My baby has his crib, and sometimes he gets cranky and wants attention. I wondered if I could climb into the crib with him until he sleeps to make him feel better, but the crib doesn’t look like it can hold. This got me looking around for answers.
So how much weight can a crib hold? A crib generally holds between 35 pounds (16 KGs) to 50 pounds (22.6 KGs). They hold the same weight after being converted to a toddler bed or daybed unless you buy add-ons to convert it into a full bed. Most cribs state the maximum weight they can hold, not accommodating an adult’s weight.
I never got into his crib after knowing the weight limit, but I’ve learned that there are certain things you can do to lie down beside him until he falls asleep.
Common Crib Weight Limits
I looked through Amazon for some of the common crib weight limits and saw if any can hold an adult. I couldn’t find any brand mentioning that it can fit an adult! Most brands have set a recommended weight limit and as far as I can find, it’s capped at 50 pounds. Here are my findings, and they are all cribs that are highly rated.
| Crib | Weight Limit | Material & Dimension |
|---|---|---|
| Delta Children Folding Portable Mini | 35 Pounds | Wood 25 x 37.8 x 39 inches |
| Dream On Me Mini | 35 Pounds | Solid Wood 42 x 25 x 36 inches |
| DaVinci Kalani 4-in-1 Convertible | 50 Pounds | Cherry Wood, Oak 39.9 x 28.6 x 38 inches |
| Delta Children Abby Convertible Crib and Changer | 50 Pounds | Wood 60 x 35.5 x 9 inches |
| Delta Children Heartland 4-in-1 Convertible | 50 Pounds | Wood 54.2 x 29.5 x 35 inches |
| Dream On Me Ashton 5 in 1 Convertible | 50 Pounds | Solid Wood 54 x 38 x 44 inches |
| Graco Solano 4-in-1 Convertible | 50 Pounds | Wood 58.5 x 35.5 x 5 inches |
| Graco Benton 4-in-1 Convertible | 50 Pounds | Pine Wood & Composites 56.7 x 29.8 x 43.2 inches |
| LA Baby Compact Non-Folding Wooden Window Crib | 50 Pounds | Wood 26.5 x 38.5 x 39.5 inches |
| Serta Barrett 4-in-1 Convertible | 50 Pounds | Wood 57.5 x 30.5 x 47.2 inches |
Seeing as 50 pounds seems to be the max limit, I highly recommend that you do not get into the crib with your baby. I’ve heard parents weighing more than 150 to 200 pounds going into the crib with their baby without problems, but that is just risking it. While the crib you have may hold the weight, it is not built to do that and may eventually give way and break. You can imagine how dangerous it can be for your baby if it breaks while you and he are inside the crib.
Materials Affect How Much Weight A Crib Can Hold
Although cribs generally hold the same weight, the material it is made from will determine how far it can go over the weight limit. I do not endorse going over the weight limit, but if you insist, I’m going to do my best to help you minimize the risk. All these woods are good furniture wood, but the focus of this section is to help you choose materials that can reduce the risk of breaking the crib by an adult climbing into the crib.
How much extra weight your crib can hold will depend on a lot more than just the material, but I’m going to focus on the hardness of the wood because the harder it is, the less likely it will give way. The hardness of the wood is measured based on the Janka rating. [source]
| Wood Type | Janka Rating | How Likely It Can Hold An Adult's Weight |
|---|---|---|
| American Beech | 1300 | Likely to be able to hold an adult weight. |
| American Cherry Wood | 950 | Likely not strong enough, better not climb in. |
| Black Walnut Wood | 1010 | Likely not strong enough, better not climb in. |
| Hard / Sugar Maple Wood | 1450 | More likely to be able to hold an adult weight. |
| Mahogany Wood | 800 | Likely not strong enough, better not climb in. |
| Yellow Birch | 1470 | More likely to be able to hold an adult weight. |
| White Ashwood | 1320 | Likely to be able to hold an adult weight. |
| White Oakwood | 1360 | More likely to be able to hold an adult weight. |
To test the strength of the crib, check if there are one or more stabilizer bars. It is a long metal rod you can find under the crib that is fastened to both ends of the crib, and it can help strengthen the frame. Try to shake the crib to check if the frame is loose. If it is loose, please don’t enter the crib as it may give way. Also, make sure there are no loose slats or spindles, or cracked wood.
Sleeping Together Without Worrying About Weight Limits
If you prefer to sleep with your toddler, there are safer ways than going into the crib yourself. My one-year-old sleeps in his room, but we climb in together with him to sleep from time to time. We could do this because his mattress is on the floor, we have plenty of room and space to sleep together safely. We got rid of his crib when he was a year old because we were afraid he would climb out of his crib and fall. This is how his sleeping place looks like.
I found this method the best, and there’s no danger of breaking the crib and injuring ourselves and our baby, there’s plenty of room for him to roll around, and space is enough for an adult to sleep comfortably. The mattress we use is the same crib mattress, and we buy two of it to make a bigger surface area, you can buy as many mattresses as you want and freely customize how big the area your baby should be sleeping in. I cannot find any fault with this!
The second method is probably the most used method by parents to co-sleep with their toddlers. You can put his crib right beside your bed, this will be easy for you to breastfeed at night and keep your toddler beside you. I prefer not to use this method because we want to train our baby from young to sleep alone. When he gets used to sleeping with you in the same room, it will be difficult to put him in a separate room later. Another benefit of sleeping in separate rooms is privacy. You can have all the intimate time with your spouse. I find that to be extremely important for the health of my marriage, and that is what children want, happy moms and dads, happy home.
Try not to get round cribs or cribs that are too small, your newborn will outgrow it very quickly and you’ll need to spend money on another crib. An example below, the baby is going to outgrow this crib within a year.
By the way, about cribs, I don’t want to imagine what will happen to my boy if he succeeds in his escape attempt, which will eventually happen because kids are escape artists.
This concern applies to many moms and dads. What if they fall from the crib and injure themselves? The fall is long! There are a few ways you can deal with this and I have detailed them down in this article. I applied it myself and my baby has never fallen off 🙂
The third method is bed-sharing, where you co-sleep with your baby on the same bed you sleep. This is a big no to me because I’m afraid that the blankets will cover his face during the night, or one of us ends up rolling over and injuring him. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends safe co-sleeping without bed-sharing. [source] To be fair, many parents do this without problems, but I really rather not.
