Baby Crib Review

Comparing baby cribs

In our research, we found that the most comprehensive review of baby cribs comes from the popular baby-gear book "Baby Bargains," by Denise and Alan Fields. While the authors don't rate each crib model individually, they do discuss brands in detail, giving each a letter grade and making recommendations in three price categories. Although "Baby Bargains" doesn'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 also 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.

ConsumerReports.org's most recent article doesn't provide comparative ratings or independent test results. Although their crib guide does include general buying advice and helpful information on features, it doesn't address the need for information on individual crib models. ConsumerReports.org does have a comparative review of baby cribs, last updated in 2008, but some of the cribs listed have been discontinued or have been the subject of a recall.

A review in Cookie magazine offers a selection of five favorite baby cribs, although the cribs aren't ranked in a specific order. Not much detail is provided about each model, only a brief discussion of the features and an approximate price. It's also unclear what methodology was used in selecting these baby cribs as favorites or what qualifications the reviewer has to rate cribs.

Since we didn't find any 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 crib ratings with parents' personal experiences. Although user ratings sometimes echo the opinions of professional comparative reviews, they can also provide valuable information about how a particular crib model performs over time in everyday use. In the crib category, the Toys "R" Us website, Diapers.com and Epinions.com are also good sources of parent reviews.

Baby crib recalls

Baby cribs are especially prone to safety issues and recalls. Most recently in July 2009, about 400,000 Simplicity cribs were recalled after drop-side failures resulted in one death and 25 additional reports of the drop-side detaching from the crib. Affected drop sides can separate from the crib, creating dangerous gaps with the potential to entrap or suffocate babies, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). A similar recall occurred in September 2007, and yet another recall related to Simplicity drop-side cribs occurred in September 2008. Consumers who own one of these cribs are urged to stop using the product immediately and return it to the place of purchase. Simplicity's website only includes information related to the recall in September of 2008, although it does list a recall hotline: (888) 858-8323.

Before any crib purchase, it's a good idea to check the CPSC.gov and register your product with the manufacturer so that you receive communications from the company in the event of a recall.