Kids & Company Blog

Crib or Cradle? Where to start

Whether you choose to start your baby out in a crib or slowly progress from a cradle or bassinet to a crib, there are a few things that should be considered.

Whether you start with a cradle or go right to the crib is all a matter of preference.  We had each of our 8 in a beautiful bassinet until they out grew it. This allowed us to have them close by for night-time feedings.  Regardless if they're in a crib or basinet current research suggests they should always sleep on their back, with no toys or bumpers.  It’s also important for babies to maintain the right temperature. This means either a nice cozy sleeper or a sleep sac. Babies don't get much colder than we do and the worst thing to do is over bundle them!

When our newborns were ready for a crib, we moved the baby to a small room off of our bedroom where they were still close enough to us.  I know not every family has this set up – rest assured, a crib in the room next door or down the hall is just as good. SIDS Canada offers some great Safe Sleep Tips to ensure your baby is safe while sleeping and Health Canada offers some guidelines on what you should look out for especially if you're using a second-hand crib.

It is important to ensure that all of the baby equipment that you buy has a sticker on it that certifies that it has passed all Health Canada standards. As long as your equipment has this sticker, it doesn't matter if it's the most expensive or least expensive crib out there, they've passed the same requirements and therefore should be safe for your baby.

It’s a nice family tradition to use the same crib for multiple children and we did so with some of ours.  But, we replaced the mattress often to ensure it was firm enough and not broken down from overuse.  Make sure to consider a new mattress if you are using an older crib.

The first place you choose for your baby to sleep is all a matter of preference.

What did you decide to do for your baby’s first sleep surface?