Choosing a crib and mattress to help your baby's sleep.

One of the first baby items most expecting parents start to hunt for is the perfect crib. Your baby is going to need a safe place to sleep! Just a quick google will show you that the options out there for cribs are overwhelming. There are all styles, sizes, and budgets when it comes to buying a crib. And you haven’t even started looking for a mattress yet! So how do you know which is the one for you? Here are a few tips for choosing a crib and mattress for your baby from an expert baby sleep coach.

What should I look for when buying a crib?

Our first priority is always safety. The most important factor in purchasing your baby’s crib and mattress should be keeping them safe while they sleep. The crib should have four stationary sides and an adjustable mattress that can be dropped down as baby grows. Don’t reuse a drop-side crib from when we were kids! The crib mattress should be firm and don’t use a mattress topper or additional layers other than a waterproof mattress pad and crib sheet. Those aren’t safe for babies!

We recently got to test out the newest crib from Storkcraft - the Santa Monica. We absolutely love partnering with Storkcraft because they go above and beyond these safety basics to make sure their cribs and mattresses are incredibly safe for your baby. They are GREENGUARD GOLD Certified which means they are low emitting and screened for over 10,000 harmful chemicals and VOCs before your baby starts sleeping there! They are going to spend hours each day sleeping soundly in this crib, you want to make sure that the air they are breathing around it is as clean as possible!

The second factor we like to evaluate is functionality of the crib. In recent years, cribs have changed from being something your baby grew out of to a piece of furniture that grows with your baby. The Storkcraft Santa Monica crib is actually a 5-in-1 bed! It starts as a crib and, when your child is ready, can be converted to a toddler bed, daybed, full sized bed with a headboard, OR a full sized bed with a headboard and footboard. That’s one hard working piece of furniture! Given all the expenses that come with having a baby, having a crib that grows with your child is a huge bonus.

Finally, you want to make sure the style of the crib matches your nursery! Whether you’ve spent hours building the perfect nursery Pinterest board or not, your crib is going to be where your baby spends a lot of their time and you want to enjoy how it looks. We absolutely love Storkcraft’s line of cribs. They are beautiful and timeless without being over the top and the Santa Monica crib is no exception. I love the clean lines and complementary colors, it’s a perfect backdrop for all those sleeping baby pictures you’ll be taking!

Storkcraft is an incredible crib company that has been around since 1945! They deliver quality products at accessible price points. You can order the Santa Monica Crib and their other cribs and mattresses from places like Walmart and Target! I loved getting to see the Santa Monica crib in person and was so impressed by the construction and materials. Also, I was able to put it together myself which is saying a lot!

One last note, the safest place for your baby to sleep is in their crib (or a size appropriate bassinet) on their back with nothing else in the crib with them. These pictures show some cute bedding but that would all be removed before baby is placed inside! If you’re struggling getting your little one to sleep soundly in their own crib, we’d love to help! Our baby sleep coaches are expertly trained to get baby to sleep in their own bed and will help you every step of the way. Contact us or check out our packages to learn how we can help today!