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.

non toxic cribHere’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 🙁

non toxic crib

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).

non toxic crib

Photo Credit: oeufnyc.com

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 moreWhat’s In a Naturepedic Organic Mattress?

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)