The American History of Cribs

Cribs were first introduced into family households in the 1600s, but they looked and functioned very differently from the cribs we see today. In America, cribs have transformed from hollowed-out logs to lead-painted cribs, to what we see now, carefully measured, and constructed cribs. American children have survived throughout all these stages of cribs, but the rules about crib safety continue to change. What things are important to consider for a child to sleep safely in a crib, how do these regulations get put into place, and how can we make sure every family has access to safe sleep? It is important to note that throughout history, children have suffocated in their sleep, but the way we view this phenomenon has drastically changed. In history, a child's survival was often left up to God, whereas now we know more about how to care for our children. We also now pay more attention to things like the cause of death and document things to make changes in products on the market. As scientists discover more about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the role safe sleep plays in the survival of our children, it is important to find more safe sleep products that are accessible to everyone.  

The first known crib was invented in the 1620s, but cribs were not standard furniture. Because of a lack of heat in the home, families usually slept in the same room and sometimes the same bed (1). If families had the materials to make a crib, it would often be a hollowed-out log, known as a pine rocker, as shown in Figure 1. The crib was just large enough to fit the child, but because of its shallow walls, children would often roll over the sides of the crib (2). Another common type of crib, shown in Figure 2, was the “Arcutio'' which was two slats of wood held together by an arch. The slats of wood would also have a semi-circle in the portion closest to the arch making it easier for breastfeeding mothers to feed and soothe their child without having to get out of bed (3). The primary function of the Arcutio would be to prevent family members from accidentally rolling over and suffocating their baby. Both pine rockers and Arcutio’s were relatively easy to produce and did not require a tremendous amount of materials. 

Enslaved Americans are an example of people who could not afford to purchase a crib or sleeping materials specifically for their children. Because of this, many enslaved infants died from suffocation or smothering. Based on the reports of the 1850 census, slave infants were nine times more likely to die of suffocation or 53-58% more likely to die of smothering in southern states. In seventy years, over 60,000 slave infants died from smothering because the mother of the child accidentally rolled on top of her child (6). While smothering and suffocation are likely causes of death, there are also concerns about SIDS. Because slaves did not have the same access to cribs or the beds available to white families, it is also likely that the child could have suffocated because of the soft materials beds were made of. 

In the nineteenth century, American doctors began having more of a say in how children should be raised and what were the proper ways for children to sleep. American pediatrician Dr. Luther Emmett Holt began publishing his opinions on infant sleep and how to best prepare the nursery. Dr. Holt discussed that a crib should have no extra hangings, curtains, or sheets, and the child should have access to fresh air and sunlight. These opinions of “airing” inspired the window crib for families living in cities. Window cribs were invented in 1922 to help renew and purify a baby’s blood, thus improving the child’s immune system. It was recommended to place the infant’s bassinet next to an open window for three hours a day. For families that could afford it, children could be placed in chicken-wire cages which were suspended from the windows of apartments and houses, families who could not afford a cage would place their baby near an open window (7). Window cribs were only around for roughly twenty years, and eventually were disregarded because of safety risks. This is also when we can see a new rise in cribs made from iron and other metals. 

As we moved farther into the twentieth century and science progressed, Americans started learning more about what was and was not safe for their children. The first regulation on a crib was made in 1973 when the FDA released a statement saying that the spacing between crib slats could not exceed 2 ⅜ inches. The FDA also prohibited excess space between the mattress and the side of the crib (8). These changes were made in hopes to reduce infant injuries or deaths related to entrapment or suffocation. From 1970-1973, over 100 children died due to suffocation or strangulation caused by the child getting stuck between the mattress and crib frame or by the child slipping through the slats in the frame and getting caught by their heads (9). By regulating the distances between slats, the number of injuries and deaths resulting from getting caught in the crib frame drastically reduced. However, these regulations impacted a lot of families. Most parents must pay at least $100 for a crib and an additional $50 for a mattress. With these recalls and regulations, many families had to go out and purchase a new crib for their child which can cause financial stress. Additionally, in 1978 scientists discovered the toxic properties of lead. Lead paint which was commonly used to paint houses and furniture like cribs needed to be tested (10). It is common for teething children to chew on things including their cribs to try and get relief which is why it was so important for parents to test the paint on the cribs. These regulations continued to change and evolve and in 1982 these regulations extended to the end panels in the cribs. Many cribs had decorative cutouts or designs on them, but now these cutouts had to match the same spacing standards. It was discovered in 1994 that many crib-related deaths since the late 1980s occurred in older crib models either from gapping in the crib structure or even missing hardware (11). This means that it is very important to make sure that if you reuse a crib for your next child that it has all of the correct hardware, and there are no gaps between the crib and mattress. 

