Are you looking for a non toxic crib to go with your organic crib mattress?
I’ve been searching high and low for organic, solid wood non toxic cribs to go with our organic crib mattresses! Because let’s face it, an organic mattress without an organic crib is like slathering mass-produced margarine on your organic bread! No! Just no.
Here’s what I’d demand in an untreated solid wood crib:
- Unfinished solid wood from sustainable sources like FSC
- No formaldehyde-filled MDF or particle boards
- No nasty VOC off-gassing containing stains, glues or finishes, preferably using water-based tung or linseed oil
BTW if you are ready to create a healthier home, but are feeling overwhelmed at where to start, Organic Lifestyle’s Healthy Home Consultation is for you!
Here’s what I’ve found:
1. Green Cradle, a California-based company, who I visited on a trip to California have a good solid-wood crib but their shipping weight approx 125 lbs! (Make note of the weight since it will impact shipping costs)
2. An Oregon-based company, Pacific Rim, makes FSC certified Four-in-One Kids Bedroom furniture, Adult Beds, Dressers and Nightstands.
*** August 2017 Looks like they’ve discontinued their solid-wood maple cribs 🙁
Price point
If you’re looking for something more budget friendly, you might want to consider the following formaldehyde-free, MDF / plywood options:
3. Oeuf’s Rhea crib: looks beautiful, made of solid birch and Baltic birch plywood (see below).
4. Spot On Square’s Ulm crib: made from sustainably harvested solid birch and birch plywood.
5. One of my customers looked into IKEA’s solid-wood crib called Sniglar to go with her Organic Lifestyle organic crib mattress. IKEA claims their Sniglar crib is 100% unfinished beech. But my customer was not sure if the crib really was non-toxic.
When I’m doing my own research, I find blogs like this one really useful. Here is a summary of the Sniglar crib from from Irina Webb’s blog, “I Read Labels For You“:
I had looked into the Sniglar crib. It is in my database of products I approve. Solid and unfinished wood and great price are definitely great features of the crib. However, it is not perfect. The mattress support is made of fiberboard, which has added formaldehyde. IKEA assured me that they test the cribs they sell vigorously and formaldehyde level is 1/3 of CARB II emission standard’s, the strictest standard available. To be on a safe side, I recommend buying the crib as early as possible and air it. There are other things you can do to bring the formaldehyde level down. Let me know if you are interested to know about them. Also, I read that it might break in the assembly. And some reviewers recommend buying two cribs… All in all I believe that Sniglar is one of least toxic cribs available on the market and it is of a great value
Sniglar can support child’s weight to a max of 50 lbs.
*** Update on June 24th 2014 – Reader in comments suggested that IKEA now uses solid wood mattress support (No fiberboard), so double-check at your local IKEA
*** Update on July 8 2014 – IKEA Canada confirms mattress base and crib is made from solid wood (no fiberboard) and is unfinished (no paints or stains).
Why are solid wood non toxic cribs so hard to find in Canada anyway?
I think the requirement for safety and liability testing is why there are so few solid-wood crib options available in Canada.
So, let’s say you are doing your own research for solid-wood cribs. What should you be looking for in terms of organic crib-mattress sizing? Approved North American crib mattresses are built to meet 28″x 52″ dimensions; however, not all cribs are built to meet these dimensions.
What you wants is a snug fit of your organic crib mattress inside the crib. No gaps.
We’ve kind of been working backwards here: looking for an untreated solid wood crib for an organic mattress. But as good as a crib can be, you can’t have one without an organic mattress! So, which of Organic Lifestyle’s organic crib mattresses should you put into your solid-wood crib (including IKEA’s Sniglar cribs)?
- Naturepedic makes a non-toxic crib mattress that uses cost-effective materials to provide convenience, like built-in waterproofing (so that you don’t have to spend $$ on mattress covers to protect the mattress, you just wipe it) with organic cotton.
To meet fire retardant related safety regulations without the use of any fire retardant chemicals or chemical flame barriers, Naturepedic uses materials such as organic cotton fabric, organic cotton batting, plant-based non-GMO PLA batting that does not burst into flames or release deadly fumes when ignited (as compared with polyurethane foam) Read more: What’s In a Naturepedic Organic Mattress?
