Baby Crib Review

Comparing baby cribs

The most comprehensive review of baby cribs comes from the popular baby-gear book "Baby Bargains," which is updated roughly every two to three years to keep abreast of the latest changes in the market. (The most recent edition was released in early 2011.) While authors Denise and Alan Fields don't rate each crib model individually, they do discuss brands in detail, giving each a letter grade. Recommendations of the best models and brands are made for three price categories. "Baby Bargains" includes evaluations of the best green crib brands, the best crib model for short parents (who may have a hard time reaching over the sides of standard cribs), and good spare cribs to have at Grandma's house.

Although "Baby Bargains" researchers don't perform independent testing, crib ratings are based on inspection of sample baby cribs, as well as user feedback and research into manufacturer history and product reliability. The "Baby Bargains" website includes a discussion forum where users can post their experiences with various crib models. The forum is especially helpful for finding user reviews of cribs not sold through online retailers like Amazon.com. With a paid subscription, "Baby Bargains" website users can access additional reviews of brands not covered in the book as well as brand-new models.

ConsumerReports.org's most recent comparative review of baby cribs rates a wide variety cribs in terms of safety, construction and ease of use. Some of the models have been discontinued or were the subject of a recall since the article was published.

We found several best-of lists online, including MomFinds.com, Bestcovery.com, Babble.com, Buzzle.com, About.com, People.com, ApartmentTherapy.com and HubPages.com. The problem with these reviews is that most are brief and highly positive, without much justification for why each model was selected.

Since we found no terrific professional evaluations for specific baby cribs, we turned to user ratings to fill in the gaps. Parent-written reviews on Diapers.com, Target.com and Amazon.com help round out the ratings. Although owner feedback sometimes echoes the opinions of expert reviews, they can also provide valuable information about how a particular crib model performs over time with everyday use. In the crib category, BabiesRUs.com, Diapers.com, Cribs.com, Viewpoints.com and Epinions.com are good sources of parent comments.

New federal safety standards

After recalling more than 11 million baby cribs since 2007, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted in late 2010 to approve stringent new crib safety standards. This is the first update to federal mandatory crib standards in almost 30 years. The new safety regulations -- for both full-size and non-full-size baby cribs -- officially went into effect on June 28, 2011; all cribs manufactured and sold in the U.S. must now meet these standards. Childcare facilities, hotels and rental companies have until Dec. 28, 2012, to adopt the new crib standards.

The most significant change is the ban of traditional drop-side cribs. Their malfunctioning (or improperly assembled) hardware can cause the drop-side rail to detach from the crib, posing an entrapment and suffocation hazard for infants. In fact, traditional drop-side cribs have been connected to the strangulation and suffocation deaths of 32 infants since 2000.

For owners of recalled drop-side cribs, many manufacturers offer free repair kits to immobilize the drop sides. These immobilizers are helpful, but don't make the cribs compliant with the new CPSC regulations. The CPSC warns owners that noncompliant cribs should not be resold, donated or given away, and advises disassembling the crib before disposing of it.

In addition to the drop-side crib ban, the new federal requirements demand stronger wood slats, more durable mattress supports, stronger hardware with anti-loosening devices and more rigorous safety testing. In light of these changes, we have not included any drop-side cribs in our Best Reviewed section.