As a petite woman, I often find life to be relatively barrier-free—there’s usually someone taller around to lend a hand. However, one significant challenge that short moms face is how to manage getting their babies in and out of cribs. This particular issue often sneaks up on shorter parents during the crib shopping experience, when they suddenly realize that the crib sides are impossibly high.
Fortunately, mom Sarah Jenkins captured a video of her 5’1″ mother attempting to put her grandchild to bed, sharing it on social media. This clip has since gone viral, giving everyone a glimpse into the daily struggle of petite mothers.
At 5’3″, I was taken aback when I went shopping for cribs for my twins back in 2008. I couldn’t believe how high the sides were! I began to worry that each time I laid my babies down, I might have to drop them onto the crib mattress. Despite assurances from others that babies are tough, I doubted that repeatedly dropping my little ones from a height was a wise choice. Thankfully, drop-side cribs were still allowed back then.
Ah, the nostalgia of drop-side cribs. For those who may not be familiar, these cribs had sides that could be lowered to make accessing your baby easier. They were a stylish solution but, unfortunately, they were also linked to safety hazards, leading the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban them as of June 28, 2011. This was a tough moment for short moms everywhere—a necessary safety measure but still a blow to our convenience.
Since then, many petite mothers have had to get creative, resorting to step stools, climbing gear, or even humorously tumbling into the crib, much like Sarah’s mother did. Thankfully, there are cribs with lower profiles available now, as well as adjustable mattress heights, giving shorter moms some breathing room. However, for those like Sarah’s mom, grappling with fixed-rail cribs resembling fortresses, the struggle is still very real.
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In summary, even though being a short mom comes with its quirks—especially when it comes to cribs—there’s a community of support and humor around these challenges.