Babies and parents love solid wood cribs. Not only do they look absolutely gorgeous, they’re also resilient and strong. Unfortunately, they tend to be a bit on the pricey side. The good news is we can help you find the best wood crib for you and your budget!
Benefits of a Solid Wood Crib
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A wooden crib is easy to clean, eco-friendly and a worthy investment. They’re also very durable and sturdy. You can use them for more than one baby and they’ll still look great. With a wooden crib, you don’t need to worry about dangerous plastics and toxins, either.
Whichever design you purchase, you’ll want to know it’s safe, durable and fits in perfectly with your nursery. We have reviewed five of the best wood cribs on the market to help you find one that ticks all the boxes.
The Best Solid Wood Cribs
What Kind of Wood is Used for Cribs?
Wood cribs are long lasting, durable, and very safe for babies. They’re a favorite of parent’s who value quality, longevity, and beauty.
The reason we wrote this article is to differentiate a wood crib from a solid wood crib.
- Wood Crib: a baby crib that is usually structurally made of some type of solid wood and composite wood.
- Solid Wood Crib: a baby crib that is usually made of only solid wood. Or one that uses composite wood sparingly in non-structural areas of the crib.
Composite Wood
Composite wood is made from fibers of tree’s that are bonded together with glue composed of formaldehyde or other volatile chemicals. While it’s a great eco-friendly choice as nearly 100% of a tree can be used for building purposes, only about 40% of a tree can be used for solid wood lumber.
Composite wood typically seen in cribs:
- OSB: Oriented Strand Board
- MDF: Medium Density Fiberboard
- Particleboard
The challenge of using composite wood in cribs is the formaldehyde or volatile chemicals that can off gas and potentially harm your baby. For durability, they also may not be the best at strength in structural applications.
Solid Wood
Cribs can be found in popular wood such as oak, pine, chestnut, birch, walnut, cherry, maple and bamboo. But most of the solid wood cribs sold in volume are typically made of softer woods such as New Zealand Pine wood.
Hardwoods are the best and most sought after types of woods. But they are extremely expensive. Some of our favorite woods are solid oak wood, walnut, cherry and maple. There are definitely super awesome and cool cribs built with hardwoods but they will be very costly.
For most of our readers, we recommend finding a solid wood crib versus a wood/composite wood crib or a hardwood crib for budget reasons. You can still find a great looking and long lasting baby crib in solid wood.
See below for our top 5 favorites.
Best Solid Wood Crib
We’ve looked at over a 100 of the best cribs available today and this is our short list of cribs to consider. This list is a huge timesaver for a busy parent with a baby and any of these cribs won’t break the budget.
| Image | Product | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Delta Emery Crib | 9.7 | Check On Amazon |
| | Babyletto Hudson Crib | 9.5 | Check On Amazon |
| | Dream On Me Synergy Crib | 9.1 | Check On Amazon |
| | DaVinci Kalani 4-in-1 Crib | 8.8 | Check On Amazon |
| | Delta Canton Crib | 8.6 | Check On Amazon |
Delta Emery Crib
- Wood: New Zealand Pinewood
- Safety: JPMA, CPSC and ASTM
- Size: Full-Size
- Weight Limit: 50 lbs
The Delta Children Emery Crib is our Editor’s Choice award winner. If you like the styling, then look no further, and just buy this crib. Save yourself hours and hours of shopping and comparing. You’ve got a lot of other things to worry about with a new baby!
Delta is one of the most popular and trustworthy brands when it comes to children sleep products. They claim that 1 out of every 2 children sleep in one of their products. Now that’s impressive!
It’s no surprise the Delta Every Crib is our selection for Editor’s Choice! It balances price, value, quality, durability and style like no other baby crib on the market. Key features we really like are it’s 100% non-toxic, sourced from sustainable New Zealand pinewood, toddler bed conversion, adjustable mattress height, beautiful bell-shaped headboard with a touch of modern design, and available in 3 colors.
Solid Wood
At the time of this writing, there is no evidence of composite wood anywhere on this crib. It appears to me that pinewood is used throughout the build wherever wood is used. Kudos for Delta for making that investment in this model.
