Assembly Instructions for a Baby Crib

Preparing to Put Your Crib Together

• First, figure out your crib's location after assembly. A key tip is to put the crib together in the room it will be placed in. Often, the crib may be too wide to fit through the doorway if it is put together in a different room, and you'll have to take it apart and put it back together. Next, make sure you have enough room inside the baby's new room to put the crib together. You'll need at least a 6-foot-by-6-foot area cleared so your parts and instructions are laid out within easy reach.

  Typically, a crib can be assembled by one person, but having two people will help speed the process and help balance the crib when putting some tricky parts together.

Parts to Your Crib

• When it's time to assemble the crib, locate its four sides. Your instruction booklet will help you determine which sides go where, and if they should face a certain way. The four sides will be screwed or bolted together, usually in two or three locations -- at the top, middle and location of the mattress. These side pieces typically extend to the floor to include the legs, but sometimes the legs must be attached separately. Once the sides and legs are together, put the mattress in place. An adjustable metal frame is typically installed on the inside part of the crib that will hold the mattress, with an adjustable bracket that moves up and down on each corner of the frame. Screw this bracket into the inside of each of the four corners of the crib. Lean over the crib and screw each bracket in. If a second person is available, he should help hold the metal frame in place from the bottom.

Additional Parts to Your Crib

• Once each corner of the metal frame is in place, the mattress can be placed inside the crib. In addition, add any bumper pads or bedding. Test your crib before placing your baby in it. Pushing down on the mattress firmly, shaking the sides and moving the drop rail (if the crib is equipped with this feature) up and down and making sure it locks into place will give you peace of mind about its safety features. In addition, immediately register the crib through the manufacturer to receive updates in case of recalls. Mail the card inside the crib box to register or see if you can register online.