Cribs for your newborn, are a must these days. To shop around for a baby crib is a pleasurable moment. Manufacturers have come with varying designs from the most simple and straight forward varieties to many special, sophisticated ones with a lot of fancy accessories and options. While purchasing cribs, safety and comfort should take precedence over looks and cost as it involves the safety of your baby.

While new born babies are very small and tender, they do grow very fast. Almost all cribs come with options by which the height of the mattress can be adjusted. While the mattress can be kept high when the child is small, it can be lowered over time as the child grows. When the child grows to a stage where he or she can easily climb out of the crib in its lowest position, you can know that it is time to move to a toddler bed.

The federal government has come out with a set of safety standards for cribs. Ensure from the buyer or manufacturer that the crib you are purchasing meets all the safety standards. Avoid cribs that are manufactured before 1973, as the guidelines for crib safety were not in place before that time.

Along with meeting the safety standards, you might have to check for a couple of things for your own ease of use and satisfaction. Check out how easily the dropside release works. Since you will be placing the baby on the crib when the baby is asleep, an easy and quiet dropside will always help. Ensure that there are no metal edges or teething rails. Check for the latches and locks to ensure that they are in good working order. Check whether you are able to slide the adjustable rails easily and lock them. Check for the gap between the crib and the mattress. If you can fit two fingers easily in the gap, then the crib and mattress do not fit properly and can result in your child slipping beside the mattress and getting hurt.

Cribs come with a lot of options. Cribs with wheels are available, where the wheels can be locked when required, and unlocked if there is a need to move it for cleaning etc. Convertible cribs are available where it can be used as a crib for the infant and can be converted into either a toddler bed or a twin size bed in later years. These help in many ways as you don't have to discard the crib after the child grows up and the child can easily move from the crib to the toddler bed when the time comes. These can easily be used for more than five years. These are also very useful in retaining the look and d'cor of the child's room. Basic cribs can cost anywhere from hundred dollars to a few hundreds of dollars. Convertible cribs or other fancier and special models can cost even up to the thousands of dollars. It's all about personal preference!