Today's Cribs
You can pay some very hefty prices for a crib - it certainly pays to shop around. It should always be on a web shopper's list to check ebay - not only will you save money on used cribs, but the prices on new ones can be well below what you find elsewhere, even on the net. Merchants use ebay as a way to sell excess, last year's models, etc.
Cribs are typically used as a bed for a baby after it is no longer safe to leave them in a bassinet. Cribs are more stable than bassinettes and become desirable when a baby can roll. They have a lower
center of gravity, a broader base of support and can hold a larger baby than a bassinet.
Cribs are designed to restrict the baby to the bed. The sides are too high for a baby to climband provide no footholds. The thinking behind this design is that if baby wakes up, they will return to sleep rather than roam around the house. To improve the reliability of the confinement, a top (solid or fabric) may be added to an crib.
Placing a child into an crib can put strain on a caretaker's back. To reduce the strain on those operating an crib, many cribs feature:
- a mattress that can be in a raised position until the child is able to sit upright.
- a dropside, a side which lowers to ease the process of putting the child into the bed, but can be raised again to restore the integrity of the enclosure.
Cribs can be stationary or portable (portacots). In their portable form the beds generally don't feature a dropside, and portability factors are emphasised. Portacots are often made from plastics, are often smaller and fold into a compact package.
Design standards for cribs include considerations such as preventing hand and head entrapment. Research has shown that the
mattress influences SIDS outcomes; a firm mattress lowers SIDS risk
|