It's perhaps the most important piece of baby furniture you will own, so you should know what to look for, to make sure your baby is safe and comfortable and so you can operate it safely and easily. Convenience isn't the only benefit of an easy to use crib. If you are like most moms, there will be times where you need to ?multi-task? and put up the side of the crib while holding your baby. If it is too difficult to do this, you could hurt yourself or the baby

Lead-free Finishes

Anyone who has any experience with babies knows that just about anything they touch ends up in their mouths. Chewing on things is soothing for teething babies and it is also a way for them to learn about the world around them. Unfortunately, not everything is safe to chew! The finishes on your baby's crib are no exception. Lead-based paints and finishes are toxic, so you should choose baby furniture with lead-free finishes.

Even if the finish on your baby's crib is lead-free, you should look for chips, cracking or unsafe wear on any part of the finish that your baby can reach. Anything that can come off the crib, a paint chip or piece of plastic, could end up in your baby's mouth.

Safe Construction

It does not take long for newborns to start moving around in their crib. Many moms can remember the first time they found their baby in a different part of the crib from where the baby was put to sleep. It's a moment of both surprise that the baby isn't where he or she was left, and pride that your baby is growing, becoming mobile and moving around on their own for the first time.

As your babies explore their cribs, they will reach, poke and push everywhere and everything. It is important that the side rails and slats are not wide enough for your baby's head to fit through. Also, there should not be any openings in the header and footer panels. Not only do these openings pose a safety risk, they can also be uncomfortable for babies and interrupt their sleep.

Baby Crib Bedding

Your baby deserves a firm, clean mattress. Hand-me-down mattresses can be too soft and a source of bacteria. Make sure the mattress fits snugly inside the crib so there are no spaces between it and the sides of the crib where tiny arms or legs might get stuck. A mattress that is too soft is not only uncomfortable but it can make it difficult for babies to push themselves up with their arms when lying on their stomach. As they push down, their hands sink into the soft mattress instead of pushing their heads up.

Crib Placement

Where you put your crib in your baby's bedroom is an important consideration from a safety point of view. Objects on shelves or wall hangings could fall into the crib. Keep your crib away from drapery cords with which your baby could become tangled. Also, while windows are a source of nice bright light, being too close could expose your baby to drafts and direct sunlight that might be harmful. Other considerations include the tasks you need to perform. You might be creating more work for yourself if the baby crib is at one end of the room and the change table is at the other end. Put them together and it's a short easy lift from table to crib or vice versa.

As tempting as the hand-me-down crib might be, there is a lot to consider. Mother Hubbard's Cupboard's builds hand-made cribs and baby bedroom furniture sets using the safest finishes and construction methods.