Do you/would you use an old crib?

[arivecchi]

I thought that for safety reasons, it is not generally recommended that one use antique or used cribs. I thought much like car seats, crib standards change and you never know how an old crib has been used/abused by other owners. Is that too conservative a line of thinking?

[crl]

I would likely not use an old crib. I would worry about various safety issues, including the paint/finish. Of course, I now have a drop side crib (not recalled) purchased in 2003 after copious research and am trying to decide if we need to get a new fixed side crib before the next baby. So I'm feeling a little cynical about modern safety standards too.

Catherine

[elektra]

I wouldn't use an old crib. I would just be too worried, warranted or not.

[AnnieW625]

We use an old crib (if I remember I'll post a pic of if when I get home tonight), but with the exception of one family friend it was lent to the early 70s it's been in our family since it was bought in 1950 for my dad at Robinson's dept. store by my Grandma. I think she told me she paid $75-$100 for it (so probably close to $500 to $600 or even $800 now) The friend it was lent to in the 70s painted it bright white and put little yellow daisys all over it (it had previously been a pretty maple stain it is now) so when it was given back to my mom in the late 70s to use for me my mom stripped it and restained it; the process took a long time so I actually didn't sleep in the crib until I was well over a year.

In general no I would not use an old crib if I didn't know the history of it. I never had to think about buying a crib ever because I knew we had this one in my parents attic, but had we needed to like I said I would've spent more money on a crib then anything else we had/needed to buy for DD.

ETA: gotta love the metal mechanisms on the side! There is zero plastic on this crib!

[michellerw]

I'm generally wary but it really depends on the individual case and I do believe in knowing the history, like Annie. My ILs have a 1976 Simmons crib that they want to use when our baby comes. It seems to meet current safety standards (I have measured all slats and everything) but I am concerned about weakening on the drop side hardware, so I will request that they use the PnP when they watch her.

If it were a higher quality crib to start with (a Childcraft or something) I would be less concerned.

That said, we're going to be using a five year old crib that my godmother bought for her grandchildren when they visited. They've now outgrown it. She paid a lot of money for it and I just checked the manufacturer's website and there have been no recalls and they have no plans for retrofit kits and I'm confident it's safe.

[infocrazy]

We use the one our nephew "used". He is almost 12. He never slept in it one night because they actually ended up cosleeping. DS1 refused to sleep in it until about 13 months when we cried it out (for only 20 min one night!--unbelievable). I told DH that if DS1 wouldn't sleep in it, I'd consider it cursed and buy a new one for DS2, but fortuantely he did. DS2 is in it now and we will hopefully use it for DD. We did buy a new mattress for each boy since DS1 went into a toddler bed, but DD will probably use DS1.

I checked it against recalls, and it did have one, that I got corrected prior to use. That said, I'm not sure I'd buy one with an unknown history. I also won't let them sleep in a crib at MIL, although she and DH see no issue but it is seriously not safe.

[maestramommy]

It depends on what you mean by old. both of our cribs we got used. The first was thirdhand, friend of a friend. Dora was the 5th kid to use it. Our other crib we got off CL from the original owner. It's not a "crib" crib. The bottom is a solid base because it eventually turns into a toddler bed, and the base has drawers and is attached to a small chest of drawers. So no real safety issues.

The thirdhand crib is a drop side though. So Dh is going to fix it so it won't drop anymore. And we'll use our aerobic stepper so I can reach Laurel without having to lower the side :p

[AshleyAnn]

I have no idea how old my crib is. Its a hand me down from DH's aunt who bought it for one of her kids but I don't know which one either her 6 yr old or her 4 yr old. Its a much better crib than anything I could have afforded to buy new (especially since the crib I wanted was recalled) with a NICE drop side on metal rods and mechanisms that I feel are 100% safe. I trust it as much as if not more than any crib BRU has on the show floor. I want 3 more babies and I plan to hang on to this crib until it becomes unusable or we know there will be no more LOs. I'm short I need a drop side. Once we're done with it if its still usable I will probably sell it for quite a bit of money (considering how hard drop sides will be to find in 8 years I expect a good one will be worth its weight in gold)

