So, you’ve already gotten most of the big things crossed off your parent-to-be list: your car seat, your stroller, your carrier but what about your nursery furniture? And most importantly, your crib? With so many options available, how do you decide what’s going to be best for your little one?

This is where we come in – here is our guide on what you should consider when you’re looking for a crib.

Safety

The first concern for most parents is safety – all cribs that are sold in Canada meet Canada’s Health and Safety standards but there are some brands that offer an additional safety measure called Greenguard Certification. The Greenguard Certification ensures that the product has been tested for all volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Products that are made under the Greenguard Certification standard help to reduce indoor air pollution and the risk of chemical exposure. This can be an important factor for a lot of parents who are wanting to create the safest environment possible for their little one. Another factor that ties into this is the materials that your crib is made out of. Some cribs contain an engineered material called medium density fiberboard, more commonly known as MDF. While the use of this material in your crib is not considered unsafe, it does not produce a product as sturdy as the use of solid wood does. All cribs that are sold at our sister store, Nestled, are made of solid woods – whether that be a softer wood like New Zealand Pine or a tougher wood like an Oak, they are completely solid.

Phew, that’s definitely one less thing to worry about!

Longevity

Another important thing to consider when choosing a crib is longevity – how long do you need this crib to last for? Are you hoping to use the same crib for more than one child? Is it something that you would like to convert later on? We carry a variety of different cribs, including 3-in-1, 4-in-1 and 5-in-1 options. If you’re not sure what the difference is between these options don’t worry, we’re going to break it down for you.

3-in-1 Cribs

3-in-1 cribs give you the option for a crib, a toddler bed and a day bed. The toddler bed conversion allows your little one to get in and out of bed by themselves, but also provides a barrier to stop them from rolling out of bed while they adjust to the transition. Once they adapt to this change and you feel that they no longer need the gate, you can remove this piece and leave the front of the crib open for the day bed conversion. Generally, this can accommodate children up to the age of 5 years.

4-in-1 Cribs

A 4-in-1 conversion provides you with the 3 stages above but additionally gives you the option to convert your little one’s crib into a full-sized double bed as they get older. A 4-in-1 crib will typically have a higher headboard as opposed to all sides being the same height. These high headboard styles help to create a more mature look as your little one transitions from toddler through to teenager. A lot of parents will opt for a 4-in-1 crib if they are intending to purchase their nursery furniture and have it grown with their child.

5-in-1 Cribs

A 5-in-1 conversion is an addition to the 4-in-1 conversion – the fifth conversion is the option for a low-profile footboard instead of using the footboard that came with your crib originally. Some parents prefer this option as it allows for the converted crib to look more like a standard double bed. It can also be a great option for smaller rooms, as the low-profile footboard creates the illusion of more space in the room.

 

Style

Okay, so now we’ve covered safety and we’ve covered longevity – so now let’s talk about the fun part – style. There are so many varieties of styles when it comes to choosing your nursery furniture. You can choose something more traditional and classic, like The Jenny Lind by DaVinci. If traditional isn’t your thing, you might decide to go with something more modern like the Hudson by Babyletto. And if neither of those styles are for you, maybe you’d prefer something more rustic, like the Emory by Franklin and Ben or the Emerson by Nest Juvenile. Our team is here to help you navigate the different styles and nursery décor inspiration to help you plan your perfect nursery.

How to Order

Now that you’ve narrowed down the options to some of your favourites, we should probably chat about the pricing and stock availability of the cribs you’ve fallen in love with.

Here is how the process works at Nestled:

Some of our vendors produce cribs overseas and then ship to a warehouse in California, which is where we order from. Generally, these cribs take around six-eight weeks for us to get them from Point A to Point B. Other vendors that we carry are manufactured within Canada and they build orders from scratch as they are placed. Due to this factor, these orders can often take a little bit longer and usually fall somewhere within the twelve-to-sixteen-week lead time. While this can sound like a scary amount of time, we promise that the products are well worth the wait! With this being said though, we understand that some parents cannot wait that long so we do try to keep as many options available in our Burlington warehouse as we can for parents who need something right away.

Nestled has dozens of different cribs available to be viewed in both Burlington, ON and Coquitlam, BC, and many more that are available for us to order that can be seen on their website.

Still, have crib questions?

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