Parents often found it hard to get their children in and out of the crib easily, leading to the rise of the drop-down crib. Drop-down cribs allowed the side of the crib to drop g laying a child down much easier. Once the child was laid down, the side could be raised back up and latched into place. In 2010 the once convenient drop-down crib was seen to be very dangerous due to the number of children who had died or gotten injured from getting stuck in between the crib side and mattress because the latches were not secure (12). These regulations continued to change and evolve and in 1982 these regulations now extended to the end panels in the cribs. Many cribs had decorative cutouts or designs on them, but now these cutouts had to match the same spacing standards. It was discovered in 1994 that many crib-related deaths since the late 1980s occurred in older crib models either from gapping in the crib structure or from missing hardware. Meaning it is very important to make sure that if you reuse a crib for your next child that it has all the correct hardware, and there are no gaps. 

The main shift towards crib safety stems from the 1969 reinvestigation of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (13). SIDS refers to the sudden death of a seemingly healthy infant often presumed to occur during sleep. Other similar terms are sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB). These phenomena explore infant death as suffocation, entrapment, trauma, and overlay. Many doctors believe that introducing standard safe sleep practices through regulating measurements on a crib, firmness of a mattress, and fit of the mattress in the crib will help reduce SIDS and other SIDS-like deaths. 1994 started the safe sleep era which promoted teaching parents the best ways for children to sleep in hopes of reducing infant mortality (14). There has been a major decline in babies dying of SIDS since the Safe Sleepers movement in 1994, 4,073 babies died from SIDS in the United States alone, and over 30% of those deaths were African American babies. Rates of SIDS have continued to decline over the years, but one statistic remains the same, the number of deaths among black and Native American infants is still almost triple that of white infants (15). Multiple investigations have shown that race, class, and the number of parents at home can impact the health and well-being of a child. In a study completed in 2022, it was determined that 16% of American families were living in poverty, and 28% of children grew up in a single-parent household (16). There are some beliefs that those in poverty still have much higher SIDS infant mortality due to using older, secondhand, or generationally handed down cribs without the latest safety standards. Some families may also still be forced to use unsafe sleep practices by sleeping with their infants because they do not have access to affordable mattresses for cribs. These factors are important to research because how a child grows up directly impacts their development. This study looked into the education parents received, education almost always has a significant impact on the parents' income. 

The most popular type of crib since the 1990s has been the convertible crib. As your child grows, their crib can grow with them. Before cribs used to only have one or two settings. The first is a higher mattress setting typically used in the first 6 months of life. Once the child starts to stand up, their mattress can be dropped to a lower setting to ensure they do not fall from the crib.  While it is still possible for a child to escape their crib, it is much more difficult for the child to make it back into their crib. Meaning they might spend the rest of their night sleeping on the floor or crying until they get put back into bed. Since the 1990s crib producers have modified this type of crib even more where they have 4 different settings. The first setting is the normal crib which still has multiple mattress settings. When the child is roughly two years old, they can be transitioned to a toddler bed where one of the crib sides gets completely removed and the mattress is practically on the floor. Thirdly, the crib can be made into a daybed which is the toddler bed, but with a pillow and blanket. Finally, the bed can be raised, and the bed can be made into a full-sized bed. The 4 in 1 convertible crib is one of the more expensive on the market, but it will grow with a child forever. This type of crib can also be used for multiple children if they are within 10 years of each other. Another modern crib model is the reinvented drop-down crib. Instead of the entire side sliding on the historic drop-down crib; modern cribs have a small portion at the very top part of the crib that can move down to make laying a child down easier without risking entrapment. 

