Short mom

[luna7997]

I am new here, my first post ;)

I was wondering if anyone had any experience as a more "petite" mother. I am on the crib hunt, I am 5' 2" tall, and I am concerned about being able to reach over to get the baby and put them in. I don't want to hurt my back, or the baby for that matter. I know there are different options such as drop down sides etc, but are they practical?

Does any shorter mothers have the ones that don't drop? Ones that drop that they think are great?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

[wendibird22]

Welcome!
I am also 5'2''...on a good day. I had the same concerns when I was crib shopping and was convinced that I needed a crib with a drop side in order to get my child in/out. Then a nice saleslady pointed out that for most cribs the drop side height when lowered is the same height as the shorter side of a convertible crib. We ended up getting a convertible crib because it seemed so much studier with no moving parts to break or squeak (didn't want to wake a sleeping babe putting the side up!). And I have had no problems lifting DD in/out and at 9mos old the mattress is at the lowest point and I can still bend over the side and lay her down asleep no problem. The only caveat to this is a friend has a convertible that was custom made at an Amish store and her "lower" side is quite a bit higher than mine and I would have found it more difficult to get baby in/out of hers.
Here's a pic of my crib (click on room 2 or 4 to see the crib) http://www.bonavita-cribs.com/peyton.html. When the mattress is at its lowest point it is about equal with the bottom crossbar.

Good luck with shopping!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Ditto the pp. I am also 5'2" and I do not think a drop side crib is necessary. I thought it would be so we own one but I do not use the feature except sometimes for changing the sheet. I actually stopped using the drop side b/c 1. it wasn't really that necessary expecially b/c the crib had a mattress height adjuster; 2. when you lock the rail back in place my crib jerked just enough to disturb baby sometimes- something I really didn't appreciate on a rough sleep night!

When baby is tiny and up a lot the mattress will be at a raised position that even a short mom should be able to easily access baby. When baby is older they usually get up less and can stand and sit which makes it easier to reach them. With practice you can easily get a sleeping baby/ toddler into and out of the crib even when the mattress is lowered, in my experience.

Do look for a crib with the dif't mattress heights though.

Beth

[jerigirl]

I also am 5'2'' on a good day and do not have a drop side crib either. It is not a problem when picking up or putting down DS. The only time I have a problem with it is when I want to change the sheets. My crib is situated against a wall in the corner (so one long side and 1 short side are against a wall). I need a step stool to reach the corners to get the sheet on and the Ultimate Crib Sheet snapped. Most of the time when I change the fitted sheet I just take the whole mattress out of the crib, but to put the UCS in place on top, you have to do that in the crib. It snaps onto the slats of the crib. GL!

[Lana_G]

I'm also 5'2" and am shopping for a crib NOW. I don't feel comfortable with the drop side cribs because most of them are so unstable. I'm trying to choose between Baby Cache (Manhattan) at BabiesRUs or the Straight-Up Crib from TheLandOfNod. I haven't seen the straight-up (they claim it's shorter than most in the market) in person, so I don't know... but it is made in the USA, and that's a huge plus in my opinion.

[sarahsthreads]

I love my Pali April drop-side crib. But I'm only 5'1" on a good day. ;) I never found it to be unstable or squeaky, nor did it wake DD up, but maybe she was just an extra-good sleeper.

Honestly, even with the drop-side, I found it much easier to pull the entire mattress out (we have a relatively light foam mattress instead of the innerspring type) to change the sheets.

And it's *really* hard to judge while pregnant. I couldn't bend over and reach the mattress on any of the store models while we were shopping, and I was totally freaked out, but it was much less of an issue once the baby was no longer taking up valuable bending-over room!

Sarah :)

[mom2binsd]

I'm shorter than you all..at 4'10 and a half..DD's crib was a Jardine from BRU...it had the drop side and when the mattress was on the lowest setting I could not place her in if she was sleeping as I couldn't reach unless the side was down...luckily she was easy to put down awake and it wasn't an issue...by the time the mattress is low you shouldn't have to worry too much about putting down a sleeping baby.

DS's crib is from Kmart...the Heritage 3 in 1...the overall height of the crib is about 2 inches shorter than DD's crib...no problems putting him in even with the side up/because it's shorter we tend to just leave it up....it's a cute, sturdy crib for 99.00...the downside...he's a climber...but we solved that with a crib tent....

As for changing sheets...I have always just removed the mattress..we have the foam Colgate mattress which is so light..no bumpers and it's so easy to lift out and change sheets.

I don't think that it's an issue raising and lowering the dropside...most cribs do it pretty quietly

[luna7997]

Thank you for all of your suggestions, I am proud to announce that I bought a crib - The Bonavita Peyton LS crib - in expresso on Saturday. Very happy with my decision.

Any ideas on how to prevent "chew" marks on this crib? It's got a very thick front area that won't accept traditional teething protectors. I was thinking maybe I could fabricate something from Lowe's etc, but I figured I would ask.

Thanks again!!!

[Eve]

I am also 5'1" and had to look around and measure for cribs. i just bought the Bonavita Peyton like you!. i was also looking at the Pali Carrigan crib which aslo works for a shorter person.

As for your problem with the "chew" marks. I saw at USABaby a product that was similar to this:

http://www.teething-teeth.com/Crib_Gripz_teething_Crib_Guard.html

it is fabric that velcrows under the rail.

i have not bought it yet but it looks nice and easy to wash.

[wendibird22]

Congrats on the Peyton. We LOVE ours. DD is 10mos, has 6 teeth, and hasn't teethed on it...yet...

[mom2binsd]

To make your life so much easier...go for the Colgate Classica Foam mattress, the light weight is wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eve]

i bought the Bonavita Peyton "forever" crib but have not received it yet. I want to make my own dust ruffle and was wondering if someone ith the crib could measure the platform that the mattress goes on for me? i can't seem to find the specs for that online. Sorry to trouble you guys but if you don't mind i would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!!

[wendibird22]

I'm assuming by "forever" you mean the convertible version that becomes a headboard/baseboard for a double bed? If so, I'd be happy to measure ours sometime today and post the measurements.

[GeekLady]

Crib mattresses are a standard size, you should be able to make the dust ruffle to the dimensions of the mattress and it will work fine.

[Eve]

Yes i mean the convertable crib. and i wasn't sure that the platform was the same measurements as the crib mattress. and as the dust ruffle will be going on the platform and not the mattress (will go under the mattress) i wanted to make sure i had the right measurements. so yes i would still greatly appreciate the length and width. thanks a bunch! I don't want to make it wrong. Thanks!!

[wendibird22]

The platform measures 51 1/8" by 26" at the widest point (corners are rounded). IME, we used our crib skirt for the 1st 6 months until we lowered the mattress. Once at the lowest point, the crib skirt was too long and barely visible since the piece of wood trim that runs along the bottom is quite wide.

[Eve]

THANKS a Bunch!!

[brianneashley11]

hello everyone,

My husband and I expecting our little bundle of joy in about 3 weeks. We purchased and assembled the Bonavita Peyton LS crib and really like the crib alot, however I am slightly worried about the fit of the mattress. We have the Simmons Beautyrest Backcare VII. There is not much room to the sides (less than two fingers)... however the matress seems to shake, move a decent amount in the crib. I am not sure if my mattress does not fit right or if there is a problem with assembly. Can anyone else let me know if they have/had any similar problems. Or if their crib also moves and maybe this is not an issue??

Thanks so much,
Brianne

[wendibird22]

Hmm...we've been using our Peyton LS crib for 18 mos now and I can't say that I've noticed any movement with the mattress. I'll have to check it out tomorrow morning when DD wakes up.