The only place where it isn’t solid wood is in the flat board that the mattress rests on. Solid wood really doesn’t make sense in a thin and wide dimension in this area so it makes sense why they did that.
Toddler Bed Conversion
The Emery converts from crib to toddler bed, daybed or full size bed with headboard. It’ll grow with your baby all the way up to pre-teen.
To convert from crib to toddler bed, I suggest you guy the optional Toddler Guardrail #0080. To convert to a daybed, the rail is included so that will work as shipped to you. To convert to a full size bed, you’ll need to buy a metal bed frame such as the one from Delta #0040.
Mattress
Like nearly every crib in this price range, the mattress is not included in the price. Delta says it fits any standard sized crib mattress. I recommend the highly reviewed and best seller, Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams Supreme Firm Mattress. Dimensions are 52.5″L x 27.5″W x 5.5″H with thickness: 5.5 inches. Fits perfectly in crib and baby sleeps well on it.
Assembly
One of the big reasons for the Editors Choice award is that this is one of the simplest cribs to assemble. Instructions are good and easy to read. Like any project, we suggest laying everything on the floor to visualize the assembly process. It’s easy to have a piece backwards or the wrong side facing you. Other than that, easy assembly is the #1 most talked about thing about this crib. Here’s a video how easy it is to assemble by yourself.
Babyletto Hudson Crib
- Wood: New Zealand Pinewood
- Safety: JPMA, CPSC and ASTM, Green Gold Certified
- Size: Full-Size
- Weight Limit: 50 lbs
The Babyletto Hudson is our Most Modern award winner. I love the beautiful lines with mid-century modern style. It’s also one of the few cribs that have all 4 government certifications, which is a really big deal.
If the Delta Children Emery was “ok” looking to you, but this Hudson makes you go “wow”, then stop right here and buy this crib. If I were shopping for a new crib, without a doubt, I would buy this one.
I’m a huge fan of anything modern, and the Babyletto is our favorite modern design crib. Unlike most things “modern” that cost double the price of an “ordinary style”, the Hudson is on par with other cribs in this price range. The angled legs give it a sort of mid-century modern style, which we love.
Other than the style, the key things I like about the Hudson are the 3-in-1 toddler bed conversion capabilities, solid wood construction from sustainable New Zealand pinewood, and passsed the rigorous Greenguard Gold Certification.
It also comes in 7 different colors making it easy to place in practically any room in the house.
Solid Wood Crib
This is one of the few cribs in this price range that is 100% pinewood wherever wood is used. It’s very common for the board the mattress rests on to be a composite wood. But the Hudson doesn’t use a board, it’s a metal base for the mattress. No sign of medium density fiberboard that I could find.
Toddler Bed Conversion
The Hudson transitions from crib to toddler bed and daybed, with an included toddler bed conversion kit.
Mattress
Babyletto Hudson does not come with a mattress, but it does fit any standard sized crib mattress. As with the Delta Emery Crib, I recommend the highly reviewed and best seller, Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams Supreme Firm Mattress. Dimensions are 52.5″L x 27.5″W x 5.5″H with thickness: 5.5 inches.
Assembly
While there are a few complaints about assembly, the majority of people thought the assembly was easy, even for a pregnant mom-to-be. There are quite a bit of screws and bolts, so keep them organized and go slow and methodical, and you won’t have any problems.
Here’s an assembly video to give you confidence in assembling it yourself.
Dream on Me Synergy Crib
- Wood: New Zealand Pinewood
- Safety: JPMA, CPSC and ASTM
- Size: Full-Size
- Weight Limit: 50 lbs
The Dream On Me Synergy crib is our Best Value Award Winner. The styling is utilitarian but classic as well. It’s the sort of crib that isn’t the focus of the nursery, but rather a complimentary piece to other design elements.
It has great looks and all the major safety certifications at a terrific price. If you’re on a budget and OK with the looks, you can’t go wrong with this crib.
Coming in as our Best Value award winner, the Dream on Me Synergy Crib is one of the cheapest cribs you can buy, without sacrificing quality, durability or resorting to particleboard.
