Solving the question of which crib is best for a newborn is the main task of young parents awaiting the birth of their baby. Many begin to think about it before birth, others start searching when the baby is already born and he needs to find a sleeping place urgently.
Basic requirements for cots
On sale now you can find a large number of models and types of beds for newborns, made of a variety of materials, of any shape and purpose. Therefore, for young inexperienced parents, this choice is quite difficult. When buying a “sleeping place” for a baby, one should take into account not only his financial capabilities, but also the needs of the child and even his character.
Which crib is best for a newborn? The main requirements for the selection are the creation of a comfortable and safe living, namely:
- Safety of the structure itself, which includes: the exact distance between the rods, which should be 6-7 cm (so that the baby could not put his head in there); reliable fixation of the lowered grating and the absence of collapse (the most common injury among babies is damage to fingers); the minimum height of the side is 50 cm, so that the baby does not fall out of bed when he begins to move.
- The stability of the crib, which is provided by stoppers to maintain balance, when the child begins to move and becomes on his feet.
- Lack of injury risk, including sharp corners and protruding parts, high-quality surface treatment.
- The furniture should be made of safe material: wooden cribs can have toxic varnish, so it is better to buy a model of sanded wood or with overlays; All iron parts (nuts, screws, bolts) must be fully tightened. The main and most popular material from which cots are made is wood, as well as metal and plastic models. When purchasing a crib made of plastic, you should familiarize yourself with the safety certificate, since the material can be toxic.
- Ergonomic parameters are characterized by solving the question of which is better to use a mattress for a newborn in a crib: made of foam rubber or other materials. It also matters the presence of a rack bottom in the bed, which is made to improve the flow of air to the mattress, its good ventilation and the baby's bed.
- The standard size of the crib, designed for a child from 0 to 3 years old, is 120 x 60 cm, there are also cradles and attached models designed only for babies.
Basic models for babies
In order to determine which is better to take a crib for a newborn, you need to consider the wide range of models offered, their advantages and disadvantages:
- classic models;
- cradles and cradles;
- attached to the parent's bed;
- oval patterns;
- transformers.
Cradles and cradles for babies
Cradle - the model is light and portable, making it easy to change the location of the baby's berth. With its shape and ease of use, it is the optimal answer to the question of which crib is better for a newborn. A small cradle can be placed right in the mother's bed, which increases the psychological comfort of the baby. Its advantage is its compact size, in modern models there is an addition in the form of a motion sickness mechanism, which will ensure a quiet sleep for the baby and mother. Many models are easy to fold.
The main disadvantage is the short term of use. It is suitable for a baby up to 4 months of age, then it grows up and ceases to fit in it or begins to fall out.
Classic Crib
Which crib is better for a newborn? In the reviews, parents argue that the most popular and inexpensive models of cribs are wooden classic. Their cost is determined by the type of wood used (oak is among the most expensive, birch is cheaper, etc.). The standard size is 120 x 60 cm.
Beds are usually equipped with additional structural elements:
- wheels convenient for rearrangement in the room;
- one of the side walls can fall, which is convenient for mom and baby;
- the bottom has several provisions (2 - 5): it can be rearranged depending on the age of the child;
- many models have drawers for storing bedding and baby clothes at the bottom, which is convenient for parents.
Rocking
Rocking beds have arched runners below for swinging to the sides, which is convenient for mom, helping to rock the baby for the first months without much effort. The size of such a crib is usually smaller than usual and up to 130 cm in length. The design is more bulky, often breaks and creaks. However, as it grows up, it becomes a big minus: a grown-up child can lean on a grate, tilt the bed and fall out.
Rocking chairs are of two types: longitudinal and transverse. Experts, researching which crib pendulum is best for a newborn, came to the conclusion that it is transverse. It provides not only less harmful motion sickness, but also takes up minimal space in the room. An adult can easily rock such a bed with an amplitude of 6-15 cm.
One of the fashion trends of recent years is the electric rocking chair or deck chair for babies. They allow you to set various parameters of motion sickness, vibration, include additional effects and sounds. Such cribs, deck chairs have an important advantage: there is a locking mechanism that will not allow the baby to swing himself. However, they are suitable only for infants from 0 to 6 months, until the size of the baby becomes larger than a deck chair.
