Owner’s guide
Safety
A crib is the one piece of furniture your child is left alone in. Here is what ours are built from, what they are tested against, and how to set one up so it stays safe as your child grows.
Standards
Every crib we sell is built to meet or exceed the CPSC and ASTM safety standards that govern cribs sold in the United States, and is finished with non-toxic, baby-safe materials. Cribs are among the most tightly regulated pieces of furniture sold in the US: fixed sides, slat strength and spacing, mattress support and hardware durability are all covered.
Materials and construction
Our cribs are made from solid American hardwood — brown maple, cherry and red oak — not veneer over particle board. Drawers in the matching case pieces are dovetailed rather than stapled. Solid wood matters here for a specific reason: a crib is repeatedly disassembled and rebuilt as it converts, and joinery that holds up to that is the difference between a piece that lasts one child and one that lasts several.
Finishes are non-toxic and baby-safe throughout, including on the top rails, which is where a teething child will inevitably put their mouth.
Setting up safely
- Mattress fit. Use a firm, flat mattress sized for the crib. If you can fit more than two fingers between the mattress and the crib side, the mattress is too small.
- Keep the sleep surface bare. Current safe-sleep guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics is a firm mattress with a fitted sheet and nothing else — no bumpers, pillows, blankets, or soft toys.
- Lower the mattress as your child grows. Drop to the lowest setting before they can pull to standing.
- Re-tighten the hardware. Check the bolts a few weeks after assembly and every few months after. Wood moves with the seasons and fasteners loosen; this is normal and is the single most useful bit of maintenance you can do.
- Placement. Keep the crib clear of windows, blind or curtain cords, heaters and anything hanging on the wall within reach.
Converting the crib
Our convertible cribs move through four stages — crib, toddler bed, daybed, and full-size bed. The conversion parts are sold separately, so you buy them when you reach that stage rather than storing them for two years.
Convert on the child’s readiness, not their age: most families move to the toddler bed when climbing out of the crib becomes a real possibility. Use the guard rail made for your model — the geometry differs between styles.
Questions
If anything arrives damaged, or a part does not fit as it should, tell us before you assemble it. Get in touch and we will sort it out.