Hello! I am 26 weeks pregnant with my first baby and I need to find a crib. I am more concerned with safety than anything else. I had been told to look at the website www.dannyfoundation.org but it's no longer an active site. I am wondering where people have recently bought cribs that were safe and worked well for them.
Any crib you buy in a store these days has to meet the regulations. What I did was go on Amazon.com and look up cribs and read the reviews. What you want to do is avoid ones that are hard to assemble or work and the reviews will definitely let you know.
Best Wishes,
J.
I have to tell you that we bought both our cribs used, and saved a ton of money. As long as the crib meets current safety regulations (crib rail's have to be a certain distance apart) it should be safe. Craigslist.com is a fantastic place to find people looking to sell used items. Sometimes you can find a practically new crib for 1/2 price or less than purchasing brand new. Especially if it has only been used by one child.
Here is a website that lists things to think about when purchasing a crib and safety standards:
http://www.nsc.org/library/facts/cribtips.htm
Good luck.
J.
SAHM to 2 year old Charlie and 6 month old Joey
S.,
We haven't used a crib yet ourselves (we're still using an Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper), but there's a book we've found helpful for all sorts of baby-equipment decisions: Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields. You might go to a bookstore and take a look at the book's chapter on cribs (or I think you can download it--for a fee, though--at babybargains.com). The book talks about how to choose a crib, as well as product safety and parent feedback on the products. Note: There is a book with a very similar title that isn't as good, so if you look at the book, make sure it's the one by the Fields duo. Good luck with finding a crib you like; we're about to have to do the same!
I think any crib at any store these days should be safe, the government has regulations on the width of the bars and such.
My daughter had a Basset crib which was a hand me down from a family member but it's top of the line and we never had any problems.
You could try going to the Basset furniture store in Burnsville or try Babies R Us in Bloomington they have a huge selection.
All new cribs should be "safe". The railings should be a certain distance away. I have a Delta Luv and did research on a bunch. This was noted to be safe and cheap for the pocket book. I purchased it on-line for a bit over $100. If you're looking for a standard crib I'd google "delta luv crib" or search babiesrus.com to see if they carry it or search their crib ratings. The crib I have converts to a toddler bed too.
I agree with the others - any new crib you buy will have to have met the safety regulations by the government. We bought our crib at Baby Depot (part of Burlington Coat Factory), and it has an attached changing table, which we love. It is also convertible. I believe it was a Simplicity crib. It was $399, and definitely worth it since we didn't need to buy a separate changing table.
I have a crib from the Lullaby shop for my daughter that converts to a toddler bed, a day bed, and a full size bed. It is really nice and perfectly safe, then I went out and bought a crib from Walmart for my step daughter and that one is perfectly safe as well. Pretty much all cribs now that you buy are safe, there are specific standards the manufactures have to meet before they are cleared. If it is a passed down crib I would be careful.
When I was pregnant two years ago a read a book that rated cribs based on safety, ease of use, price, and range of style and the one that got the highest rank was ChildCraft. That is what we got, it was from Babies R Us. The one we picked out even turns into a toddler bed, and if you arent sick of it yet, a twin bed once they are ready.
My husband and I chose the serenity crib by Baby's Dream(www.babysdream.com). It converts to a toddler bed and to a full sie bed later on(we bought the bedrails (additional). We really like the crib so far, and it was easy for us to assemble. a definite plus. the price was worth it because of the ability to change as our son grows. D.
S.,
Try www.TwinCitiesFreeMarket.org they have a ton of free stuff that people are just looking to get rid of. I've seen cribs in there recently.
T.
We got a storkcraft 3 in 1 crib. It will convert to a toddler bed then a full bed when the time comes. It was reasonably priced at 200 dollars. There are so many regulations that the manufacturers have to follow, most substantially built cribs are safe. Just check the slat space, what supports the platform and that it isn't covered with lead paint. Hope this helps
