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A used crib is a good buy as long as it is sturdy, has every screw and bolt, and the bars and mattress fit leave no gap a baby can get stuck in. Always buy a new mattress. Solid wooden cribs from known brands are easy to check and resell later.
Dutch cribs come in two standard sizes: 60x120 cm and 70x140 cm. The larger one can often convert into a junior bed (meegroeibed) once the side is removed, which gives it a few extra years. Measure your bedroom before you go, and write down the mattress size from the listing, because a 60x120 mattress in a 70x140 frame is dangerous.
IKEA cribs (Sundvik, Gulliver, Smågöra) use the same standard sizes, so any matching mattress fits.
Common on Marktplaats: Bopita, Quax, Childhome, Troll, Coming Kids, Europe Baby, IKEA, and at the top end Stokke Sleepi and Leander. Bopita and Quax are solid wood or MDF and usually come as part of a nursery set with a dresser (commode). Stokke Sleepi and Leander are oval, designer cribs with their own odd-sized mattresses, which you will have to buy from the brand.
Ask the seller to leave it assembled so you can test it, then take it apart together so you see how it goes back.
Vintage or antique wooden cribs look lovely but often fail modern rules: wider bar spacing, drop-down sides and old paint. Paint from decades ago can contain lead, and babies chew on rails. If you love an old crib, use it as a doll bed or a plant stand, not for sleeping. Cribs with a side that slides down on a track should be avoided too, because the hardware wears and can leave a gap.
Buy a new mattress. A used one can carry mould and has lost its firmness, and a firm, well-fitting mattress is the main safety point in any crib. The rule of thumb: you should not fit more than two fingers between the mattress and the side. Skip bumpers and pillows for young babies.
A playpen (box) is a different item from a crib, but listings mix them up. A box usually has a raised floor and is not meant for nights. Check the listing's dimensions.
Grandparents often want a second sleeping place. A folding travel cot (campingbedje) from Baby Dan, Joie or Hauck is cheaper and easy to store, but check that the frame locks rigidly and that the thin original mattress is present, since thick extra mattresses on top are a suffocation risk in travel cots.
Most cribs come apart into flat panels that fit in a hatchback. On vindje.com you can ask for a 70x140 wooden crib that converts into a junior bed, within cycling or driving distance, and skip the playpens that show up in a plain search.
| Item | Typical asking price |
|---|---|
| IKEA Sundvik or Gulliver crib | EUR 20-60 |
| Bopita, Quax or Childhome ledikant 60x120 | EUR 50-150 |
| Convertible ledikant 70x140 | EUR 80-200 |
| Stokke Sleepi complete with mattress | EUR 250-500 |
| Nursery set: crib, dresser and wardrobe | EUR 200-500 |
| Wooden playpen (box) | EUR 20-70 |
Rough Marktplaats asking prices in the Netherlands. Condition, age and season move them a lot.
Describe what you want in your own words and vindje.com searches Marktplaats in Dutch, then reads every listing and keeps only the real matches. For example:
Wooden ledikant 70x140 that converts into a junior bed, white or natural wood, with all screws, under 120 euro, within 25 kmSearch Marktplaats like this
Yes, if it is stable, complete, has narrow enough bar spacing and you put in a new, well-fitting mattress.
Either 60x120 or 70x140 cm. The mattress should fit snugly with no more than about two fingers of gap at the sides.
It is better not to. Mattresses lose their firmness and can hold moisture and mould, and a new one is cheap compared with the crib.
Often not: bar spacing, drop sides and old paint can fail current standards. Use a modern crib for sleep.