Mini Crib Vs. Portable Crib

no matter what, think about long term... how long can your baby, be in the crib... before outgrowing it? Then what will you use?

My vote is pack n play too.

i am due in dec 2010. we are living in a small space as well, so we went with a mini crib. we have a million dollar baby. my cousin also has one/same brand and loves it (her baby is 5 months). finding bedding has been challenging but i googled it and found several sites with lots of options. i also found that jcpenny has a good price on sheets & mattress pads (online only) plus you can use a coupon! the mini cribs mattress board is adjustable and will lower with your growing baby. i think i just depends on your baby's height. i am 5' 1" and my mom said she had me in a mini crib til i was 1 1/2 when i was ready for my toddler bed. the porta crib is the same thing just different wording for a mini crib, but would always check out the measurements first. the pack n play sheets are NOT the same size. personally i would not go with a pack n play/portable crib because they are flimsy. the mini cribs are just as sturdy as a regular sized crib. (experience, friends 1 year old) hope this helps!

I've only used a mini crib while vacationing but I would suggest a pack-n-play (portable crib). They are much more versatile. You can pack it up and take it with you much easier and you just never know when you'll need to. If you aren't going to buy both, I would definitely go with the pack-n-play. Standard crib sheets don't fit either mattress, but you can make it work. Just make sure they are tucked in super tight to cut down on the suffocation hazard. Most pack-n-plays have a little notch to help keep the pad in place anyway, so that will help. Also, I think the sides on a PNP are higher. The mini cribs seem so small to me that when your child starts to stand and pull up, it seems dangerous, like they could just climb right out! Eventually that will be a concern with any crib you consider, but it seems more so to me with the minis.

I also live in an apartment and when my son was first born I used a pack-n-play and then graduated to a mini-crib. I loved the mini-crib! It fit through the doorways, unlike the pack-n-play and it was compact enough that it didn't take up alot of space. Ours is the DaVinci Alpha Mini Rocking Crib. It comes with a teething bar and it has a rocking feature but it also has a stopper if you don't want to use that feature. I bought it from an independent baby store in our area but it's also available on Amazon. It uses mini-crib sheets, not portable crib sheets and I would recommend upgrading the mattress to the 2" because the one it comes with is pretty flimsy. In response to the other posts, my son used the mini-crib until he was 13 months old and he's on the taller side. Also, it is height adjustable so you can lower it as the baby gets older.

Good luck!