Crib Buying Guide

It’s Best to Buy a New Crib

While family members might insist that you use the vintage crib your grandparents used decades ago, for safety’s sake, you should use only a new crib that conforms to current federal safety standards rather than going for secondhand. The federal government implemented new standards for cribs in 2011, which included a ban on drop-side cribs. Buying a crib made after 2013 or so (to account for some wiggle room for implementation of the new standards) will ensure that your baby’s sleep environment is as safe as possible. 

Another consideration: The structural integrity of a used or secondhand crib may have diminished with time—or with assembly and disassembly, depending on how often it changed rooms or hands—further putting the baby at risk. Humidity, heavy use, and other factors can take a toll on furniture, and buying a new crib eliminates that particular worry. 

Once you identify some solid crib contenders, look for recent product safety warnings or recalls on the models you like before purchasing, to ensure your baby’s bed is as safe as possible. 

Make sure to buy your crib from a reputable retailer. If you can’t identify the manufacturer or whether the crib meets current safety standards, it’s safest to choose another option. 

Shopping online for your baby’s crib? CR’s safety experts recommend buying products where the online marketplace itself (such as Amazon or Walmart) is listed as the seller—because in those cases the platforms are responsible for the safety of those products under current laws. While products sold by third-party sellers online are required to meet all applicable safety standards, investigations by Consumer Reports, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and other news organizations have previously discovered recalled, hazardous, and counterfeit goods sold through third parties on online marketplaces. If you’re interested in a crib listed by a third party on an online retailer, stick with well-known and reputable brands. One good sign is if you can find the exact same product on other major retail sites. Being unable to find a company website is a bad sign. And know that designations like “Amazon’s Choice” do not guarantee a product’s safety. 

Convertible Cribs

The majority of the cribs in our ratings are convertible. This means that they’ll convert into different sleeping spaces, though the options vary. Some convert into toddler beds, daybeds, or even up to a twin or full-size bed. Many cribs convert to a toddler bed by simply removing one of the crib’s sides and replacing it with a low guardrail, which is sometimes included with the crib and sometimes sold separately as a conversion kit.

In some cases, you’ll have to buy separate conversion kits for each stage. CR’s experts recommend buying conversion kits at the same time you purchase the crib (or registering for both) to make sure you can get the matching parts in the right finish—and avoid a conversion kit potentially going out of stock. See our picks for the best convertible cribs, including several models that come with multiple conversion kits right in the box.

Ideal for small spaces, mini cribs can be a smart purchase if you’re looking to have your baby sleep in your bedroom for the first six months (or longer) but don’t want to give up a ton of floor space. Some mini cribs, like the Newton Baby crib or Stokke Sleepi crib in our ratings, can convert from a mini crib to a full-sized crib, but you’ll also need to purchase both a mini crib mattress and a full-sized crib mattress to make that transition.

If you’re traveling, your baby still needs a place to sleep. Portable cribs are similar to standard cribs but collapse for travel; this is more reasonable for a road trip to grandma’s than a flight to a tropical locale. For that, you might consider a play yard, which is a simple, easy-to-pack mesh enclosure that provides a safe place for your baby to sleep or play, whether that’s in the living room of your home or the living room of your Airbnb. Play yards are subject to federal standards, too. See our picks for the best play yards or travel cribs.

Cribs are typically made from wood or metal. Not all wood is created equal. Hardwood is usually denser and comes from deciduous trees, which lose their leaves once a year. Hardwoods include beech, oak, maple, walnut, and mahogany. Softwood, which comes primarily from evergreen trees like pine, cedar, and spruce, is more lightweight and affordable than hardwood. Hardwood is a more durable option than softwood, so it may be a better option if you plan to use the same crib for subsequent babies—it’s also less likely to show dents and scratches (or teeth marks!).

Metal cribs are highly durable and tend to be very sturdy: The metal cribs we tested all ranked very well for construction quality. Metal cribs also have a sleek, modern look and may hold up through multiple siblings better than a wooden crib. 

Keep Your Baby’s Sleeping Space Bare

It might not be the coziest-looking setup, but when it comes to your baby’s bedding, the maxim “less is more” applies. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that babies sleep in their own bed on a firm mattress with nothing more than a fitted sheet—no pillows, stuffed animals, blankets, positioners, or bumpers. 

Crib bumpers—which act as a fabric buffer between baby and the crib slats—were federally banned in 2022 due to suffocation risk. Bumpers present a much greater safety issue to your baby than wooden or metal crib rails. 

To keep baby warm, use sleep sacks or swaddles (but avoid weighted sleep sacks and swaddles because weighted sleep products can put dangerous amounts of pressure on your baby’s chest and lungs). Stop using swaddles that wrap their arms once your baby starts to show signs of rolling over.

