Best Mini Cribs
The Storkcraft Petal 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib is the most complete mini crib for the money: $199.99 buys four mattress heights, a real 2.75-inch mattress and a path to a twin bed. Spend less and the Dream On Me Edgewood ($129.99) or DaVinci Charlie ($139) also reach a twin, but with only a 1-inch pad to sleep on, and the $149.99 Delta Children Classic reaches a twin with a 2.75-inch mattress but only two heights.
The harder choice is whether the crib should fold away or grow up. The babyletto Origami, Delta Children Folding Portable and bloom alma fold flat for a closet or a guest room, but each has two mattress heights and no conversion, so they cover the first 12 to 18 months. The Charlie is the exception, folding on wheels and still converting. At the top, the Nestig Wave ($849) and Stokke Sleepi Mini ($749) start mini and become full-size cribs.
Our picks
- Most included for under $200: Storkcraft Petal 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib. $199.99 with a 2.75-inch foam mattress, four mattress heights and conversion to a daybed and twin bed.
- Cheapest crib here: Dream On Me Edgewood 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib. $129.99 on a solid pinewood frame in seven finishes, with three heights and a twin-bed conversion once you add rails.
- Cheapest crib that folds: DaVinci Charlie Folding Portable 3-in-1 Mini Crib. $139, folding flat onto lockable wheels, with four heights and a kit that takes it to a twin bed later.
- Best for a nursery short on storage: Carter's by DaVinci Colby 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib with Trundle. A full-width trundle drawer under the crib, four heights and a twin-bed conversion, for $249.
- Best if you want to buy once for about five years: Nestig The Wave Crib. Full-crib and toddler-bed kits and a mini mattress come in the box, with an 18-year warranty, for $849.
At a glance
| Option | Price | Converts To | Portability | Mattress | Mattress Positions | Frame Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $329source | Folds flatsource | Mattress pad onlysource | 2source | Wood and engineered woodsource | ||
| $349source | Twin bedsource | Stationarysource | Mattress pad onlysource | 4source | Solid woodsource | |
| $139source | Twin bedsource | Folds flatsource | Mattress pad onlysource | 4source | ||
| $279source | Toddler bedsource | Mattress includedsource | 4source | Solid woodsource | ||
| $239source | Toddler bedsource | Rolls on wheelssource | Mattress pad onlysource | 4source | Solid woodsource | |
| $249source | Twin bedsource | Mattress pad onlysource | 4source | Wood and engineered woodsource | ||
| $449source | Toddler bedsource | Rolls on wheelssource | Mattress pad onlysource | 4source | Metalsource | |
| $149.99source | Twin bedsource | Mattress includedsource | 2source | Wood and engineered woodsource | ||
| $159.99source | Folds flatsource | Mattress includedsource | 2source | Wood and engineered woodsource | ||
| $199.99source | Twin bedsource | Mattress includedsource | 4source | Wood and engineered woodsource | ||
| $529source | Folds flatsource | Mattress includedsource | 2source | Solid woodsource | ||
| $849source | Full-size cribsource | Rolls on wheelssource | Mattress includedsource | Wood and engineered woodsource | ||
| $749source | Full-size cribsource | Rolls on wheelssource | Mattress includedsource | 4source | Solid woodsource | |
| $129.99source | Twin bedsource | Mattress pad onlysource | 3source | Solid woodsource |
Mini crib mattress included or just a pad
Exactly half of these cribs ship with a real mattress. The DaVinci Otto (4 inches), bloom alma (4 inches), Delta Children Classic and Storkcraft Petal (2.75 inches each) and Delta Folding Portable (1.5 inches) include one, as do the Nestig and Stokke bundles. The other seven come with a thin waterproof pad, which means another $50 to $150 for a mattress. That changes comparisons the tags hide: the $279 Otto with its 4-inch mattress undercuts the $329 babyletto Origami, which ships a pad, by more than the $50 between their prices.
One mattress needs its own sheets. Nestig's mini mattress is a non-standard 27.5 by 22.5 inches, so sheets have to come from Nestig.
Folding minis versus cribs that convert
The folders trade years for storage. babyletto rates the Origami to about 18 months, bloom rates the alma for 0 to 12 months (it folds to about 10 inches, narrow enough for a doorway), and the Delta Folding Portable has no conversion path, so plan on each lasting through the first year or so.
Six cribs name a twin bed as their last stage: the babyletto Gelato, Charlie, Colby, Delta Classic, Petal and Edgewood. The Otto, DaVinci Jenny Lind and Namesake Abigail stop at a toddler bed and daybed. Kits are almost always sold separately, and the Delta Classic's twin conversion needs Delta's metal frame. The Nestig Wave includes its kits; the Stokke Sleepi Mini sells its extension kit separately.
Mattress heights and frame materials
Eight cribs have four mattress heights, which gives more room to lower the base as a baby learns to sit and stand. The Origami, Delta Classic, Delta Folding Portable and bloom alma have two, and the Edgewood three. For frames, six are listed as solid wood, including the bloom alma's American beech with no MDF and the Jenny Lind's New Zealand pine, and the $449 Namesake Abigail is the lone powder-coated steel crib.
The options in detail
babyletto Origami Mini Crib
The folding pick, and Babylist's. It collapses flat and rolls away on removable locking casters, so it can live in a closet between visits and come out for grandma's house. The trade is longevity: only two mattress heights, no conversion kit, and babyletto rates it to about 18 months, so it replaces a bassinet rather than growing into a bed. GREENGUARD Gold and FSC certified, and light enough for one person to move.
babyletto Gelato 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib
Mini-sized but built to keep going: four mattress heights, and optional kits take it to a toddler bed, then a daybed, then a twin. The frame is solid New Zealand pine with swappable feet, and it is GREENGUARD Gold and FSC certified. It does not roll, which babyletto frames as a stability choice rather than an omission. The finish shown lists at $349; the plainer colors are $329.