The style is utilitarian. That is to say, if you drew a crib on a sheet of paper, this is probably what you would draw. It’s a standard crib and classic in design. No real style features to set it apart. But it does look a bit modern. Overall, if the crib wasn’t your key furniture piece in your nursery, this would be a great crib to complement practically any other type of furniture you may have in there.
Solid Wood Crib
The crib is made of out of reclaimed New Zealand pinewood. While it’s not the strongest woods out there and is a far cry from a hardwood like Oak, it is affordable and does the job well. No sign of medium density fiberboard that I could find.
Toddler Bed Conversion
The Synergy crib comes in a 5-in-1 toddler bed conversion system. It can convert from a crib, to a toddler bed, to a daybed, to a full-size bed with footboard, and lastly a full-size bed without footboard.
Mattress
While we really like the Safety 1st Heavenly Dreams Supreme Firm mattress, we highly recommend a crib manufacturer mattress if they make one for sale. They tend to fit better with less gaps. For this crib, I really like the Dream On Me, Orthopedic Firm Foam Standard Crib Mattress, 5E5WL.
Assembly
Assembly has also been reported to be extremely easy. Nothing much to report here other than expect it to be of same difficulty (which isn’t much) as the Babyletto and the Delta cribs.
DaVinci Kalani 4-in-1 Convertible Crib Review
- Wood: New Zealand Pinewood
- Safety: JPMA, CPSC and ASTM, Green Gold Certified
- Size: Full-Size
- Weight Limit: 50 lbs
The DaVinci Kalani crib was last years winner. It’s a super popular crib and would have easily taken our Editors Choice award this year had we not found the Delta Emery to be one step above.
While it didn’t win any awards this year, it still made our Top 5 list, which is a huge achievement in itself!
There are only 2 cribs on our list that have all 4 safety certifications and this is one of them.
To me, it comes down to style. I’m not a fan of the sleigh style design, but I know PLENTY of people love this style. If you love the look, go for it, you will not be disappointed with this crib.
The Davinci Kalani is a top-rated convertible crib with a lower profile. This makes it easy for you to reach your little one. This is especially helpful for new mothers who aren’t especially tall or are recovering from CS deliveries.
This wood crib converts easily to a toddler bed, daybed and to a full-size bed. Another great feature is that it uses mattress springs instead of MDF (medium density fiberboard) panels or slats which can slip and slide around.
When assembled it is very heavy and sturdy, though not heavy enough where you couldn’t move it in different areas of the room. It’s finished in a non-toxic, multi-step painting process. It’s nice to relax knowing the crib is a safe environment our little ones.
Like many wooden cribs, the Davinci Kalani crib does scratch easily. You need to make sure you have proper protection before your baby begins teething. A teething pad on the top would do the trick. While this crib is beautifully crafted, it is a bit tricky to assemble.
Overall, the Davinici Kalani is a great wooden crib that offers value for money. Click here to check out the latest price on Amazon
Pros
- Lower profile for easy reach
- Finished with a non-toxic multi-step painting process
- Converts to a toddler bed, daybed and full-size bed
- Comes with mattress springs instead of MDF (medium density fiberboard) panel or slats
- Toddler rail included
Cons
- Wood is easy to scratch
- Hard to assemble
Delta Children Canton 4 in 1 Convertible Crib Review
- Wood: New Zealand Pinewood
- Safety: JPMA, CPSC and ASTM
- Size: Full-Size
- Weight Limit: 50 lbs
The Delta Canton crib is another super popular crib that is flying off the shelves. It’s style is very similar to the DaVinci Kalani crib above. They both have 4-in-1 toddler bed conversion, but this one does not have the Greenguard Gold Certification like the DaVinci Kalani.
Even though this is our last place winner, it did make the Top 5 out of hundreds of cribs we looked at. This is a notable achievement and is backed by thousands of happy customers.
If you like the style and the name brand strength that comes with Delta, we wholeheartedly stand behind our recommendation of this beautiful crib.
The Delta Canton has a beautifully design and a gorgeous wood finish. It can support your little one through all stages of childhood.
This convertible crib transforms from a crib to a toddler bed and then finally into a full-size bed. The bed also has a headboard and footboard so you’re sure to get a lot of use from the Delta Canton.