My parents still have the crib I slept in as a baby and intitally I said there was NO way DD was going to sleep in it. Now I am thinking about looking it over and seeing if it meets my standards. My mother claims she bought it right after the 'new' crib standards came out and the bars aren't too far apart or anything risky but I don't know for sure. I'm not 100% sure about the finish but you can buy lead test kits at Lowe's or Home Depot. My cousin let his children use it at my grandparents home 2 years ago and said it seemed ok to them and had all the parts. It also has a nice drop side on rails. If its meets all the standards of safe cribs I'm having them set it up in the spare room for DD to use along with all the other grandkids my brother and I will have in the future.

[arivecchi]

I thought one could not use cribs manufactured in the 70s or earlier b/c of lead paint issues? I was also wary of the cribs at BRU. We have a Munire stationary one which has now been converted to a full size bed and a Baby's Dream stationary one. They both feel super solid and got As in the BB book so I think they are safe. My MIL bought a drop side one without consulting me which I won't use anymore. It has not been recalled but I just don't feel comfortable after the mass recalls of drop-side cribs. I think it is a cheapo Delta too. Both of my cribs were new and I think I am with Elektra on this one, I would not feel comfortable with a used crib unless it is was purchased by me for an older sibling.

[wellyes]

I thought one could not use cribs manufactured in the 70s or earlier b/c of lead paint issues?

Definitely would not use a painted crib from that era.... but I think finished wood may be OK.

I think it's possible to see if an old crib (meaning 10+ years old) meets modern safety standards such as distance between slats, height, etc. I personally wuld rather have a cheap new IKEA crib than a beautiful antique crib but that's probably paranoia. I think it can be OK to use an old crib if you do a little homework.

[MommyAllison]

MIL saved DH's crib and put it back up for our kids to use at her house. Totally not comfortable with it, esp because if you look at the diagram that they use to show you what is unsafe about old cribs (like cutouts in the headboard, tall end posts, too widely spaced slats, etc), the crib has almost all of those features. Thankfully, FIL accidentally broke it a month or two ago, and it's totally unusable now. It's been replaced by a lovely new toddler bed. :) I'm not an older crib fan.

[Katigre]

If it is a non drop-side crib from within the last 20 years, I'd use it. Crib standards haven't changed much in the past two decades since they made the new slot requirements to be narrower and the rule about no cut-outs/posts on the ends of cribs. If it was in good condition and had all the hardware I'd use it.

A 20 year old crib mattress? Nope, I'd get new.

I wouldn't compare a 20 year old crib with a 20 year old carseat b/c carseat technology and standards have changed HUGELY in that time period (as well as the expiration issue). But cribs are pretty basic pieces of wood furniture - not a whole lot of new technology on that front.

[AnnieW625]

Here is a photo of our crib, yes it does have the cut outs on the top, but DD didn't have any issues with those. The photo is of DH and my dad (DH would kill me if he knew I was posting a photo of himself with his glasses oh...he he), and DD is just over a year in the photo.

[Melaine]

Both of our cribs were passed from friends and family. I don't have a problem with it, after I check for recalls. It's not the same as a carseat, IMO, as wrecks don't come into play.

[o_mom]

I think it depends on the definintion of 'old'. I used a hand-me-down that was a several years old from a relative. I would not use one from prior to about 1991 when the last safety standards update occured. In addition to slat spacing*, there are lead issues, not just with paint but with wood finishes as well, protrusions that can be strangulation risks, pinch points, etc. It is NOT worth $100 to me to risk those things. That's the cost of a stationary side crib.

*which is NOT about if their head can fit, but if the body fits through without the head. So many people say "oh, it's fine, his head can't fit through so the spacing is fine. : (

[HIU8]

Not on a regular basis. My parents wanted to know if we wanted my old crib (almost 40 yrs old and stored taken apart in an attic that is not temperature controled). We do have a hand me down crib at MIL's but it is used 2x a year only. We also have a hand me down cradle that DD and DS slept in for the first 6 weeks (DD) to 3 months (DS).