DaVinci Charlie Folding Portable 3-in-1 Mini Crib
The cheapest crib in this table that also folds. It stores flat, rides on lockable wheels, and still converts to a twin bed later with DaVinci's kit, which almost no other folding mini does. Four mattress heights is generous for a portable. Only a 1 inch waterproof pad comes in the box, so add a real mini mattress to the budget, and DaVinci's page never says what the frame is made of.
DaVinci Otto 3-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib with 4" Mattress
A mid-century shape (flared legs, clean lines) and one of the few minis that ships with an actual 4 inch mattress instead of a thin pad, which is worth roughly $80 of the price difference. Four mattress heights, and a kit turns it into a mini toddler bed and daybed. It does not fold, and DaVinci makes no wheel claim for it, so treat it as furniture you place once.
DaVinci Jenny Lind 3-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib
The mini version of DaVinci's spindle-front classic, and the one most likely to suit an older or cottage-style room. It is 100% solid New Zealand pine with removable wheels, four mattress heights, and a toddler bed and daybed conversion. Like most DaVinci minis it arrives with a 1 inch waterproof pad rather than a mattress.
Carter's by DaVinci Colby 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib with Trundle
The storage answer. A full-width trundle drawer sits under the crib, which is usually the thing a nursery nook is short of, and it still converts through toddler bed and daybed to a twin. Four mattress heights, solid New Zealand pine plus engineered wood, GREENGUARD Gold. A 1 inch waterproof pad is included, not a mattress.
Namesake Abigail 3-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib
The metal one: powder-coated steel with cast joints and a vintage look that reads more like a piece of furniture than nursery gear. Removable casters, four mattress heights, and a kit for the toddler bed and daybed stages. It is the priciest of the conventional minis, and like the rest of the Million Dollar Baby family it comes with a waterproof pad rather than a mattress.
Delta Children Classic Mini Crib with 2.75-inch Mattress
The value pick: under $150 with a 2.75 inch mattress already in the box, and it converts to a twin bed later if you buy Delta's metal frame. You give up adjustability (two heights only) and mobility, and the styling is plain next to the boutique brands. GREENGUARD Gold, New Zealand pine and engineered wood.
Delta Children Folding Portable Mini Baby Crib with 1.5-inch Mattress
Folds nearly flat, glides on wheels, and comes with its own 1.5 inch mattress, which is why it is the crib parents keep recommending for grandparents' houses and for a bedroom that has to become a bedroom again. Two mattress heights and no conversion path, so plan on it covering the first year or so rather than the first five.
Storkcraft Petal 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib
The most crib for $200: four mattress heights, a real 2.75 inch foam mattress rather than a pad, and conversion to a daybed and two twin-bed configurations. Storkcraft makes a point of the mattress, since most minis at this price include only a pad. Pine and engineered wood, GREENGUARD Gold, rated to 50 lbs. It does not fold or roll.
bloom alma mini crib
The small-space specialist. It is solid American beech with no MDF, and its patented fold collapses to about 10 inches on four lockable castors, narrow enough to roll through a standard doorway. A 4 inch mattress is included. bloom rates it for 0 to 12 months and it does not convert, so it is the shortest-lived crib here at nearly the highest price: you are buying the fold and the finish.
Nestig The Wave Crib
Less a mini crib than a crib that starts mini. The box includes the full-crib and toddler-bed conversion kits plus a mini mattress, so one purchase covers roughly five years, and it is backed by an 18-year warranty. Solid Brazilian pine, GREENGUARD Gold, optional wheels. Two catches: it costs more than twice the next crib here, and the mini mattress is a non-standard 27.5 by 22.5 inches, so sheets have to come from Nestig.
Stokke Sleepi Mini
The oval one, and the design piece of the group: a beech frame on lockable swivel wheels, curved with no sharp corners, narrow enough to wheel through doorways so it can follow you around the house. Four mattress levels. Stokke only sells it in the US as a bundle with the mini mattress, drape rod and sheet, which is why its price looks steep next to bare cribs. It is meant for the first six months, with a separately sold kit extending use to about five years.
Dream On Me Edgewood 4-in-1 Convertible Mini Crib
The cheapest crib in this table and the one with the most finishes: seven, on a solid pinewood frame. Three mattress heights, and it converts to a mini daybed and a twin-size bed once you add rails. Only the regulatory 1 inch pad is included. Reviewers on Dream On Me's own page describe using it through the daybed and toddler stages for three or four years, which is a lot of crib for the money.
How we researched this
The makers' product pages are the only evidence behind these cells. Babylist's and Raise's mini crib roundups helped find candidates but supplied no values. The Portability and Converts To columns record only what a maker claims: five cribs name neither a fold nor wheels, and three folding cribs name no conversion, so those cells stay empty rather than guessing. babyletto is the one maker that says outright its Gelato is stationary. The Nestig's mattress heights are given only for its full-crib stage, and DaVinci does not say what the Charlie's frame is made of.
Near-twins were cut to keep one of each design: DaVinci's Dylan, Storkcraft's Teddi, Stella and Benton at the same $199.99, several Delta and Dream On Me siblings. babyletto's Yuzu is a midi crib, Dream On Me's Jayden is 56.8 inches long with a changing table attached, and Child Craft London, Newton Galileo and Million Dollar Baby Emerson had no maker page with a price and specs. Prices are list for the finish shown: the Gelato's plainer colors are $329, and the Stokke's $749 is a US bundle with mattress, drape rod and sheet. Apart from the Nestig, every convertible here needs its kit bought later, typically $99 to $129, a cost that belongs in any five-year comparison.