What is a Mini Crib and How Do You Choose One?

Mini cribs are growing in popularity as more parents choose one for their baby’s first bed. If you’re new to the idea of a mini crib you might wonder what all the hype is about. We’ll give you all the details and help you choose the right mini crib for your family.

The name says it all. Amini cribis a compact version of aregular crib. The overall dimensions of a mini crib are shorter and narrower than the standard crib size. It offers a safe sleep space that’s small enough for your newborn baby to sleep at your bedside and durable enough for your toddler to nap in.

Mini cribs are perfect for small nurseries or shared rooms, and they’re light enough to easily be moved—some are even on wheels.

Nurture& has created a 3-in-1 convertible mini crib that allows you to customize your baby’s bed for every stage of early childhood. The Milan Crib seamlessly transitions from mini crib to full-size crib to toddler bed with style and comfort at each step.

A mini crib can be a useful piece of furniture for many families, but it’s not ideal for every situation. Weigh the pros and cons to decide what works best for you and your little one.

• Generally less expensive than a standard-size crib

• Takes up less floor space in a small room

• Lightweight and portable to move from room to room or take with you on the go

• Smaller pieces make it easy to assemble

• More difficult to find a mattress and crib sheets

• Less space for a growing baby

• Typically less sturdy than a standard crib

For a deeper dive into the comparison of a mini crib and a standard crib, check out this article, Mini Crib vs. Crib: Which One is Right For Your Baby?

Mini cribs are not all alike, and the dimensions will vary based on the manufacturer and model you select. The mini crib typically ranges from 20-25 inches wide and 34-40 inches long. 

Any baby bed within that range is considerably smaller than the standard set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for a full-size crib at 28 inches wide and 52 inches long.

Since mini cribs do not have a standard size , always be sure to compare the length and width of the specific bed with the space you have available.

Your little one can use a mini crib for bedtimes and naps until they have maxed out the height and weight limits of the bed. 

The ideal transition time from a mini crib to a full-size crib is before 2 years old to avoid pushing the limits, but a mini crib could potentially serve as your baby’s bed until your child is 2 to 3 years old.

How long your child uses the mini crib will mostly depend on their height and weight, but you should also consider their developmental abilities like being able to pull up on the side and climb out.

Yes! Mini cribs are just as safe as regular cribs. Every Nurture& crib is built to exceed the safety standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the CPSC. 

They’re also made with non-toxic materials so you can feel good about the furniture your little one comes into contact with in their most sensitive season of life.

There are things you can do to support a safe sleep environment for your baby, no matter what kind of baby bed you choose.

• Check the recall status: Keep up to date with baby product recalls to make sure hand-me-downs are still safe to use. Use the CPSC website  to check for recalls on specific items, even brand-new cribs, and subscribe to their email list so you can receive information on future recalls. 

  
  
  

• Buy a well-fitting crib mattress: A  crib mattress should fit snugly within the crib. If you can fit more than two fingers between the mattress and the side of the crib, you need a bigger mattress, so your baby can’t get stuck in the gaps. Remember that a mini crib needs a specific mattress size for that manufacturer and model.  

  
  

  
  

• Remove bedding and pillows from the crib: You may have used the crib to store soft baby items before your little one was born, but before their first sleep in the bed, you should remove everything. All your baby needs to sleep safely for at least the first year of life is a fitted sheet over the mattress. Pillows, blankets, and soft toys can pose a threat of suffocation or strangulation and increase the risk of  sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) .

There are many benefits to using a mini crib as your baby’s first bed. If any of these reasons sound like they would be helpful to your family, you should consider buying a mini crib.

The lightweight, compact design of a mini crib makes it easy to move from room to room. Many mini cribs come with castor wheels making it possible to avoid any lifting at all.

The ease of moving the mini crib is most appealing to parents of newborns who want to keep their baby close while doing other things around the house.

A mini crib takes up little floor space making it a perfect baby bed for families living in apartments or sharing a home with other relatives. You might be setting up a small nursery, adding a baby crib to an older sibling's bedroom, or combining your guest room and nursery. 

