Kimberley has a good question: Hi! I was wondering where I could go to buy one of those cribs that are smaller than the regular ones. I live in a real small trailer and don't have the room for a regular sized crib. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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DaVinci (also known as Million Dollar Baby) makes a few mini versions of their regular cribs. We have used the Annabelle Mini crib since our 17-month-old daughter was born. It looks and it works great for our small space. We just bought the conversion rails, which allows this bed to transition into a twin size bed (when she's ready, for now they are in the garage).
Here's a photo of that crib in our nursery. Amazon and Babies R Us sell the Davinci mini's online, but they are little hard to track down in stores.
view Yolanda's profile
I had a small space too and everything fell into a couple of categories.
All full size cribs use the same size mattress but the physical size of the crib varies a lot. If you buy a full size crib you are looking for one with a smaller footprint. The Ikea Gulliver was one of the smallest we found. (cheap, simple lines, good looking for the price). The exception to this is the Stokke Sleepi. It is full size but rounded and takes up less room. (expensive, very handsome)
There are also portable cribs, which my MIL has. Works fine. My huge 18 mo still fits in it but it would a pinch for longer term use.
Also, check co-sleepers. They are smaller and size and since they attach to the bed, can be positioned so they don't take a lot of room.
Co-sleep! No need for a crib.
view JudiAU's profile
Woops. Meant to finish by saying:
Here's a photo of that crib in our nursery. I have seen the Emily and Annabelle mini's online at Amazon and Babies R Us, but they are a little hard to track down in stores.
view Yolanda's profile
If it was me, I'd just get a nice pack-n-play that could double as a changing table as well. Maybe not the most glamourous option, but definitely practical. I also co-slept with my baby at first so the crib didn't get a ton of use until he was a little older.
view mama k's profile
The Emily and Annabelle minis are also available at Target.com. We are planning to purchase the Annabelle since it converts to a twin, but the only problem we've had so far is picking a mattress for it. Yolanda, any advice on that front? The crib looks great in your nursery!
view Lucky Bug's profile
We are very happy with our portacrib-sized crib from Community Playthings (you don't need the drop side--the crib is pretty low to the ground). We got the plastic bin drawers that fit underneath and they store a lot. The sheets from Community Playthings are soft and very nice quality. www.communityplaythings.com
view NCB's profile
I second the Community Playthings crib. It costs a little bit more, but still less than a full-sized crib, and is designed to last forever. Plus it's made in the USA of high-quality materials, and seems way sturdier than a lot of the mini-cribs we looked at. It's a piece we see having for a long time, and it folds for storage! Here's the one we went for: http://www.communityplaythings.com/products/cribs/G105.html
view cybeleny's profile
I agree with the previous posts about the Million Dollar baby mini Emily crib. We bought one used and it is the perfect solution for us. It fits great in our small room but it is still bigger than a bassinet so we're hoping to get more use out of it.
view upstategirl's profile
It took me FOREVER to figure out what the industry terminology for small crib is. Turns out, you have to look for "portable crib" or "mini crib" to hunt one down. We ended up with a Delta Luv brand crib (height 41.5", length 39", width 25") though plenty roomy for her. I thought it might be tough to find sheets for this size, but it's not: there are plenty of portable crib sheets available, and Pack & Play bedding works perfectly well too. The crib came with a mattress, but it was a bit flimsy, so I did upgrade, purchasing a $20 Serta? Sealy? foam mattress (recommended by the book Baby Bargains, which if you haven't taken a look, it's most definitely worth the time - basically a Consumer Reports for baby stuff.) Hope that's helpful to someone out there...
view Jessica Poundstone's profile