[MamaMolly]

Well since I had a drop side that was recalled about a year ago I agree with the PP who said she's a bit of a cynic about new cribs. But lead paint scared the daylights out of me. It isn't damage you see immediately. So I think if I had to do it over I'd go with a cheap Ikea crib and be done with it.

[infomama]

I would not use an old crib but both out our Dds slept in the bassinet my dad made in 1969 the first few weeks. It is *very* solid and I was very comfortable using it.

[kijip]

Gently used with a complete manual available and an identifiable brand and manufacture date available etc to look for recalls? Sure. Old? Not in my comfort zone. There have been a lot of crib recalls due to deaths. I would want to be able to see if the one I had was NOT one of the recalled ones. Also antique cribs often have lead paint and finishes etc on them. No crib is a better solution than a rickety or potentially recalled crib. An expert on the radio this week suggested that people stop using drop side cribs at all. I would not go that far but I can see her point. Of course short in my family is 5'9" for a woman so it has not much mattered to me if I have a drop side or not.

[daniele_ut]

Here is a photo of our crib, yes it does have the cut outs on the top, but DD didn't have any issues with those. The photo is of DH and my dad (DH would kill me if he knew I was posting a photo of himself with his glasses oh...he he), and DD is just over a year in the photo.

I don't mean to be nosy, but have you actually measured the distance between the slats on that crib? They look awfully far apart. The rule of thumb is that a soda can should not fit between the slats. Obviously they not wide enough for a baby's head to fit through, but what some people don't think about is that they can fit the rest of their body through and then be stuck.

To the OP, no I wouldn't use an old crib. I have a dropside crib that I bought 5 years ago from a local furniture store before I found the BBB. The manufacturer gets a 'D' in the BB book and I've already replaced the crappy plastic hardware once. My crib wasn't recalled, but the recall is the last straw for me. I am shopping for a new stationary crib.

[citymama]

I wouldn't use an antique crib for sure, but DD has spent nearly 4 years in a Bellini crib that we bought second-hand from a good friend who bought it new for her son, who slept in it 3 years. And we plan to pass it on to the new baby in a few months, so it will likely get at least a decade of use! It is SO well made and I couldn't be happier with having bought a high-quality crib second-hand.

[Melanie]

I did. I made sure it conformed to all current safety standards and for my second (b/c I wasn't thinking with my first!) I bought a new mattress. I added a fresh "teething" rail to the top and also touch-up painted it with non-toxic paint but I hear that's a no-no now.

And then my children hardly ever slept in it. :ROTFLMAO:Seriously, with two kids I would imagine the total time of any body in that thing would be about 8-10 hours, including away time. I'm glad I didn't spend much!

[arivecchi]

Annie, google crib safety tips. The CPSC has a list of things you need to look at when using an old crib. That might be helpful.

[AnnieW625]

I don't mean to be nosy, but have you actually measured the distance between the slats on that crib? They look awfully far apart. The rule of thumb is that a soda can should not fit between the slats. Obviously they not wide enough for a baby's head to fit through, but what some people don't think about is that they can fit the rest of their body through and then be stuck.


My mom said that she remeasured the slats when she took it out of storage in 2006 and took it to our house. She said it was within 1/10th of an inch. I just did the soda can test and yes there is a tiny bit of space, but it's not more than .08 of inch (see photo below). We used a bumper and DD did not sleep in the crib until she was 2 mos. old.

It doesn't pass the corner test, but my mother said none of us ever tore our clothes on it, and once DD mastered climbing out of the crib she always went over the front side.

The opening at the top of the crib is less than 2 inches and DD never got her hand stuck, there is no way that a head could even get through there.

Like I have said in prior posts I feel that the crib is very safe, and the stain was also touched up before my parents gave it to us so that's definitely non toxic stain. If I were to change anything from the use from DD I might look at getting a breathable bumper.

ETA: the second headboard is behind the first headboard so there are not two openings at the top of the bed.