What You Need To Know About Mini-Cribs Before Buying One

I'll admit, there's a nearly 2-year-old sleeping in a mini-crib in the room next door as I write this, so I'll admit I'm a little biased in the field of mini-cribs. However, they don't necessarily work for everyone - and I know they won't necessarily even work for our next baby. The internet, it seems, is a little split between the opinions that mini-cribs are a great space-saving tool and that mini-cribs are a waste of money because you'll need to buy a larger crib at some point anyway. There are a few things to take into consideration when you're wondering are mini-cribs worth it?

A mini-crib is smaller than a standard size crib by 14 inches in length and 4 inches in width, and you'll find standard sheets and mattresses for mini-cribs as well as standard size cribs. Standard crib sheets measure 28 by 52 inches, and mini-crib sheets measure 24 by 38 inches.

The two biggest considerations you'll have when choosing between a mini-crib and a standard size is how much space you'll be saving with a mini-crib and how much extra expense you could have by introducing another piece of furniture into your baby's room.

There's a chance you'll have a big baby who grows out of a mini-crib quickly and you'll need to upgrade to a regular size crib before they get much use out of a mini-crib. If big babies run in your family, you might want to skip the mini-crib and go for the big guns from the get to. However, if there's a chance you'll have a baby who can fit in a mini-crib for a while, like our daughter who won't likely outgrow hers before she needs to transition to a big kid bed, it's might be worth the risk.

The other aspect to take into consideration is obviously deciding whether a mini-crib is worth the cost. There are options you can find to keep costs down, like looking for a mini-crib second hand or finding relatively inexpensive options for mini-cribs online. In fact, mini-cribs can be a much smaller financial investment than a regular size crib or convertible crib, so there's a chance you might end up saving big time or at least delaying a bigger expense if you opt for a mini-crib.

Keep in mind, as well, that mini-cribs now come in convertible options, meaning if your baby is on the smaller side or doesn't mind sleeping in a cozy spot, they could transition all the way to a big kid bed with a mini crib frame.

Overall, if your space is so limited that an extra 14 inches is going to make a big difference, even just visually, and you can find a mini-crib you like that's not too expensive, go for it. You never know, you might get those 14 inches of space for longer than you imagine!