How to choose a crib

How to choose a crib? Similar questions are set by future parents even when they wait for the first child, long before his birth or before the birth, others pick up a crib for a child who has already grown out of the previous cradle and needs a spacious sleeping place. In any case, the choice of a crib for a baby becomes one of the most important and crucial periods in the life of each family and it does not matter what the child expects.

Let's talk about the diversity of cribs from zero to 2-3 years, because each of its types differs from similar ones, it has its own characteristics: advantages and disadvantages

• The cradle crib is a small hinged or floor bed with a swing mechanism for children from birth to six months (or the moment when the baby no longer fits on a sleeping place. The advantage of this model is that it is small in size and closed like a cocoon that will allow the baby to enjoy the cozy atmosphere of the cradle, and parents - a peaceful sleep of the newborn.In the presence of an older child, and especially children of the moment, the cradle bed will be a real salvation for the mother, who can easily roll or move the bed to another room or take it with her to the kitchen.

The disadvantages of this model of a bed for a baby will be that the child will soon grow out of a cradle, and six months later, young parents will have to think again about buying a bed for their children. In addition, the cradle becomes dangerous for the growing up baby as soon as he learns to sit down and make the first attempts to stand up on his own: there is a great risk that the burly man will be able to fall out of the cradle.

• The classic wooden bed is one of the most preferred accessories for parents who choose practical and safe furniture for the child. Among the classic models there are differences not only in the design and the material of the base used, but such nuances as what the bed stands on (on legs or castors), whether it has an additional pendulum mechanism, whether the front wall is lowered and whether it is possible to remove it when the baby grows up, is there any silicone lining (which the children bite while in the crib).

Among the advantages of classic cots for children from birth and for 2-3 years and older it is worth noting that such a construction will last much longer than the first analogue - a bed-cradle; but it will take a lot of space in the parents' bedroom.

• A wooden cot will be an excellent choice for those mothers who do not want to part with a newborn even at bedtime, especially since babies often eat at night - such a bed will be a salvation for mom at night. Joint sleep with the mother helps the baby to develop faster, so say the doctors and scientists, and modern parents often make a choice in favor of this model. When choosing a crib for a baby, it is important to choose its height so that it is on a par with the parent - this will guarantee safety and convenience for both the baby and his parents.

• Bed arena is often a lightweight and easily foldable design with a bed for a small child; the bed is easily transformed into a zone where the child can play, and then gathers back while the baby is sleeping.

• Transforming beds are suitable for grown-up children of 2-3 years and older, and for newborns.The principle of the device of this design is as follows: it has a small bed for a small child, a side table built into the side, and possibly drawers from the bottom for storage. After the baby grows out of the first variant of the bed, it can easily be transformed into a more spacious bed: the bedside tables are removed, the walls are moved apart, a longer mattress is purchased - the bed is ready.

Its one significant disadvantage is cumbersome, especially in the primary state. However, the disadvantage gives rise to a very valuable advantage - there is no need to purchase a chest of drawers and a changing table - they already come complete with a baby cot.

• Bunk beds are designed for children from the age of 3-4 years old, who are independently able to climb into the bed and not be afraid to stay on the upper tier alone - for sleeping. They are ideal in small apartments with two or more children, when it is important to save free space in the nursery.

• Beds with partitions for grown-up children are single beds up to 140-160 cm and berths up to 90 cm wide, which have an additional side on one or two sides of the bed: it protects the child from falling out of bed during sleep.These beds are recommended for children of 2-3 years and older, when the child becomes more independent and will be ready to sleep in this kind of bed.

Classic wooden beds can be endowed with an advantage: they have a swing mechanism called a “pendulum”, thanks to which it will be possible to put the baby to sleep without hands. “Pendulums” are of two types: longitudinal and transverse, depending on the side of the swing: longitudinal move left and right, transverse - back and forth.

Most modern models have such a feature among inexpensive and expensive beds, but the expediency of such a mechanism is highly controversial. Some parents are “saved” thanks to the new technology of motion sickness: when the baby’s sleep is disturbed or at night, they pump up the baby, and he calmly falls asleep again. Other parents note that their child does not give in to such manipulations and nothing calms him, except for warm parental hugs and waving.

For the manufacture of cots, natural wood species are used without additional toxic processing: this is the opinion of most of the parents, but this is not always true - trust, but check.

The most cost-effective material for the manufacture of cribs is pine - durable wood with amazing properties, unpretentious care. When choosing a bed made of pine, evaluate the quality of its assembly and smell it: the bed should not smell like glue or other chemical compounds.

A bed made of solid oak or alder, birch, beech will be more expensive, because solid woods have high strength and last for decades, which determines the cost of children's furniture.

Any bed requires additional filling with a mattress and textile accessories: a sheet, a blanket, a pillow is not advisable to buy - small children can sleep without it. Additional purchase of wooden beds may be required: a baby may hit a hard surface while driving.

The choice of mattress is limited to the budget of the parents, mainly. If there are no restrictions in this matter, choose a double-sided mattress, where one side will be hard, the other - relatively soft. On the first side, the newborns are sleeping: in order to form correctly, they need to sleep on a firmer mattress, you can later teach the baby to a more comfortable bed.

By the way, about pillows for babies: do not purchase volumetric models, they will not be useful for a newborn except for special butterfly designs that are required for babies with a diagnosis of torticollis (only a doctor determines the diagnosis). You can buy rollers for the baby and protect it from accidental coups.

For the decoration of the crib a canopy is often used: it looks great in a set with sleeping linen, or textiles for the crib, selected in the same style and shade. One of the drawbacks of the canopy and the bed crib for the baby can be called the fact that textile accessories accumulate dust and dirt: just wash these accessories more often so that the health of the fragile baby will not hurt a bit.

Choosing the right bed for the baby will help parents in caring for the baby, and the baby will most likely adapt to changing conditions.

• For a newborn baby, choose a lullaby, a classic wooden bed or a sliding bed;
• To make the sleep of the baby and his mother stronger, it is better to choose an additional model: she will allow the mother-baby to maintain a strong connection; after reaching the older child, it can easily be moved to sleep separately: in another part of the parent’s bedroom or in a separate room;
• Choose a bed with a mechanism "pendulum"? Then teach your baby right from birth to rocking around in the crib or pumping it up as needed; when the child grows up, the swinging construction is easy to fix.
• For classic wooden models, it is important to have a special rubberized or silicone coating on the front side of the bed: maturing kids now and then gnaw everything that gets their teeth, and such a pad will be a real salvation for them.
• Virtually any wooden cot for a baby can turn into a sleeping place for an older child (provided that it “fits” in it at length): remove the front wall of the cot, and you get the prototype adult bed.
• Want to save money? Get a transforming bed with a pedestal and changing table: they will be useful in the first year of the child's life, then they are easily detached and installed separately while the baby gets a spacious sleeping place without additional damage to the family budget.
• To save the budget will help the acquisition of inexpensive children's beds made of pine without additional features ("pendulum", for example).In any case, the bed is a place to sleep for the baby, and it is only important to provide a favorable atmosphere for rest: textiles, comfortable mattress and loving parents.

Now you know the recommendations for the selection of a crib and which models of furniture for a child can be found on sale. Base your choice on personal preferences, and you will notice how this choice has become appropriate and correct.