How to Buy a Good Crib

Some planning and research are necessary to choose the safest crib. Start searching for the right crib several months before you are due, if possible.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Crib Bedding Sets
• Crib Mattresses
• Cribs

1. Shop. Several furniture companies and children's stores offer a variety of different style cribs to fit the decor of your house as well as ones that reflect a nursery theme. Other models convert from a crib to a toddler's bed to the head and foot board of a full-size bed. Expect to pay anywhere from $100 for a basic crib to $1,000 or more for fancier and more select brands.
2. Buy a crib with wheels. You will appreciate the ease of movement when you are cleaning or rearranging.
3. Question the sales person on safety standards. The federal government has specific standards manufacturers must adhere to. For instance, crib slats must be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart so baby's head will not slip through the slats. Also, the top of the dropside must be at least 26 inches above the support at its lowest position when raised and at least 9 inches above the mattress support when lowered. Avoid models that have cut outs in the head or foot board as they can also trap a baby's head.
4. Choose a model with mattress height adjustment. You will want the mattress at high for your newborn and lower once your baby begins to stand.
5. Check the ease of the dropside release. Since baby will most likely be asleep when you put her in the crib, an easy and quiet drop side is essential. Make sure it isn't too easy though - you don't want baby to learn how to release the dropside.
6. Shake the crib when it is on the sales floor. If it wobbles and is rickety, keep shopping or check the same model in another store to see if it was improperly assembled.
7. Measure the size of the crib, particularly the area the mattress will fit. The interior of the crib should measure at least 51 3/4 inches long by 27 3/4 inches wide. If you can fit two fingers easily between the side of the crib and the mattress, the mattress is too small or the crib is too big. Incorrect mattress fit can result in your child fatally slipping beside or underneath the mattress.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are buying the crib as a gift, talk with the parents about what they are looking for or go shopping with them.
• Assemble the crib in the room it is to be in. Chances are, it will not fit through the door if assembled outside the room.
• Don't buy a crib with finials on the corners. Young children have been strangled in several instances when their clothing becomes caught on the finial.
• Don't place the crib directly under a window. A screen will not prevent your child from falling out of the window.
• Avoid cribs manufactured before 1973. Federal guidelines were not in place for crib safety before that time.