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Do Baby Cribs Need a Box Spring? (Explained)

Baby cribs are the beds created specially for a toddler. Baby cribs are known for being a safe place for babies to sleep. There are different types and sizes of baby cribs available in the market. 

Today, we are going to discuss and find out whether baby cribs need a box spring or not. 

Box spring in baby cribs

There is no need for a box spring on the baby cribs. The foundation of a baby crib is more than enough to support the weight of toddlers and infants. Additionally, use of box springs on a baby crib raises the safety concerns for the babies. Box spring should not be used in baby cribs.

Baby cribs are used as a sleeping place for toddlers and infants. So the baby crib needs to be made safe for the babies. Just because the adult beds have pre-installed box springs, it does not mean that baby cribs have them too. 

Box springs bring no extra benefit to the use of a baby crib. Moreover, a box spring can create safety issues for babies on the baby cribs. The foundation of the baby cribs is capable of managing the weight of toddlers and infants without any extra support. 

The bedding of the crib mattress needs to be simple too. You will only have to use mattress encasement, mattress pad and fitted crib sheet for the crib mattress bedding. A box spring is not required for the bedding of a crib mattress. 

Do baby cribs use box springs?

The purpose of a box spring is to increase the height of the bed. The baby cribs do not come with installed box springs for functional purposes

There are various settings available in normal baby cribs and you do not have to rely on a box spring to alter the height of the baby crib. So baby cribs are no longer produced with pre-installed box springs. 

On the other hand, using box springs for baby cribs only increases the risk of an accident. The extra height gained by the baby crib due to box spring can enable your toddler to fall off the baby crib. 

Present day baby cribs and box springs are not compatible with each other. The baby crib manufacturers know about this and completely ignore the use of box springs in their baby cribs. Using box springs in a baby crib is described as being unsafe by experts. 

Do crib mattresses have box springs?

The function of crib mattresses does not allow it to have box springs in them. The important thing to remember here is that crib mattresses do not require a box spring in them. A box spring only hampers the functionality of the crib mattresses. 

Crib mattresses are strong enough to support the body weight of a toddler. The box springs do not have to be injected into the crib mattresses to handle the weight of a toddler. The box springs additionally hampers the safety of the crib mattresses. 

If the crib mattresses get elevated due to the box springs inside them, then the toddlers can get out of the crib mattresses more easily. This weakens the main purpose of using a baby crib in the first place. 

So box springs may be needed for a normal bed, but they have no use in crib mattresses.

If you decide to install box springs in the crib mattress of your baby, then it will be a bad decision in the long run. Using box springs in a crib mattress is not practical and beneficial. 

Why don’t baby cribs need box springs?

The normal adult beds require box springs. But a baby does not need them. There are some valid reasons why baby cribs do not require box springs. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them. 

Practicality:

First of all, it is not practical to use box springs for a baby crib. The primary function of the box spring is to alter the height of a bed. The baby crib does not require a box spring to have its height altered. 

Because there are many options available on the baby crib itself that will enable you to adjust the height of the baby crib. 

For example, there are three modes of settings available on a normal baby crib. You can alter these settings to adjust the height of your baby’s crib. 

Foundational support:

The box springs are installed in normal beds to support the weight of the bed. The normal beds that adults sleep on require the extra support provided by the box springs. The box springs are a crucial part of the adult bedding system. 

But a baby crib does not need the box springs for its foundational support. The baby crib itself can handle the weight of the toddlers and infants without any box spring weighing in. People sometimes underestimate the strong foundation of a baby crib. 

A baby crib can function pretty well in the absence of box springs. 

For safety:

The box springs will only increase the height of the crib mattress. You would not want to make it easy for your toddler and infant to get out of the baby crib. Because it increases the risk of fall related accidents. 

In fact, many baby crib accidents are already taking place throughout the world. 

Using box springs in the baby crib mattress will put the life of your baby at risk. Experts do not support the use of box springs in the baby crib due to safety concerns. It is not wise to install box springs in the baby crib if you care about the well being of your baby. 

What bedding is needed for a crib?

Sometimes people get confused about the bedding system of a baby crib. However, there are some simple items that you need to use for a baby crib. First of all, you will have to use a baby crib encasement. A baby crib encasement provides protection to the crib mattress. 

It also keeps the crib mattress safe from the infestation of bugs and insects. 

Secondly, you will be required to put a crib mattress pad on top of the encasement. The crib mattress pad is more than capable of handling any water and food spill due to its waterproof functions. 

And the important thing to remember here is that it is very easy to wash a crib mattress pad. 

And the last thing you will need for a baby crib bedding is the fitted crib sheet. It is the most important part of the puzzle as it is able to provide a smooth sleeping experience for the babies. Just like the crib mattress pad, a fitted crib sheet is also washable and can be reused.

However, there is another option you can add to the list of crib mattress bedding elements and that is the multi use pad. It can provide the extra portion of security and comfort that your baby requires during travel and sleep. 

How to make crib mattress higher without box spring?

It can be difficult to make a crib mattress higher without prior experience. However, there are some steps and methods you can follow to accomplish the task. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them. 

Apply pillows and blankets:

First of all, you can make the crib mattress higher without a box spring by applying pillows and blankets. You will need to remove the crib mattress from the baby crib in order to start the procedure. 

After that, you will have to decide about the new height of the crib mattress. You will be required to mark the area of the baby crib you want your crib mattress to elevate to. 

The next step will require you put the pillows and blankets inside the crib and put the crib mattress back onto the crib. You will need to adjust the blankets and pillows if you do not achieve the desired height. 

Apply a crib wedge:

Another popular way to raise the crib mattress higher without box springs is by putting a crib wedge under the crib mattress. It will cost you a bit of money. But this method is safer than using pillows and blankets. 

You will just have to remove the crib mattress and put the crib wedge in place before putting the crib mattress back on. 

Experts suggest using a crib wedge rather than pillows and blankets for practicality and safety. 

But many modern baby cribs come with the option of adjustable heights where you can change the height of the crib mattress manually without applying any of the methods above. 

Final Thoughts

The baby cribs are designed in a way that they do not require the help of box springs. Box springs make it easy for babies to fall off from the baby cribs which is a safety hazard. Crib mattress and the foundation of baby cribs are not in need of box springs.