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I'm 5' and we had a fixed rail crib. I had a little bit of trouble with the mattress at it's lowest setting, but by then Z was already standing up to be lifted out of the crib so it wasn't a huge problem. I also had a small step stool in front of the crib for the few times I set her down asleep.

We have a crib with fixed side rails that we have used for two kids now, and I love it. I am only 5'0" and have never had a problem reaching in to get the kids (even after both c-sections). We started out both times with the mattress in the highest position and them moved it to the lowest position once the boys could pull themselves up (I didn't bother with the few positions in between - it was too much of a pain to change it). My favorite thing about the fixed side rails was that it was one less thing to worry about... the baby can't get caught in the rail, the rail can't accidentally drop down, I can't forget to put it up in the middle of the night when I'm sleep deprived.
Good luck with your choice... and the new baby of course!

Forgot to mention, I loved our fixed rail crib and it seemed sturdier to me than the drop rail style. We converted it to a toddler bed and I still love the way it looks.

I'm 5'1'' as well, and our crib had a drop side. For older babies, the mattress does have to be pretty low for climbers, and I've always had to put down the side to lower baby in while sleepy/sleeping. Surprisingly, WalMart offers a crib that is more modern and has a drop side: http://www.walmart.com/Baby-Mod-3in1-Crib-Antiqued-White/ip/6005161

I have a drop side rail and I really never let the side down. I would agree that a fixed rail is more sturdy too.

When we were shopping for cribs, we knew we wanted a fixed side-rail because we had safety concerns about the drop-side cribs. Although I think a number of manufacturers probably still make drop-side cribs that are perfectly safe, we were concerned about the number of stories of babies being injured when the drop-side mechanisms malfunctioned (stories of little arms and legs getting caught or worse in the suddenly dropped rail and/or against the rail/mattress and/or in its mechanisms). Again, I think this is a bigger concern with older cribs that one might inherit from a parent or grandparent, but it probably represents the reason for the trend toward fixed side rails in the more modern cribs that you are considering. More than that, the fixed side rail is a little less fussy -- fewer bits and pieces to go wrong or worry about; just one very sturdy railing that you feel like your baby can lean against / bump into / pull on without any concerns about them unlatching it. We went with the Land of Nod "Straight Up" crib, which has the same adjustable mattress that you mention. We've been very happy with it. I've never been concerned about us being able to reach our baby (she is still in the uppermost position right now), but my husband and I are both pretty tall. I guess I would say that I think by the time she needs the mattress to be in the lower positions, she'll probably be pulling herself up, such that it will be easy to lift her out. We also bought the convertible toddler rail (which I have since decided is kind of a rip-off, but that's another story), which means that when she's big enough to have the mattress in the lowest position, closest to the floor, the front rail will only go across 2/3 of the bed (and is shorter than the crib rail), so we won't have to worry about leaning all the way down and breaking our backs... Good luck.

I have a crib with the movable side and I never use it. Now I am 5'6" but like thlitt said by the time they're on the bottom setting, they are standing anyway and it's just noisy and jostles the crib a bit to slide up and down and if the baby kicks the rails on that side which they do. I think the stability of a fixed rail would be preferred.

I am 5'0" and originally wanted a drop-side crib. Once I found a crib that I loved and went to get it at Pottery Barn Kids - they told me they had taken it off of the market along with all of their other drop-side cribs. They have remade their cribs to be fixed rail (same exact styles just fixed rail). I think that because of safety issues that a lot of companies are doing the same. I ended up getting the fixed rail crib especially after reading about the dangers of the drop side cribs on consumer reports.

Good luck making a decision!

We bought a drop-side rail crib and the first thing I did when I put it together was drive screws through the drop-side to make it permanently fixed... Everyone I know has had near-miss accidents with drop sides... and notice that all the recalled cribs are always drop-side. Get a fixed, or fix it yourself like I did.

Our crib is posted around here on another post:
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/how-to/mateos-wall-clock-083905

I have found that it's not so much getting the baby out from the bottom setting as it is putting the baby in. If you have a baby who you can put down in the crib awake and they just go to sleep, then you are way ahead of me. To put the baby in while sleeping or almost asleep when they are on the bottom setting is very difficult. We don't drop the rail every time, but we do fairly often.

We got the Sorelle Lana crib, which seems in between the great looking modern cribs and the traditional ones. The Ikea cribs seem like a good choice if you want to go fixed, because they are pretty low.

I don't mind the fixed rail on our Moda crib, but do have concerns about the white lacquer finish. Our son prefers chewing on his the sides crib rather than Sophie the Giraffe. I contacted Room & Board who assured me the lacquer was non-toxic, but it is still disconcerting to see your baby with a mouth full of white paint flecks. The teething rails available are too narrow for the wide sides of the crib. We have severe buyers remorse and regret selling our previous crib that was finished with beeswax.