In conclusion, cribs are necessary for aiding in safe sleep for children, however, they are often a luxury for many families. With the recent rise in inflation, the cost of cribs has skyrocketed making it very hard for parents to provide their child with a crib. A growing child has many costly needs that need to be met in terms of diapering and feeding; meaning where they sleep can get put on the back burner. It is also important to note that many parents will decide to co-sleep with their children in a bassinet next to their bed the first couple of months just to make the adjustment to parenthood a little easier, before transitioning their child to a crib either in their room or a nursery. This means that many parents often purchase multiple products for their children to sleep. Over 16% of children in the United States grow up in poverty. Americans need to find a way to make the necessary things in life more affordable and available to everyone especially when they play a role in the safety of our children. As scientists and producers learn more about SIDS and safe sleep, we will continue to see changes in cribs, there may be some historic cribs making a safer reappearance. 

Notes

1. Ansbach, Ursula. “History of Baby Cribs .” ezinearticles, December 17, 2008. https://ezinearticles.com/?History-Of-Baby-Cribs&id=1800007. 

2. Federal Register. 2013. “Safety Standard for Bassinets and Cradles” Federal Register. 23 October 2013. https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2013-24203

3. Ansbach, Ursula. “History of Baby Cribs .” ezinearticles, December 17, 2008. https://ezinearticles.com/?History-Of-Baby-Cribs&id=1800007. 

4. The art of nursing: or, the method of bringing up young children according to the rules of physick, for the preservation of health, and prolonging life. The second edition. To which is prefixed, an arcutio, ... London: printed for John Brotherton; and Lawton Gilliver, 1733. Eighteenth Century Collections Online https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.bu.edu/apps/doc/CW0107107491/ECCO?u=bost84371&sid=bookmark-ECCO&xid=e842ecbb&pg=1.

5.  Ansbach, Ursula. “History of Baby Cribs .” ezinearticles, December 17, 2008. https://ezinearticles.com/?History-Of-Baby-Cribs&id=1800007. 

6. Ansbach, Ursula. “History of Baby Cribs .” ezinearticles, December 17, 2008. https://ezinearticles.com/?History-Of-Baby-Cribs&id=1800007. 

7. Johnson, Michael P. “Smothered Slave Infants: Were Slave Mothers at Fault?” The Journal of Southern History 47, no. 4 (1981): 493–520. https://doi.org/10.2307/2207400.

8. Holt, Luther Emmett. “The Care and Feeding of Children.” The Care and Feeding of Children, by L. Emmett Holt, M.D., LL.D., 1907. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15484/15484-h/15484-h.htm. 

9. Davis, Joseph, and Yin, Lillian. 1973. “FDA Consumer.” Center for Inquiry, May 1973. https://cdn.centerforinquiry.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2021/04/22172624/1973-my.pdf

10.  Tinsworth, Deborah, and McDonald, Joyce. 2002. “Hazard Analysis: Crib-Related Deaths” CPSC, August 2002. https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/EpiCrib.pdf

11. “Maryland Department of the Environment.” Department of the Environment. https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/land/leadpoisoningprevention/pages/parents_know.aspx. 

12.  Federal Register. 2013. “Safety Standard for Bassinets and Cradles” Federal Register. 23 October 2013. https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2013-24203

13. Wright, James R Jr. “A Fresh Look at the History of SIDS.” Academic forensic pathology vol. 7,2 (2017): 146-162. doi:10.23907/2017.017

14. Hauck, Fern R et al. “Evaluation of bedtime basics for babies: a national crib distribution program to reduce the risk of sleep-related sudden infant deaths.” Journal of community health vol. 40,3 (2015): 457-63. doi:10.1007/s10900-014-9957-0

15. Shriver, Eunice Kennedy. “Progress in Reducing SIDS.” National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/activities/SIDS/progress. 

16. National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Characteristics of Children’s Families. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved [date], from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cce.