The Delta Canto is made from solid pine. It not only looks sleek and classic, but it is also easy to clean. It is made entirely out of solid hardwood and not MDF (medium density fiberboard) or particle board. So, if it does get scratched up you can easily refinish the wood to make it look brand new again.
One complaint of this wooden crib is it does show its hardware. It is visible on the front and on the sides of the crib.
It is also a bit difficult to assemble as its parts are not properly labeled. There is a different between right and left sides so it is best to be careful when assembling.
In conclusion, the Delta Canton is a luxurious looking wooden crib that will last for years.
Pros
- Toddler bed conversion convertible
- 4 adjustable mattress levels
- Can convert to a full bed
- Easy to clean
- Solid pinewood
Cons
- Pieces are not labeled which make it a bit difficult to assemble
- Hardware is visible
Previous Winners
We’ve been reviewing cribs for years and this is a list of the notable past winners we keep around. There’s usually one thing or another that prevented us from including them in our Top 5 this year.
Storkcraft Calabria Crib N Changer Review
The Storkcraft Calabria is very well made, sturdy and is beautifully stained. It’s a convertible crib with a combination changing station that is attached right next to it. This helps save on space if the nursery room is limited.
Not only does this model transition to a toddler bed and then to a full-size bed, the changing station converts too. It can also be converted to a nightstand or a dresser.
You may find the changing pad that comes with the changing station is a bit too thin. It might be best to purchase something thicker to replace it.
The changing station is on the smaller side too. It will last until your baby is an older toddler (but hopefully they’re out of nappies by then!).
It has been reported that it is now shipping with some composite wood instead of solid wood. Medium density fiberboard may possibly be used as well.
Pros
- Comes with a Changing station combination
- Changing station can become a nightstand or a dresser
- Convertible
- Very sturdy
- Saves on space
Cons
- Changing pad is a bit thin
- Changing table is small for an older toddler
Babyletto Modo 3 in One Crib Review
The Babyletto Modo is perfect if you’re looking for a classic wooden crib design. It’s very sleek and does not take up that much space in the nursery. If you are looking for a space saving crib , this could be the one for you.
This wooden crib is made out of New Zealand Pine. It’s a convertible, so it will be able to grow with your little one. It has 4 adjustable mattress levels and it comes with a toddler rail.
All of the Babyletto Modo’s hardware is hidden away so you don’t have to worry about your child finding it.
The biggest drawback of this crib is that it does scratch easily. While this may not be an issue when your baby is an infant, you do want to take proper precautions such as a teething pad to put on the top crib rail. The other complaint is that the toddler rail leaves a bit of a gap between the bases of the bed.
The Babyletto Modo is available in five colors including “Expresso” and white.
Pros
- Made with New Zealand Pine Wood
- Converts to a day bed and a toddler bed
- 4 adjustable mattress levels
- Design is sleek and modern
- All hardware is safely and cleanly hidden away
Cons
- Does scratch easily
- Gap between toddler rail and base of the bed
Fisher-Price Newbury 4-in-1 Crib Review
The Fisher-Price Newbury crib is handcrafted in beautiful New Zealand pine wood. It comes in three colors: white, gray and espresso.
You can also have a personalized name plaque with your baby’s name on it that you can hold onto as a keepsake for the rest of their lives. This is a really nice touch. To be honest, you wouldn’t expect it for the low price this model is available for.
This crib is very easy to assemble. All of the parts come labeled so that you always know whether or not you have the correct piece. The side rails are fixed and the design makes it very sturdy. It can convert from a crib to a toddler bed, daybed and then to a full-size bed.
However, you do have to pay for the conversion kit separately. The good news is that it is widely available at any big box retailer.
Another drawback is that while most cribs have a 4 position mattress platform, the Fisher-Price Georgetown only has a 3 position mattress platform.
On the plus side, this is one of the cheapest wooden cribs on the market today, so deserves to be on our list.
Pros
- 4-in-1 toddler bed conversion
- Comes with personalized name plaque for baby
- Easy assembly
- Handcrafted in New Zealand Pine
- Fixed side rails
Cons
- Guardrail and Hollywood frame is sold separately
- Only a 3 position mattress platform
American Made Solid Wood Cribs?