Extra beds
For the first time, such cribs appeared in the USA and were designed specifically for mothers who found it difficult to get up at night to the baby. The attached model is distinguished by the absence of one of the walls, which allows it to be brought close to the parent's bed and facilitates access to the mother for feeding and care. For safety, a reliable fastening to the parents bed has been made, an additional side made of fabric is provided that protects the baby from drafts, and the older one from accidental impacts on the crib walls.
For young parents, deciding which one is better to choose a crib for a newborn, reviews of experienced users will tell about its advantages:
- the mother is always next to the baby, can feed him, calm him down, hear his breathing (which will help to avoid problems with apnea syndrome);
- parents have the opportunity to sleep together, which positively affects family relationships;
- the baby is safe and no one crushes it during sleep;
- later it is easier to accustom him to independent falling asleep.
Models of cribs vary in size: from 85 x 45 cm (for babies up to 4 - 5 months), 90 x 60 (for babies up to 9 months), 120 x 60 cm (assumes use up to 3 years). There are also models that extend the life of the structure and use it for a grown child in the form of a table and chair.
Custom shapes: oval and circle
In recent years, non-classical shaped beds have become popular: oval or round, similar in appearance to the playpen. For the first time, such models were released in Germany, and then began to conquer the Russian market. Initially, the design can be used in the form of a small cradle, and then using special inserts to turn into a bed for the baby. When deciding which one is better to choose a crib for a newborn, it is worth learning about the pros and cons of such models.
Oval designs differ in the number of possible designs: 5 or 6 (cradle, bed, playpen, sofa, table with 2 chairs), has a rear bottom and removable sides. The standard dimensions for the transformation: cradle 90 x 45, cot 120 x 60, for a preschooler 140 x 70 cm.
The main advantages of this form:
- the absence of sharp corners, which reduces the risk of injury to the baby;
- provides a comfortable sleeping space;
- the possibility of transforming several types of berths;
- depending on the desire, after the child grows up, it can be converted into a set of a table and chairs for the student.
Disadvantages:
- large dimensions due to the round shape;
- high price;
- with increasing length, the width of the berth remains unchanged, so the bed can serve the child only until the primary grades of the school.
Oval models are usually equipped with 2 mattresses: for the cradle and bed.
Transformers
Which crib is best for a newborn? In the reviews, parents say that the biggest and most practical models are transformers. Such designs are ideal for a family living in a small apartment, because they can save space by buying several pieces of furniture at the same time: a bed, a changing table, a chest of drawers with drawers, shelves, etc.
When the child grows up, the front wall in the bed can be removed, the side parts removed. Special designs allow you to extend the crib or modify it in order to solve the problem with a baby's berth until almost 10 years of age. You can also transform other main parts: a changing table with a curbstone - into a desk, a chest of drawers will become a separate element of furniture, etc. The maximum size of a bed for a student is: 164 x 67 x 74 cm, which allows children to use it almost from 10-12 years.
There are several varieties of transformers depending on the structural elements: they can have boxes at the bottom and side, removable wheels and a pendulum mechanism. Production material: wood, plastic, MDF or particleboard (cheaper, but considered harmful).
If you are going to buy and choosing which bed is best for a newborn, according to the reviews of parents, you should also know its shortcomings. Such models occupy a rather large place compared to conventional ones: standard dimensions are 1900 x 1200 x 680 cm, and also have a high price.
The choice of crib material
To decide which bed is best for a newborn, you should choose a more environmentally friendly material from which this piece of furniture is made. These include wood, which is traditionally considered the best material due to its breathing properties. The most optimal are: alder, birch, maple, less suitable - pine (because of the softness there may be teeth marks, because some mischievous people try the bed to taste).
Metal beds are considered the most durable. Therefore, when planning the birth of several children, such a berth will be the best option. In order for the child not to hit the iron bars, you can use the sides and silicone pads.
Plastic beds have a modern design and greater mobility. Most often they are bought in addition to the existing classic options. Modern models are often made of combined materials, so when buying, it is recommended to ask for certificates for the material of manufacture.
