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What To Look For When Buying A Baby Crib

by: gigglebaby | last updated: May 20, 2009
Category: Nursery: Bedding | Tags: baby crib, cribs, buying a crib, crib reviews, baby crib buying guide, how to buy a crib, what to look for in a crib

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What To Look For When Buying A Baby Crib

Crib is one of the most important items you will shop for your baby. Since your baby is going to spend a good amount of time in the crib, its essential to make sure that you buy the best crib there is, of course, within your constraints and driven by your taste and needs. Once you go out shopping, though, you will see that it can get really confusing to choose a crib. You want to make sure of your exact needs and constraints and have a full list of things to look for when buying a crib.

Here I am sharing just that and nothing else - what are the most important things to look for when buying a crib for your baby. Please share your thoughts and comments and I'd love to update any suggestions that I may have missed.

Safety is the most important thing to look for in a crib and you should review the safety standards to make sure the crib you are considering complies with those standards. The main ones to look for are: (1) Make sure the distance between crib slats is no more than 2 3/8 inches. (2) The drop sides must be at least 9 inches above the mattress when its at it topmost position, to avoid the baby from falling

Noise-free operation is critical. The baby will be asleep in your arms many times when you are putting the baby in the crib so its important to make sure that the crib and all its operations/moving parts are fully noise-free.

You will be handling the moving parts of the crib with one hand a lot of times while holding the baby with your other hand, so make sure to try and use all the features of the crib and all its operations and ensure that they are easy to use and work smoothly.

The mattress height is usually adjustable and you will use different heights as your baby grows going from a topmost position to the lower most to protect the baby from falling out of the crib. All cribs have a slightly different mechanism for adjusting the mattress height, so you should make sure that the mechanism is easy to use, is foolproof and it will work in the space you are looking to keep the crib in your baby's room.

Stability is another important factor. Don't go merely on the looks and make sure you focus on how stable and strong the crib feels. Give it a good shake and see how it feels. It should feel strong and stable and not feel delicate and shaky.

Check out the cribs that convert to a toddler bed and see if you like those or the ones that don't convert. There are some inherent design differences you will see between these and based on your needs, you can focus on the converting or the non-converting ones. Both are equally good and it really depends on your needs and how you plan to use the crib and for how long.

Make sure the crib has wheels which makes it easier to move it around. Metal or plastic wheels are both fine but make sure they feel strong and are large enough to handle the weight of the crib.

Check the frame design and make sure that the space between a standard mattress and the frame is not more than 2 fingers' width. If its more then it can be a safety hazard and you just don't want to risk it. Just look for another crib that is safer.