Posted by Ideal Baby to Baby Gear

One of the major furniture that you will have to equip your nursery with is the baby crib. Naturally, you'll need to carefully weigh your options in order to get the most suitable for your needs and also to ensure the safety and comfort of your infant. In doing so, there are plenty of factors to consider such as the material, design, durability, and pricing.

It would certainly benefit you to be familiar with the various types of baby cribs first, along with the pros and cons of each, so as to help you when shopping for a crib. Here are the most common types:

Regular

Regular or standard type cribs are the most common, of course. But they don't come with only one look or style. There are still a lot of options available, such as picking between the wooden crib or the plastic one, and deciding between the one with the bassinet or the one without.

In general, the main advantage of this type is that it's easy to find and is readily available, not to mention also much more affordable. Often if you go for a good brand like Graco, you'll discover that the regular type is durable and long-lasting as well as stylish in appearance.

So what are the setbacks? Well, it's certainly not easy to move around, fold and unfold. It also lacks some special features offered by other types of cribs.

Portable

If you live in a condo unit or a small apartment, chances are you're on the hunt for portable cribs. These are the cribs that can easily be assembled and disassembled. There are some that you can flatten and lean on the wall when not in use, so that you have more space in the room. There are also those that you can fold up completely and store in a container with handles. The latter is referred to as a travel crib and can easily be carried and transported.

Naturally, the best benefit of a portable baby crib is its ability to be folded easily and put aside or even brought along when traveling. It's highly beneficial if you want to save space in your house.

On the other hand, you'll discover upon browsing for such cribs that the choices are certainly limited. There's not a lot of designs to choose from. Furthermore, keep in mind that the mattress will still need to be put away separately when you fold up the crib.

Convertible

You've probably heard of convertible baby cribs which are said to give you the best value for your money, since they can be modified to "grow" with your child. This type of crib starts out as a standard one and then you can later convert it into a toddler bed and then to a regular bed for kids.

Obviously, this crib's greatest advantage is its ability to be adjusted in terms of look, function, and design to suit your growing child. It's certainly built to last for a long time too.

However, the downside to such cribs is that there's always the risk that it really won't last as long as it says it will. Or perhaps after a few years, it will look worn out already and wouldn't be so pleasing to the eye anymore. What's more, even if the design is basic, you may want to still change it in the future because of new interior decors and perhaps for functional and spatial reasons too. Take note that this type is quite expensive as well. Hence, you must give it some thought if you believe that it will really be well worth it.

Multiuse

When you go shopping for cribs, you will also come across the multiuse or multipurpose cribs. These are the ones that seem attached to another type of furniture such as a set of drawers for children's clothes and toys. Some designs also incorporate dressers and a change table.

When it comes to advantages, you will be happy that this type of crib can prove to be cost effective. After all, you won't be buying two separate pieces of furniture. It can provide great convenience as well when you need to grab some baby stuff such as for changing of diapers and clothes, cleaning up, feeding, and giving medicine.

On the other hand, it's important to note that the multiuse crib can be quite bulky. It's therefore ideal only for those with spacious nurseries. What's more, there may be some features that were removed, replaced by the affixed furniture.

Now that you are more familiar with the different baby crib types and their respective pros and cons, surely you're beginning to zoom in on one or two that you'd really like to look at. This is thus the perfect time for you to go over our own collection of cribs and see which one will capture your fancy and suit your preferences and budget. Enjoy!