Best Baby Nursery Cribs Comparison and Review for 2014

My grandma always jokingly said she just pulled out another dresser drawer whenever a new baby came along. Well, that's not gonna happen for my new baby so here I am again on the search for the best baby crib for the nursery. For this post we'll take a look at good stationary, convertible, and other quality baby cribs you should consider if you have a new little one. Before we get to that here's a few safety considerations you should know about before choosing a crib.

Choosing a Crib:

When it comes to buying a crib, there are many things you will want to consider. First, do you want just a crib, or one that will convert to a toddler bed? Does it come with a mattress, or do you need to buy one separately? Look for the Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association (JPMA) certification. This will ensure that the crib you are buying has been tested for quality and safety.

Safety Considerations:

You should also check product recall lists to make sure that your crib hasn't had issues that resulted in a recall. You will also want to check the slats to make sure they are no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. This will keep your baby's head from slipping in between them and possibly causing choking.

It is wise to avoid cribs that have corner posts; they can catch on clothing and cause strangulation. If you are shopping in a store that has displays set up, give the crib a shake to see how sturdy it is.

Standard crib mattresses are about 52 ¾ inches long by 27 ¾ inches wide so make sure that the crib will hold a mattress that size. If you can fit more than two fingers between the side of the mattress and the crib, that poses a danger for your baby. You will also want to avoid cribs that have decorative cutouts that could possibly trap your baby as well.

Where Should You Place the Baby's Nursery Crib?

So, now you have picked out the crib that you want and have ensured that it meets all your safety standards. There are also some things you need to keep in mind when setting it up.

First, it is wise to set up a crib away from a window. If you do have it by the window, make sure all cords for blinds are out of reach as they can become a strangulation hazard; another good thing to do if your crib is by the window is to make sure it is pulled far enough away from the wall that they can't reach any window treatments.

Since new babies don't have the strength to move around much, you will want avoid putting blankets, pillows, and bumper pads in with them. This can reduce your risk of SIDS.

Also, make sure the mattress has a very firm fitting sheet to avoid bunching up. Sleepers are great options instead of using bulky blankets.

Make sure to buy crib mattress pads and do not ever use plastic bags to protect the mattress against wet diapers. If your baby ever were to work the sheet off and get to the plastic underneath, they could suffocate.

When you have assembled your crib, make sure that all nuts, bolts and screws are tightly fitted to reduce risk of them coming loose as a choking hazard, or affecting the stability of the crib.

Okay, now let's look at some of the most popular cribs on the market this year.

A Review of the Davinci Jenny Lind Crib

This Davinci Jenny Lind Stationary Crib is a very popular choice on the market right now.This hand crafted crib has an old fashioned look that will go with most décor easily. All the rails come with spindle detailing that make it look very vintage. It comes in your choice of color - white, cherry, honey oak and ebony.

It features a metal mattress support that can be adjusted to 4 different levels to keep up with your growing baby.

It has casters on each leg, that can be locked, for easier moving when needed. This was a great feature to have since I moved it three times before deciding where to keep it.The casters are not the prettiest and kind of stick out in regards to the rest of the crib, but I took them off and spray painted them for a better look.

It can also be converted to a toddler bed with the conversion rail kit that is sold separately.

It is lead and phthalate free with a non-toxic finish on New Zealand Pine wood that comes from sustainable forests. I have to say that putting this crib together was a piece of cake. It took me less than a half hour to do so and the instructions were very clear and easy to follow. It is JPMA certified. The crib measures 54.8 x 30.4 x 41.4 inches and weighs 45.5 pounds.

Stork Craft Tuscany 4-in-1 Stages Crib Review

We also really like this Stork Craft Tuscany 4-in-1 Stages Crib. I love that it comes in so many colors! There is black, espresso, cognac, cherry, natural, oak, and white.

It has a darling sleigh design that make it look very nice in the nursery. All four sides are stationary with no drop side feature at all. Drop side cribs should not be made anymore because of entrapment dangers.

It features an adjustable one piece mattress support base that keeps things very sturdy. To ensure that you get the most out of it, it can be used as a baby crib, a toddler bed, a daybed and a full size bed.

Assembly wasn't too difficult and the instructions included were pretty clear. Since this crib can be used as other bed options, it does have a bit of a bigger footprint for your nursery so you will want to make sure you have room for it. The bed measures 54.2 x 33 x 43 inches and weighs 79.8 pounds.

Graco Victoria 5-in-1 Crib

As a beautiful choice, this Graco Victoria 5-in-1 Crib will give your nursery a very sophisticated feel. It also will be long lasting since you can use it as a crib, a toddler bed, a daybed and a full size bed with a footboard when needed.

It has some very pretty detailing along the top for an extra special look. It is made with pine wood and sturdy hardware to ensure longevity. For mattress height, you get three different positions to put it in. Again, with this crib, all four sides are stationary so there is no risk of entrapment with a drop side.

This crib is JPMS, ASTM and CPCS safety certified so you can rest at ease knowing you bought a very safe bed for your little one. Assembly took a bit longer than the others but wasn't overly difficult. The hardware is very adequately labeled but some of the other pieces are not. Following the pictures in the instructions made the rest of it pretty easy to figure out.

I love how sturdy this crib is and look forward to using it in the other ways as my baby grows. I am also impressed with how sturdy the wood is; it doesn't seem to scratch or dent as easily as some others I've tried. It measures 56.4 x 30.6 x 47 inches and weighs 67 pounds.

Next up is this Dream On Me Classic 2-in-1 Crib. With this bed, you get these colors to choose from - black, cherry, espresso, natural, pecan and white. I love the scalloped head and footboards for a cute touch.

It features dual safety hoods, locking wheels and a multi position mattress support stand. It will also convert to a daybed as well.

Assembly was actually quite easy with this crib and all tools needed to put it together are included in the packaging. It took me just over a half hour, by myself, to put together. It is made with solid pine wood and is JPMA certified.

This also is a four rail stationary crib for safety. For the price, this crib ends up working out very well and feels pretty sturdy. It also takes up less space than some of the other cribs on the market. It measures 40 x 31 x 54 inches and weighs 36.4 pounds. It is the lightest by far that we've talked about.

For parents on a budget, this is a great crib to start out with.

The DaVinci Kalani 4-in-1 Crib

This DaVinci Kalani 4-in-1 Crib is also a popular choice among parents. The manufacturer boasts that they make all their furniture with non-toxic materials and they pride themselves on environmental sustainability and energy efficiency.

The wood that this crib is made from is from New Zealand Pine that is grown in sustainable forests. This sleek, sleigh bed design looks great in any nursery. There are no moving parts so you can rest assured that your baby is safe. It features a 4 level mattress spring system so you can position it as your baby grows.

It can be used as a crib, daybed with a conversion guard rail, toddler bed and full size bed with headboard and footboard. I love that it comes with the rail that you don't have to buy separately. Assembly was actually not too easy and the instructions not as clear as the others, but once I got it up, it looks great and seems very sturdy.

Be advised that the wood is actually quite soft and might scratch easily. As long as you take care when you are working with it, it should hold up just fine however. It measures 54.5 x 34.5 x 42 inches and weighs 67 pounds.