I've only had fixed side rails with our three children. Ours came from Ikea because we were on a tight budget; especially having two kids 20 months apart. I prefer them because I have no concern with recalls for failing mechanisms. I like how sturdy they are and one of the cribs was used by my middle child as a toddler bed, and now the 10 month old is using the bed as a crib again. I fully expect her to use it as a toddler bed as well. I find it to be a safe bet. Good luck with your decision.

I think if you have a changing table that you are going to use, a fixed railed crib will be fine. I didn't use a changing table - I always changed my son in his crib, and now that the mattress is lowered, there is no way I could change his diaper if the rail didn't come down.

I think most manufacturers now are going to fixed sides, as the drop sides are the ones that are most often recalled, despite the convenience. Which is good, because that's one less thing to worry about.

If you're still in the market for a crib, I would suggest a potterybarnkids crib like their Kendall, which has a fixed, plastic teething guard. Although no parent wants their kid to chew on plastic, I find it less disconcerting than watching them ingest the lacquer from their finish, which is what I would worry about more. Good luck!

Beware the fixed-rail crib that does not feature an adjustable-height mattress! I bought a used Netto Moderne crib that only had one, very low position and sold it because it was going to break my back. Hopefully that was just a freak occurrence and no one else makes such a product...Netto has since revised their design.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering recommending that all new cribs be manufactured with fixed side rails due to slide-gate failures (mainly in some very low-end cribs). As such, many manufacturers are staying ahead of the game by going to a fixed-gate-only style. Many of the cribs with fixed gates are lower to begin with, which is much easier for those of us, like myself, who are vertically-challenged. Most do feature at least 2 or 3 adjustable mattress support levels. Newport Cottages cribs are now being manufactured with two fixed gate options, one high setting for newborns and a lower setting for older babies. I know many people of shorter stature that have been very pleased with their Oeuf cribs, by the way.

I have a drop side and am very fond of it. Never had a problem with it malfunctioning with 2 nephews and my daughter. I liked the drop side because I was not one who could put my daughter to bed awake and have her go to sleep - she had to be sleeping first. Also didn't have room for a changing table, so I too used the crib or floor. Later, I was able to put a twin bed next to hers and drop the side - it stuck up enough to keep us in our seperate beds, but close enough that it was easy to get her out for frequent night feedings without me having to get out of bed too. My sister-in-law got a fixed side and didn't have many problems getting her son in and out until the matress had to be moved lower. She is 5' 0", but her husband is near 6' and starting having trouble when her son hit a HUGE growth spurt and needed steps to lay her son down when he was asleep.

I think fixed sides are do-able regardless of your height, but your individual parenting style and family circumstances may require some adjustments and creative solutions along the way.

I have had 3 kids in drop side cribs. I never put the side down. I am 5'3.
Someone said its easy getting them out when they are old enough to stand up but not east when they are sleeping. But don't get into that habit which should be easy if you litterly can't get into the habit. Score for you!

Ditto on all the other comments that say fixed sides aren't a problem. By the time you're on the lowest setting, they're setting or standing anyway, and you don't need to reach the bottom. And it's nice to have the peace of mind that there are no moving parts that could malfunction. Or get recalled.

My mom and husband consistently left the rail DOWN by accident after putting the baby to sleep in the crib. Not such a big problem when she was tiny, but now that she can stand up, it was a huge safety concern. I ended up having to turn the crib around so that no one could access the drop down side and forget to put it back up. I never used the drop down, anyway, because it startles the baby (who does not startle easily) when I put it back up. I'm 5'6", though. Maybe get a foot stool or a little platform to stand on?

I have the Nurseryworks Loom crib which is a fixed-side. Now that my daughter is older and is on the lowest setting, it can be a little difficult at times to put her down while she is sleeping, and I'm nearly 6'. But still, I would never switch, I don't trust drop-side cribs, I've heard of too many "almost" stories. Our crib isn't directly on the floor, it's raised up on legs. We did consider the fixed-side Lollipop crib which is pretty much on the floor--I would think it would be easier for a shorter parent to deal with. It's a well-made, solid wood crib, and it comes in a lot of colors. http://www.albeebaby.com/ap-industries-lollipop-crib.html

5 years of using a drop side crib and no problems whatsoever. And I used that drop side a LOT. I'm 5'2 and putting the baby down after nursing/rocking or whatever-I loved being able to drop the rail with my hip or knee and put the baby down. Good luck and I'm sure you'll find a choice that works for you.

I'm 5'3'' and could just barely put my daughter down her fixed rail crib in its lowest setting, since you are 5'1'' I would definitely recommend a crib with the sliding rail.