Safety and structural elements
When choosing which bed is best for a newborn, you need to pay attention to the structural elements and their possible injury risk:
- legs should increase the stability of the structure, the bed should stand firmly on them;
- bed sides should be removable in order to be able to move the bed to the parents bed;
- the depth of the bottom is better to choose adjustable (usually they do 2 levels, but some manufacturers bring it up to 5), which will allow mom to more conveniently control (lay, turn and pick up) the baby, and then lower the bottom as it grows up so that the baby does not fall out ; the standard depth of the upper side to the mattress is 65 cm, which is considered safe for the child standing in it;
- the distance between the side strips is optimally 5-6 cm (it is better to grab a ruler in the store), because there are uncertified cheap models with other sizes, which is dangerous for popped children's legs, arms and heads;
- the bottom should not be continuous, but slatted;
- silicone lining on the crossbars will be useful when the baby's teeth begin to be cut, from which he begins to gnaw all objects that come across in the way;
- bedside tables and drawers built in the bed, chests of drawers are made specifically for folding clothes and many necessary things to care for the baby, they are convenient for a small room, however, make the structure heavier and make it stationary.
Mattress in the crib for newborns: which is better
When there are several children in a family, and the question arises of choosing a bed and a place for a new baby, then the crib can be taken already, but the mattress must be new. This is due to hygiene requirements, since dust particles, germs and the smell of urine can accumulate in it. Therefore, when deciding what is the best mattress for a newborn in a crib, the main thing is its novelty.
A baby needs a mattress not only to sleep on it. Growing up, he will sit and walk on it, which will adversely affect orthopedic properties. When buying, you need to pay attention to size: the gap between the bed and the mattress should be no more than 1-2 cm.
You should know that experts recommend that infants sleep only on a hard, but in no case on a downy soft feather bed. This is because babies have soft bones. Therefore, up to 3 years, the child should sleep only on a hard mattress, then the spine will form correctly. There are special double-sided mattresses: at first the baby sleeps on the denser side, then it can be turned on the soft side.
When deciding in a store which mattress is best for a newborn in a crib, one should carefully read about its variety and filler. For children, springless models are best suited, including the following fillers: coconut coir; natural latex; dense polyurethane foam; buckwheat husk, etc.
If parents want to buy a spring mattress in a crib for infants, then it is considered the best using an independent spring unit. But blocks of the Bonnel type are considered unsuitable, because they allow the spine to bend. In addition, they often do not have an insulating layer, and after a few months their surface is pressed through, and springs can come out. Therefore, an attempt to save money can turn into troubles for the health of the child.
To protect against the ingress of moisture and urine on the surface of the mattress, it is recommended to wear a protective water-repellent cover or lay an ordinary oilcloth.
Bedding selection
In the first year of life, the baby in the crib will need the following accessories:
- a blanket with 2-3 duvet covers (only natural fabrics are selected for linen), it is important that there are no buttons, patterns, stickers or rhinestones on the accessories that can get into the baby's mouth or rub delicate skin;
- a thin orthopedic pillow or folded bike diaper under the head;
- 4-5 sheets;
- diapers (preferably rubber in a flannel coating);
- sides.
It is not difficult to choose which blanket is best for a newborn in a crib. Such an item is necessary only for the cold season, the best option is an acrylic product. In size, it should be larger than the mattress in order to poke it around. There are also lightweight cotton blankets that are used to wrap restless babies so they can walk less on the bed.
Another convenient and popular accessory for a children's berth is the sides, i.e. flat pillows fixed along the perimeter of the bed. They protect the baby from bruises and damage during active movement and impacts on the side bars or trims. They are made solid or 4-sided, which allows them to be fixed only on the right side. The height is different and is chosen by parents, based on the age of the baby and its comfort.
You can decide on a purchase, knowing which are better bumpers in a crib for newborns, their pros and cons.The advantages include: protection against drafts and from blows, they will not allow toys, a nipple or a bottle to fall out. The disadvantages include the possible accumulation of dust, but this is easily eliminated by frequent washing.
When choosing the sides, parents should pay attention to the quality of the fabric (only natural) and the filler (fiber or dense synthetic winterizer), practicality (to be easily erased), colors and patterns. Preference should be given to calm tones and a variety of pictures, the contemplation of which will contribute to the development of the baby. There are models supplemented with pockets and effects, but you need to make sure that they are outside.
A detailed description of designs, materials and additional elements will help young parents decide which crib is best for a newborn, based on the right size, financial capabilities and personal preferences when choosing a model.