Crib Part 1: Choosing an Eco-Friendly Crib

We have always planned on being a co-sleeping family during the nursing years, but figuring out how that would work logistically in our small bedroom took some time. Bed-sharing seemed like the most simple, logical option. After all, bed-sharing is a very safe, healthy way to sleep when done properly (info on how and why: here and here) and is the lowest-gear configuration. But, it wasn't a fit for us. I thought we'd be crowded in our queen-size bed and we don't have space for a king-size. So, we thought we'd borrow a full-size co-sleeper from a friend and keep that in our room for the long haul, plus have a crib and twin-size bed in baby's room just in case we needed to switch up our sleeping arrangements. As I realized how much effort I was putting into picking the healthiest crib and mattress, we eventually decided to ditch the co-sleeper plan and just sidecar baby's crib to our bed so he could get maximum usage out of the equipment we were putting so much thought and money into. Join me for a multi-part series on choosing a bed for baby: choosing a crib (this entry), choosing a crib mattress, and how to sidecar a crib to an adult bed.

Choosing a Crib

I knew that I wanted a crib that was made of solid wood rather than with pressed wood product like medium density fiberboard (MFD) or particle board. The glue used to hold together the bits of wood that makes up these composite materials contains formaldehyde (a probable human carcinogen) and they off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for several months. Many mass produced cribs are made with a blend of real wood parts (albeit often soft woods like pine) and composite parts (such as a drawer underneath) and off-gassing is a genuine issue with them.

Additionally, I wanted the wood to have either an eco-friendly finish or no finish. I was a crib gnawer as a baby, and I figured that our baby might also spend some time doing some soothing chomping on his crib rails (crib rail protectors exist, but are made of plastic which we avoid).

I consulted the ever-popular Baby Bargains book and got a list of green cribs and had sticker shock. I figured that as much we love cheap, simple living, this was one area that I was ok with splurging since a baby likely spends more time in a crib than any other single space, but wow. WOW!

• Romina cribs are made of beech with a beeswax finish and range in price from $700 to $1,100


• Pacific Rim makes unfinished wood cribs that are $1,000+


• Stokke Sleepi is made of beech and is a lovely oval shape, but the round mattress and curved sheets make an expensive crib even pricier


• Ducduc cribs are fabulously modern and run $1,000 to $2,000+


• Capretti's green cribs Verde and Fino are $1,600-$1,900 and I am not sure that they are still in production
  

Thank goodness for the lone dirt cheap option: Ikea Sniglar. Sniglar* is a very basic crib made of solid, unfinished beech and is a mere $70. It does have a fiberboard base, but…well—I am just too cheap to pay a thousand bucks for a crib. This was in the realm of being a reasonable compromise. Especially because the Sniglar has some versatility: an adjustable-height mattress and one side can be removed to create a toddler bed (or, even better for us, a sidecar configuration on to an adult bed). Ikea has cuter cribs, but Sniglar is Ikea's only unfinished crib.

Before making a decision, I stalked Craigslist for used** versions of any of these cribs. Even though the Sniglar was cheap, a used one would be even cheaper and the base would probably be done off-gassing. Time went on and no Sniglar came up. A couple of the premium brand cribs came up but not for a price that was acceptable to us. So, we bought the Sniglar early enough that it could air out for a few months. When we went to pick it up, we were happy to see that it is a little more attractive in real life than the stock pictures make it out to be.

The Sniglar was fairly easy to put together, which was a good thing because I assembled it in the living room and it is wider than our bedroom doorways. Oops! Eventually we got it out of the living room and into the guest room (decorated to be baby V's room someday) where it aired out until we moved it in our room when he was born.

Sniglar airing out in the guest room/someday V's room

*There is a precautionary recall out on some Sniglar cribs. Ours was not impacted, but it looks like an extremely easy fix if you have one that is part of the recall.

**I am pro used cribs, but it is vital to make sure than any used crib meets current safety standards. Here are several resources: Crib Information Center (the latest information and a list of recalls), a summary of things to look for, and a long list on choosing a crib.