A crib is one purchase where "it looks fine" isn't a good enough standard — a handful of specific, well-documented safety requirements matter more than style, finish, or brand.
The four things to check
No drop-side rail. A drop-side crib has a side rail that slides down for easier access. The sliding mechanism can loosen or detach over time, creating a gap between the rail and mattress that an infant can become trapped in — this was linked to dozens of infant deaths before the design was banned in the US in 2011. No amount of "it still looks sturdy" makes an old drop-side crib safe to use; if you're offered one as a hand-me-down, it's not a safe option regardless of condition.
Slat spacing of no more than 2-3/8 inches (about 6 cm). Gaps wider than this can let a baby's body slip through while still trapping the head — a genuinely dangerous combination. A simple practical check: if a standard soda can passes easily between the slats, the spacing is too wide.
A firm mattress that fits the crib snugly, with no gaps between the mattress edge and the crib frame. Soft bedding surfaces and gaps a baby could roll into are both associated with higher sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) risk — don't rely on a manufacturer's firmness label alone; press down on the mattress yourself and confirm it holds its shape and springs back quickly.
No padded crib bumpers. These are banned under federal law in the US, since padded bumpers pose a real suffocation and strangulation risk and provide no proven safety benefit.
Standards were just updated again in 2026
Worth knowing if you're evaluating an older crib: US federal crib and crib-mattress standards were revised again in 2026, tightening structural and entrapment-related requirements further, including new rules specifically addressing mesh and fabric-sided cribs. If you're using or considering a crib that predates recent purchase, it's worth checking it against the current standard rather than assuming an older "compliant at the time" label still reflects today's requirements.
The one thing people forget
Check the crib against the official CPSC recall database by model name before using it, especially for a secondhand or hand-me-down crib — recalls happen more often than people expect, and a crib can be pulled from safety compliance after it was originally sold.