So many crib designs! Which one?

[atgcpaul]

The article I posted didn't have that in it, but that's exactly what I was trying to describe-

That apparently is going to be the way they're all going to be made once they stop making the current kind.

With the exception to the posssibility of pinching the childs fingers when closing, it seems so much more of a simple solution to the problem then the current drop side design.

I think the link that thrytis posted is the winning design. I can easily modify
the 3in1 dimensions (within CPSC regs) to have just the top 6" fold down. It
doesn't really add any extra complexity to the build.

We actually went to a baby store tonight to see what was out there. IMO,
the regular cribs have pretty low fronts making it seem pretty easy for my
wife to reach in. The models with the fold down front were several inches
taller making it very hard for her to reach in unless the front was flipped
down. The regs say that the top height is measured from where the top
folds, not where it is in the up position.

Right now, I'm not really seeing the difference in access between the two
styles. I can go either way, but I'm not the one who has to deliver the
baby.

Thanks for all your suggestions. We've got an ultrasound on Tuesday, and
fingers crossed, I'll be in the crib building business not too long afterwards.

Paul

[parnelli]

Sorry, i missed that in your first post.

Don't be sorry- I didn't have the time to find it- glad someone did!

[cabinetman]

I remember some of the safety issues with cribs, like not having protruding post ends above the crib to catch clothing. To open the front a half height barrier may be low enough to allow easier access.

I remember seeing a crib done with a gated front that opened like a pair of two doors hinged on their outside edges. With a positive locking at the center, this may be a viable option. Or, a single swinging gate in the middle, hinged on one edge.
.

[Alex Franke]

Congratulations! We recently put our well-used crib in the attic. The kids are growing so fast! Here are some comments that I hope are helpful to you:

Being able to raise and lower the mattress was *very* helpful -- I would *highly* recommend adding this as a feature if its not in your design. It's just a lot more convenient in the early months.

The drop-side (or some kind of access from the side) was also very helpful, and not just because my wife is short. Here's the scenario: Our first born was a very light sleeper and often needed a lot of help getting to sleep, even after we had to move the mattress to the bottom of the crib. Getting him out of the crib is no problem if he's standing up, but putting a sleeping child into the crib gently, without waking him, when the mattress is at the bottom can be a challenge even with better side access, and practically impossible without it (unless you're tall).

We didn't use a convertible crib for a couple of reasons. First, the kids' bedroom furniture all comes from a matching lines that don't offer convertible cribs. Second, we wanted to reuse the crib for our next baby (which didn't take *nearly* as long as the first, so be careful!!! ). For us it worked out perfectly. As soon as #1 could get out of the crib, we took it down and I built a simple little bed platform for the crib mattress. Right before kid #2 came along, we moved #1 to a "big boy bed", reclaimed the crib mattress and reassembled the crib. (Now she's using the crib mattress on the same platform I originally build for him.)

[rollo]

crib build

I built the Rockler crib 5 years ago and have had 2 children go through it. It is a great crib and the hardware is very good. In all honesty though, we didn't really use the drop-side feature much, but it was nice to have occasionally. Rockler's plans were great and the hardware kit was good as well. A fun project for sure.