Consider the space you have available and match your measurements with the dimensions of the mini crib before you buy.

Small babies prefer smaller spaces. A mini crib is just the right size to make a newborn baby feel secure in their surroundings like they were in the womb. Much like a regular crib, most mini cribs have adjustable mattress heights so you can easily reach your newborn at the tallest level and then lower the mattress as your little one learns to move.

A bassinet is also ideal for newborn babies, but unlike the mini crib, the bassinet size cannot be adjusted for older babies and toddlers. Once your baby learns how to roll over, the bassinet is no longer a safe place for them to sleep.

A mini crib offers the convenience of a bassinet's small size and elevated height, without the need to purchase a new bed within a few months. Mini cribs can be adjusted to accommodate older babies, or may have conversion kits available to transition to a full-size crib.

Some mini cribs are foldable making it easy to put away when it’s not being used. A portable mini crib is great to keep at grandma’s house when your baby needs to nap there, then fold it up and store it away when you leave. A foldable option is also easy to store away in a closet until you need it again for future children.

Baby beds come in a wide range of prices, so set your budget before you start your search. Mini cribs are typically less expensive than standard cribs, but last longer than bassinets, which might make it exactly the right fit for your family.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends babies sleep in the same room as their parents on a separate surface for at least the first six months. This makes it easy for parents to care for their baby at night and reduces the risk of SIDS.

A mini crib is small enough to keep at your bedside, or you could save space in the nursery with a mini crib and have room for a daybed or twin bed so new parents can take shifts sleeping in the nursery.

A portable mini crib is a great travel companion that you can fit into the trunk of your car when you visit friends or family for the holidays. If your family takes trips often, bringing your mini crib along can help your baby sleep better in unfamiliar places like hotels or a rental house. 

Even if the hotel or house provides a baby bed, you never know the condition of someone else’s crib.

There are a few basics to remember when choosing a mini crib. Before you buy, keep these things in mind.

When you bring home your newborn baby you’ll want to keep them close to you as much as possible. Consider a mini crib on wheels if you want to move the bed to different rooms of your home and check the dimensions to see if it will fit through your doorways without disassembling.

Check that the crib meets the standards of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association ( JPMA ) to ensure that it’s been independently tested and complies with ASTM guidelines.

All Nurture& cribs are rigorously tested and meet the ASTM safety standards.

The lifespan of the mini crib will depend on the quality of the materials. Baby beds made of hardwoods like walnut, oak, birch, and maple are more durable. Once your baby starts teething, they’re likely to chew on the crib rails so a non-toxic finish, like with a food-grade oil, is important. 

A product that is Greenguard Gold Certified can help lessen exposure to chemical emissions by meeting environmental safety standards.

The specific mattress and mini crib sheets may be difficult to find but are necessary for the proper use of the mini crib. Check the availability of mattresses and sheets of that exact mini crib before you buy.

There’s a variety of prices in the mini crib market. Calculate and compare the costs of the mini cribs with your desired features. Factor in the quality of the materials and the price of the mini crib mattress that fits it.

Yes. The AAP considers a bassinet, play yard, crib, or mini crib with a firm and flat surface to be a safe place for newborns to sleep.

Your baby can sleep in a mini crib until they can’t lay comfortably in the space, have reached the maximum weight recommendation for the bed, or have hit developmental milestones that make it no longer safe. One or all of these factors could occur in a child between 1-3 years old.

Mini cribs and bassinets are similar in the way that they’re both a baby bed smaller than a standard crib. 

They may both be on wheels for the ability to easily move the bed from room to room. They are both safe sleep spaces for newborns, but a bassinet cannot be used beyond the newborn stage. The mini crib can be used longer because of its deeper interior, making it safe for older babies as well.

Are you searching for the best crib for your baby? Nurture& is ready to help you find the crib you’ve been looking for!

In our online store , you’ll find convertible cribs made from sustainable and non-toxic materials created to grow with your child from infancy through toddlerhood. Check out the Milan Crib with a 3-in-1 design made to transition from a mini crib to a full crib to a toddler bed.