The subject of crib mattress to crib size was brought up in a Mother-to-Mother support group recently. One mom had a handmade crib that was a unique size and she was concerned that the mattress she found may be too small to fit correctly in the crib.
According to this link: http://www.mysimon.com/4002-9375-###-###-####.html Consumer Reports suggests...If you can squeeze more than two fingers between the mattress and the crib, the mattress is too small.
Two fingers seems like a lot of room. I wonder if that's before or after the
bedding is on the mattress? I think our daughter's mattress has about that much space without the bedding. I'm not sure how much space ours has with bedding on it as, our
daughter is still sleeping in bed with us or in her co-sleeper.
I'm wondering if other moms think the two fingers' space would be before or after the bedding is in place? Does that seem like the amount of space that your crib has/had between it and the mattress?
Thanks,
K.
Thanks for the input Ladies. The suggestion of foam or rolled up material around the edges of the antique crib seems like a good solution! I'll pass it on.
We have now put our own daughter's crib (standard crib with standard sized mattress) together. With the bedding the mattress fits snugly and has almost no gap at all, so it seems secure. I almost think it's too snug now because I'm going to have a heck of a time changing the bedding LOL!
I don't recall our mattress had any space. It should fit snuggly.
If it's snugger than 2 fingers, you won't enjoy changing the crib bedding (and trust me, you'll be doing plenty of that!)
The main purpose is so that baby's arm or foot will not slip in and become pinched between the rail and mattress. If it seems there is enough space for pinched limbs, then you could get some foam or a rolled up quilt and wad it around the mattress (especially when baby is pulling up to stand along the rail) so there's nothing to get stuck/pinched on.
We want a safe world, but there is such a thing as excessively safe. It is good for babies to learn to balance and fall as toddlers while they are still only 2 feet high and have padded bottoms than when they are older and their falls come from higher places with more injuries. Toddling and falling down is what develops their sense of balance and caution.
(OK, I know this was NOT what you asked! I'll get off my soapbox now, grin.)
Sounds reasonable to me. If it fit any tighter you wouldn't be able to get your hand in there to remove the mattress or put bedding on.
I expect that the 2-fingers rule is because you don't want the baby to get any body parts wedged in between and lose circulation. Not very scientific--some people's fingers are bigger than others. If the mattress fits in, doesn't move around, and doesn't seem like it could allow for any stuck body parts, it should be fine.
If you have a standard crib - bought within the last 5 years, not an antique, hand-me-down or custom any crib mattress sold at a baby store will be the right size. You need some space in order to take the mattress in and out- rotate it and change the bedding. By the time you put a bumper on the crib the small gap will be covered and unless you have Houdini Jr. it's safe. The furniture and mattress industry try to make things standard size to maximize efficient production and sales! Do check that the rails on your crib are too close to fit a Coke can through! If it's a newer crib it should be fine.
If you are really worried stuff a rolled up towel at the end of the crib to make it tight. Your daughter isn't standing yet so it shouldn't be too much of a worry for now. I never let my son play in his crib - so I didn't really worry - he had sleep issues as it was and I didn't want him to associate his bed with anything but BORING SLEEP.