Once you’ve set up the crib, check to make sure that there aren’t any loose bolts, screws, or other pieces that could catch on your baby’s clothes. Some of the cribs CR recently tested had gaps around fasteners or other inconsistencies in the finishes that could snag a tiny sleeve or tuft of hair. CR’s testing experts recommend checking the tightness of all bolts and screws every six months, and especially when you’re changing the mattress height.

Check that there aren’t any missing pieces, too. Loose or missing parts are dangerous and could lead to deaths or accidents for infants, so if anything is amiss, check with the manufacturer and ask for a speedy fix. Also look for loose or wiggly crib slats and mattress supports: Your crib should feel solid and sturdy. If you need to make repairs yourself, only use hardware provided by the manufacturer, if possible.

One more construction tip: Put the crib together in the room where your baby will sleep (the AAP recommends that your baby sleeps in your room for their first six months). You don’t want any parts to loosen if you’re moving it around, nor would it be a fun surprise to discover it doesn’t fit through your home’s doorways. 

The mattress you choose should fit snugly into the crib, without any gaps where the baby can get their head stuck. The CPSC says that full-sized crib mattresses should be at least 27 1/4 inches wide by 51 5/8 inches long, and a maximum of 6 inches thick, but it’s worth checking yours once it’s in place. “If you can fit more than two fingers between the crib frame and the mattress, the mattress is too small,” says Joan Muratore, the engineer who manages Consumer Reports’ crib testing. “Exchange or return that mattress for one that fits your crib tightly.”

The mattress you buy for your baby might seem startlingly firm and uncomfortable, but don’t attempt to make it softer with pillows, blankets, extra mattresses, or anything else. It’s supposed to be firm, and adding things to your baby’s bed could make the sleep environment unsafe by creating opportunities for your child to suffocate or get trapped.

Sheets should fit tightly, too—if you’ve ever gotten tangled up in a slightly loose fitted sheet, it should come as no surprise that this can happen to a baby. If you’re using older sheets, make sure the elastic is still in good condition. To test that a sheet is snug, pull on each corner when making baby’s bed to make sure it doesn’t become dislodged.

Cribs come with multiple mattress support heights, which means that the mattress can be raised or lowered as your baby grows. When baby is at their smallest, you can keep the mattress support height at its highest level. As they begin to lift themselves up on their hands and knees, they can also potentially lift themselves up and out of the crib. Set the mattress at its lowest level before the baby knows how to stand, which typically happens by the time the baby is a year old. Once they’re 35 inches tall or they are able to climb out—whichever comes first—it’s time to either move them to their own bed or convert the crib into a toddler bed.

How Much Should I Spend on a Crib?

How much you want to spend on a crib may depend on your needs and budget. All cribs sold in the U.S. must comply with certain safety standards, so prices will reflect other factors, such as aesthetics, construction quality, and ease of assembly and use. Don’t rely exclusively on price to inform your choice of crib, though. As we discovered in our tests, a more expensive crib does not guarantee reliable, high-quality construction. 

While a crib is a smart long-term choice for your baby, a bassinet can also provide a safe sleep environment during the early months. A bassinet is smaller than a crib, so you can keep it right next to your bed for easy access to your baby. It’s important to know, though, that bassinets are really best for the newborn period: Babies should use them only until they show signs of rolling over or pushing up onto their hands and knees, or until they meet the weight and height limits of the bassinet, whichever comes first. After that point, they should transition to a crib or play yard for sleep.

Once your little one starts to show signs of climbing out of their crib, it’s time to switch to a toddler bed with a mattress low to the ground, in order to prevent any falls. Another metric to check is their height: If they’re taller than 35 inches, or if the top of the crib rail hits the middle of their chest, it’s a smart idea to help them graduate to a “big kid bed.” This milestone usually happens somewhere between 18 and 36 months, according to Cleveland Clinic. Your pediatrician can help recommend techniques for a smooth transition from crib to toddler bed.

Always follow these safe sleep guidelines for every nap and nighttime sleep, according to the AAP: 

• Baby should sleep flat on their back, in their own sleep space, with a firm, flat mattress.
• Babies should sleep in the same room (but not the same bed) as their parents for the first six months of life.
• Only a fitted sheet should be used: no blankets, bumpers, nursing pillows, or toys. (Bumpers, in fact, are banned under the Safe Sleep for Babies Act.)
• A crib mattress should be firm enough that it doesn’t sink beneath your baby’s weight, and there should be no incline. Inclines of 10 degrees or greater can restrict your baby’s airflow.
• If your baby falls asleep in a child car seat, a stroller, a swing, or an infant carrier, you should move them to a firm sleep surface on their back as soon as possible.
• Keep baby warm with sleep sacks—not hats or loose blankets. Babies are prone to overheating and can’t cool themselves down as easily as older children or adults.
• Keep the mobile out of reach. Mobiles are fascinating to babies, but make sure they’re always out of reach of little hands. When your baby can sit up on their own, it’s time to take the mobile down.