not recommend any bumper. The AAP says bumper pads and similar products that attach to crib slats or sides "have been implicated in deaths attributable to suffocation, entrapment/wedging, and strangulation." It also notes that toddlers can use a bumper to climb and fall out.
  • Padded "breathable" liners are banned; mesh liners are not recommended. Any liner with padding counts as a crib bumper under federal law. Only non-padded mesh crib liners are excluded from the ban, and the AAP says most child health advocates, including the AAP, believe these liners are not necessary, because they can work loose and suffocate or trap a sleeping child. Read more about why there is no safe crib bumper.
  • Crib rail padding for head banging is not the answer. Padding tied or wrapped around the sides of the crib is treated the same as a bumper. The CPSC says crib rail covers that cover only the top rail, and not the slats, fall outside the bumper ban. Covers that extend down over the sides are judged case by case against the bumper definition. Top-rail covers are for chewing, not cushioning, and they do not stop head bumps.
  • No hats or head protectors for sleep. The AAP advises avoiding overheating and head covering for sleeping infants, and no hats indoors once you are home from the hospital. Padded head protectors and cushions are soft objects and do not belong in the crib. This does not apply to a cranial molding helmet prescribed by your baby's doctor; follow their instructions for that.

What to Do If Your Baby Hits Their Head (and When to Call the Doctor)

If your baby bumped their head on the crib, stay calm: most crib bumps are minor. Comfort your baby and check for a bump or mark. The pediatric symptom checker on the AAP's HealthyChildren.org site advises watching your child closely for the first 2 hours after a head injury and sleeping in the same room the first night. Our guide on what to do after your baby bumps their head walks through first steps.

Take your baby to the emergency department right away after a head injury if they, according to the AAP:

  • Will not stop crying and cannot be consoled
  • Will not nurse or eat
  • Vomit repeatedly
  • Look very drowsy or cannot be woken
  • Have one pupil larger than the other
  • Have a convulsion or seizure
  • Are acting unusually or not like their usual self
  • Lose consciousness, even briefly
  • Have slurred speech (toddlers)

Call 911 instead of driving if your baby has a seizure, is unconscious for more than a minute, or is hard to wake up.

Babies under 1 year old: the symptom checker (Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines, on HealthyChildren.org) lists being under 1 year old as a reason to call your doctor or seek care now after any head injury. If your baby is under 1 and has hit their head, call your pediatrician.

At any age, call your doctor right away or seek care now if you notice large swelling (larger than 1 inch or 2.5 cm), a large dent in the skull, or if your baby fell from a dangerous height, such as climbing out of the crib. When in doubt, trust your instincts and call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it normal for my baby to keep hitting their head on the crib while sleeping?

It is common. Active sleep, rolling, and new motor skills mean many babies bump the crib sides at night, and in a crib that meets current standards, the AAP says bumper pads are not needed to prevent injury. Watch for the warning signs above after any harder bump.

How do I stop my baby from hitting their head on the crib and waking up?

Make sure the crib is bare, the mattress fits snugly and is at the right height for your baby's stage, and your baby is in a sleep sack rather than under a blanket. Bumps and wakings are often most frequent while a skill like rolling or standing is brand new. A calm, consistent bedtime routine can help your baby settle back to sleep.

Why does my baby sleep with their head pressed against the crib bars?

A baby who sleeps with their head against the crib bars is usually just a baby who moves around at night. Many babies scoot during sleep until they touch the side of the crib or bassinet. In a bare crib with standard slat spacing and a snug mattress, the AAP says bumper pads are not necessary to protect against head entrapment. Do not add bumpers, positioners, or rolled blankets to keep your baby away from the sides.

What if my toddler still bumps or bangs their head in the crib?

The same setup applies: a bare crib, the mattress at its lowest setting, and a sleep sack. Some toddlers rock or bang their heads to settle at bedtime. Mention it to your pediatrician if it is frequent, intense, or you have other concerns about development. Move your child to another bed at 35 inches (89 cm) or when the side rail is below three-quarters of their height.

What is a safe alternative to crib bumpers?

There is no safe bumper alternative inside the crib. The safe setup is a bare crib with standard slat spacing, a snug mattress at the right height, and a sleep sack. Once your baby starts crawling and cruising, corner protectors on furniture edges and anti-tip anchors on dressers help keep the rest of the nursery safe.

Keeping Your Baby Safe in the Crib

Bumps are a normal part of learning to roll, sit, and stand, and a bare, standard-compliant crib is built with them in mind. Lower the mattress as your baby grows and use a sleep sack instead of blankets. Keep the space around the crib clear and baby-proofed, and skip bumpers and padding altogether. Know the warning signs, and call your pediatrician whenever something does not seem right.

Sources

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your pediatrician.

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