Babies are expensive.
It’s amazing how quickly the costs add up once they pop out into the world.
It’s no wonder every parent you know is busy scrambling like crazy trying to get hand me down clothes, loaner toys, and used nursery furniture.
But if you’re gearing up to buy a new crib for the nursery, you might be wondering; How much does a crib cost? What’s the average cost of a baby crib?
Depending on the brand and quality you decide to go for, expect to spend anywhere from $100 to $1000 for a new crib. However, you’ll have more than enough quality options between $200-500.
That’s obviously a pretty big range!
Below, let’s dive in deeper and I’ll show you what makes a crib more or less expensive, which brands to look for, and show you some examples of how much real cribs cost.
Why are cribs so expensive?
With such a big range in price, it’s important to understand which features might cause the cost of a crib to skyrocket.
(And how you can get a crib on the cheap, too.)
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you start shopping:
Brand / Quality
This is a fairly obvious one, but like most things in life, you often get what you pay for.
My daughter uses a Potter Barn crib (the Larkin), which is super high-quality, made from great materials, durable, and beautiful. We got it at an outlet for a great price, but new it’s close to a $1000 crib.
Conversely, you can go with a brand like Dream On Me or Delta and get a much more budget-friendly option. (Most crib brands these days, especially ones you can get at big retailers or on Amazon, are pretty safe. The whole industry is heavily regulated.)
A lesser brand may just use lower quality materials, offer a less comprehensive or shorter warranty, or have shorter durability.
Convertible to a toddler bed
A baby should sleep in a standard crib or pack ‘n play for somewhere around 2-3 years, depending on their size and development.
After that, they’ll probably need to move to a toddler bed (basically just a small bed with some guardrails to prevent them from rolling out).
You have a few options here, and the way those options affect price might surprise you.
A very large majority of baby cribs these days are convertible to toddler beds, daybeds, and/or full-sized beds eventually.
These cribs come with the option of buying additional pieces that you can store and eventually swap in when your kid is ready for the bigger bed.
If it’s a budget option you want, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something in the $150-250 range with enough conversion options to last you and your kid for several years.
It’s actually the really high-end designer cribs, for the most part, that don’t convert.
So if you want something ultra-stylish, modern, and beautiful, you’ll have to pay more up front and sometimes even be prepared to buy a separate toddler bed down the road.
Important note: Conversion kits (toddler bed guardrails and pieces for twin/full-size bed conversion), are often sold separately. The smart thing to do is buy them at the same time as the crib and store them somewhere until you need them. You never know if you’ll still be able to get them years later!
Usually, you’ll pay somewhere around $25-100 for the toddler bedrail that goes with your set.
Listed all over as one of the top picks at this price point (and one of the safest cribs around), you’d be really hard pressed to do better on a budget.
With its many convertible options (again, don’t forget the toddler rail is sold separately), this one should last you for years to come.
Check out the Fisher-Price Charlotte 3-in-1 convertible crib on Amazon.
Design
Simply put, the more ornate or stylish your crib selection, the higher the price generally goes.
You can get a great price on pretty utilitarian “boxes with bars” style cribs. If you want something a little more design-oriented to fit in with your nursery aesthetic, you might pay a bit more.
This is often one of the key selling points of higher-end crib brands like Pottery Barn, who are known for gorgeous crib designs.
Average price of a crib (with examples)
Again, you should expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $1000 dollars (or more) for a baby crib depending on:
- Brand & overall quality
- Convertible options
- Design
For the most part, though, the majority of cribs you’ll get from big retailers like Target and Amazon will be under $500.
Now let’s take a look at some real world example.
I went to Target.com and pulled up the 10 best-selling baby cribs. Here are their prices at the time of this writing:
- Simmons Kids Slumbertime Monterey 4-in-1 convertible crib – $299.99
- Delta Children Emerson 4-in-1 convertible crib – $199.99
- DaVinci Kalani 4-in-1 convertible crib – $179.99
- Graco Solano 4-in-1 convertible crib – $179.99
- Delta Children Sutton 4-in-1 convertible crib – $169.99
- Million Dollar Baby Classic Ashbury 4-in-1 convertible crib – $349.99
- Simmons Kids SlumberTime Emma Convertible Crib ‘N’ More – $299.99
- DaVinci Jenny Lind 3-in-1 convertible crib – $199.99
- Babyletto Hudson 3-in-1 convertible crib – $379.99
- Simmons Kids SlumberTime Paloma 4-in-1 convertible crib – $399.99
Target and other big box stores also offer a number of high-end options, like:
- Nursery Works Novella Crib – $899.99
- Babyletto Harlow 3-in-1 convertible crib – $649.99
- Ubabub Nifty Timbers 3-in-1 crib – $599.99
- Million Dollar Baby Tanner 3-in-1 convertible crib – $499.99
- Centennial Chatham Flat Top 4-in-1 convertible crib – $499.99
And here are the current prices on a couple of other big name cribs you should consider and know about:
- Pottery Barn Larkin 4-in-1 convertible crib: $899.99
- Crate & Barrel Andersen II crib – $699.00
- Kalon Caravan Crib – $1195.00
- Ubabub Pod Crib – $2500.00
So again, that’s a pretty big range.
But for the most part, you’ll have an absolute ton of options at the lower price point (around $200-400).
Don’t forget to factor in somewhere between $25-100 for the extra piece(s) you’ll need to convert to a toddler bed. If you want to convert from a toddler bed to a daybed, twin, or full-sized bed, you may need to buy some additional conversion kits.
Can you buy a crib for under $100? Or under $50?
(And for this price range, I might actually just recommend a pack ‘n play… Read about the differences between cribs and pack ‘n plays here.)
But you can also have some success looking at mini cribs, which are a little smaller than regular size cribs and often a bit cheaper.
One of the cheapest mini cribs around that’s easily available, has good safety ratings, and is well-reviewed by real customers has to be the Dream On Me Addison 4-in-1 convertible crib.
Check out the Addison on Amazon for the latest price and the best deal.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. That should give you a pretty good idea of how much baby cribs cost and what factors go into setting your budget for a crib.
It seems like a really overwhelming process with WAY too many choices. But typically cribs these days are really heavily regulated from a safety perspective. Unless a brand has active recalls going on, just pick something with good reviews online and that fits the style you like.
(As long as it’s within your budget, obviously!)
Here’s a basic rundown of what I would do for each budget:
$50-125: I’d look at mini cribs in this price range, but chances are I would buy a good pack ‘n play instead. They work just fine for newborns and infants and should last you a solid 2 years. Then you can save up for a toddler bed during that time. (You can get a great no-frills one from Evenflo at an amazing price on Amazon.)
$125-400: You’ll have a ton of options in this range. Just don’t forget to order your conversion kits at the same time as the crib and find a place to store them for a few years. You’ll have to factor in the price of the kits, but you can easily make this budget work with almost all of the cribs from major stores.
$400+: In this range, you can take a look at some really nice cribs from stores like Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, or other designer shops. I would still go with a convertible crib instead of an expensive piece of furniture that will only last around 2 years. For what it’s worth, I have the Pottery Barn Larkin and absolutely love it.
Hope this helps, parents!