A question many of us parents ask is “Where are the American Made Wooden Cribs?”. Sadly, you’ll find that 99% of the cribs for sale in the USA are actually made in Asia. Some crib manufacturers like “Young American” tried to reverse the trend, but ultimately failed.
You can find some wooden cribs that are still made in the USA on our page “ Solid Wood Cribs Made in the USA”.
You should also take a look at the baby pillows that won’t give your child flat head.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do you know if a crib is non-toxic?
A non toxic crib is a misnomer. In my opinion, it’s impossible to manufacturer a non-toxic crib, but that doesn’t mean cribs are toxic and are going to harm your baby.
Let me explain. Depending on your federal, state, or city regulations, staying within “safe” levels of lead, glues, chemicals, etc are about the best a manufacturer can use to say something is “non-toxic”.
I know we all want the safest crib for our babies, but take comfort that the safety standards in 2021 are way better than they were in the 1940’s, and there’s a whole lot of boomers living well into their 80’s, 90’s and 100’s with all those “unsafe” cribs by today’s standards.
So I wouldn’t put any trust into a manufacturer’s claims that a crib is non-toxic. I much prefer to look for Greenguard Certified cribs. At least some third party indepently tested for some level of toxicity and you can rest assured it’s not full of toxic chemicals. -
What does “CPSC and/or ASTM compliant” mean?
CPSC and ASTM are commonly seen throughout crib product listings. Not all of them have it, but the most popular ones usually do. It’s complicated, lengthy, and sometimes a costly process to go thru. I take great confidence in a crib if a manufacturer went thru all that trouble to get these certifications.
CPSC = U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
ASTM = American Society for Testing and Materials
The CPSC and ASTM focus on crib structural safety. Things such as width of bars on a crib so baby can’t get head stuck in it, parts that move that could trap or hurt a babies legs or arms, etc. It doesn’t have any emphasis on toxicity in things such as paint, glues, etc.
I greatly recommend that the only crib you buy is one that has both of these certifications. -
Is a non-toxic crib completely free of lead?
The biggest concern for lead in a wood crib is in the paint. Although lead paint has been banned since 1978 in the US, it doesn’t mean it’s 100% eliminated from our paint. As explained above, government regulations typically dictate what a manufacturer can use for words such as “lead free”.
Before 2008, the permissible lead concentrate rate was 0.06% (or 600 ppm). After 2008 and the passage of the The Federal Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), the permissible lead is limited to 0.009 percent (90 ppm).
My recommendation is to buy a new crib. If that isn’t possible, a used crib is OK as long as you can verify that it was manufactured in 2009 or later. -
Why does a non-toxic crib smell?
As mentioned above, non-toxic means the crib meets a certain acceptable standard to allow itself to be called “non-toxic”. But it doesn’t mean it’s 100% non-toxic.
The smell you get from a new crib is because of off-gassing of VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). They can come from composite wood, glue, paint, lacquer, adhesives, or other parts of the crib. These VOC’s usually are caused by the use of formaldehyde (common in composite wood), acetone, benzene, and Phthalates, to mention the major ones. -
What is Greenguard certification?
Greenguard certification is one more certification a crib manufacturer can earn to help parents know that the crib they chose has low chemical emissions.
Not all cribs have it, but if you’re choosing between two cribs and only one has received Greenguard Gold certification, I’d wholeheartedly recommending buying that one.
Related Articles
You may find these other articles of interest:
- The Best 5 Cribs for Small Spaces
- The Best Cribs For Twins So You Can Get Some Sleep
- Solid Wood Cribs Made In The USA
- How To Choose The Best Crib Mattress
- 8 Tips for SIDS Prevention
- The Best Baby Pillow for Flat Head Syndrome
- When Can a Baby Have a Pillow?
- The Best Baby Monitor for Two Rooms
Summary
A solid wood crib is a wise investment that doesn’t require breaking the piggy bank. You can get all the benefits of durability, style, and safety without the need to go to a full hardwood crib. If you can afford a hardwood crib, awesome! We love them too. But for our budgets and for most of our readers, the best value out there is a solid wood crib.
