Cribs made in China

aeb20

Is anyone concerned about where their crib is manufactured? I've been reading the Baby Bargains book and it seems like a majority of cribs are made there.  I'm NOT willing to pay $1000.00 + for a crib, but I would be willing to pay extra if there is a reason to not buy a crib made in China. I'm just so confused whether it matters or not. What are other people's thoughts??? 

doozer1345

To be honest, I never gave it that much thought. I have been more concerned about recalls and reviews... I'm with ya though, I would not pay 1000+ for the crib.

Jerry77

I'd say if it passes US safety standards, it should be safe. I'm not spending oodles of money on a crib either.

aleksandra2009

I'd mainly be concerned about the paint which they use for the cribs.  They may pass U.S. safety standards for crib specifications, but, at the end of the day, who is really checking what kind of materials they use in random factories in China? Just remember the massive recalls a few years ago with the lead-laden paints used in toys manufactured in China! 

aeb20

Yes, the finish is what I am concerned about, but it just seems like most cribs are made there, so I am having a hard time deciding.

aleksandra2009

I live in Canada and it was difficult to find a crib NOT made in China, so I understand your dilemma.  I love the cribs at Pottery Barn, for instance, but decided against because they are ALL made in China!  We were finally able to find a small chain that manufactures and assembles cribs in Canada.  The cribs were more expensive, but still way under $1000.  And be careful also if you do find cribs which claim they are 'made in U.S.' because a lot of companies get all the materials from China and just assemble the cribs in the U.S.A., so it's entirely misleading.  Good luck!

nsquared

Young America makes nice US made furniture. https://www.youngamerica.com/  We have a direct buy membership so they are pretty affordable, but Nebraska Furniture Mart sells this brand too. Good luck!

Kimber517

Most large retailers use the same factories in china, not random and have strict safety standards.  When it comes to children's products there are so much testing and factory audits required that these products are almost always perfectly safe. My company deals with a lot of china products, so I know how strict they are with testing so I am ok with made in china if it is a known brand/retailer.  I'd like to support made in the USA for our economy, but $1000 is a little too much.  

CBomback

I'm an architect (and a Baby Bargains fan), so I deal with these "green" issues on a daily basis.  To be honest, unless you are living in a recently constructed  sustainable/green home, you are probably already surrounded by low levels of the chemicals that you would really prefer to avoid.  Especially formaldehyde - it's in everything.

I would be less concerned about off-gassing from your crib than about what chemicals/flame retardants are in the crib mattress. About 5-10% of the weight of foam is chemical flame retardants.  If you want to get really freaked out, this article ran in the NY Times Magazine a month ago - I know I wanted to throw my couch out the window after I read this: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/magazine/arlene-blums-crusade-against-household-toxins.html?pagewanted=all

So, I will be looking desperately for a flame-retardant-free crib mattress, if that even exists.  That is my top priority.  Although I will also be looking at two "green" cribs tomorrow: the Argington BAMBAM ($500 for crib, bassinet & conversion kit) and the Oeuf Robin ($500 for crib, which is made of sustainable wood).

And of course, only use 0-VOC paint in the nursery, and avoid carpet if possible. Everything that is new should be aired out for as long as possible prior to baby's arrival! 

Good luck! 

 

LiteraryFoodie

It was important to us to have a non-toxic quality made crib and preferably with sustainable practices. We scored with Baby's Dream furniture. We got a crib for $350 and a dresser for about $700. I didn't think their prices were astronomical and I liked their business practices.

I'd suggest reading about IKEA and Baby's Dream in baby bargains, they get good ratings are not really expensive and use sustainable, non-toxic, eco-friendly practices.