- If you want a completely organic crib mattress (no plastic, no formaldehyde, no VOC offgassing, with 3rd party certifications) and peace of mind, consider Organic Lifestyle’s natural rubber. Or, the Essential organic innerspring mattress which is about the same price point as Naturepedic, just no built-in waterproofing. It also uses natural wool as the fire retardant.
- With the completely organic option, invest in organic mattress covers.
In summary, IKEA’s Sniglar crib seems to be the most affordable option to go with your organic crib mattress. Made to order, sustainably sourced with reduced / no chemical toxic exposure solid wood cribs do exist, however, majority are $500+ in price.
Have you found a better non toxic crib option? Tell us in the comments
Dihan, Proud-Owner, Organic Lifestyle.
Related Articles:
List of non-toxic Nursery products from USA based blogger, SmartMommy, healthy baby
Most Cribs Are Toxic, But There Are Safe Alternatives! Learn more about potential dangers lurking in a conventional crib from The Non-toxic Nurse
7 Eco-friendly, Modern Cribs for Green Babies (Article from 2010 eg., Argington looks like they went out of business, but still good summary of eco options)
15 Responses to “Looking for a Non toxic solid wood crib?”
Hi Anita,
Did you end up purchasing a Green cradle crib??
Thx
Stefanie
Hi – what did they finish the wood with? We use linseed oil which can emit an odour as well. Perhaps its that?
I recently purchased a crib from college woodwork. A Canadian company based in Oshawa, Ontario. The crib has a slight odor, but the dresser is definitely emitting a peculiar small. Called the manufacturer and was told to wipe the drawers with lemon and water or vinegar and of our should be gone in three weeks. I’m weary of using this product now even though they claim no particle board or MDF is used
The Sniglar from Ikea is the best non-toxic crib and here’s why: http://themodernmindfulmom.com/2016/04/02/the-best-non-toxic-crib/
Dihan, can’t find cribs in your online shop. Are you still looking to source ?
Have been doing a lot of reading on chemical-free cribs. Here’s something for Canadian readers – if you’re not able to find the perfect non-toxic crib in the market or if it’s out of your budget, it might be an idea to buy a used solid wood crib, scuff-sand it and re-paint it using baby safe paint. That’s provided it’s made of 100% solid wood, and no pressed boards.
Option 2 is use a lot of activated bamboo charcoal to absorb those toxins from the air.
Hi – by law, crib mattresses are made to a standard size 28×52″ to meet federal safety requirements. There is minor variation but the key is the mattress might be slightly larger than the crib itself so that there is a snug fit. You don’t want any gaps between the mattress and the crib. We’ve used the Sniglar with the naturepedic 2in1 in the past without any issues
Hi! I purchased the IKEA Sniglar crib, and I want to use a Naturepedic crib mattress with it. Can anyone give me input on which Naturepedic crib mattress will be best fit with IKEA Sniglar crib? While I do have the stated dimensions, reviews indicate that dimensions aren’t always entirely accurate so I would like someone with firsthand experience to respond. Thanks!
Hi
Reducing offgassing emissions will be hard cause the components that offgas are very much part of the particle board and glues. Aside from replacing the day bed with something ‘non-toxic’ (perhaps IKEA could offer a replacement?) your only other option is to open a window to air it out might help reduce any buildup of VOCs- this article on mattress offgassing could be extended to anything that off-gasses: https://blog.organiclifestyle.com/organic-mattress-101/mattress-smell-offgassing/
Hope this helps
I have the IKEA daybed (made from particle board and solid slats) and hadn’t even considered the possibility of formaldehyde emissions at the time of purchasing (this is all new to me!). Anyway, it can’t be changed now 🙁
Could you tell me how to reduce the emissions please?
Correction: The Nest crib, but yes hopefully it’s ends up being the best crib. Lol.
Just purchased the best crib from Room and Board. It’s on the pricey side, but the customer service rep to me they have carried the crib for many years now, made in the USA, no formaldehyde, non toxic stains go through a long curing process before being shipped out. I would love your input on this crib! Thanks!
I did hear back – they plan to wholesale but shipping might be cost prohibitive. Waiting for their pricing to make final decision
Have you heard back from Green Cradle yet? Thanks!
That’s great to hear – Thanks for the feedback!
Just went to IKEA today to check out the Sniglar Crib. It is no longer made with a MDF support to hold up the mattress. In fact, all the cribs there are no longer made with the MDF mattress supports. Now they are solid wood slats. The associate told me IKEA made this change so that their cribs would be non-toxic.