Ikea's Sniglar is one of the most popular, dependable baby cribs out there. With a price of $79.99 and built out of solid beech, it's not only affordable but really good for what it is. At similar price points, other retailers offer metal (far less cozy) and little to no versatility; the Sniglar can be adjusted to two heights and you can take out one of the sides so your child can climb in and out. (Not to mention all the ways you can turn it into non-crib things — thanks, Ikea Hackers.)
The Sniglar was also named one of the best cribs of 2017 by Baby List, praised for its affordability and versatility. "This simple, low-priced crib comes unfinished so you can paint it any color you want (if you're up for it!)," the website notes.
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Sadly, the cheapest crib at Ikea — the rest range from $99 to $199 — is also currently not available online and sold out in most stores. We checked and it is currently only in stock at eight out of over 40 U.S. Ikea locations, and "probably" available at one (Paramus, NJ), whatever that means. According to Ikea's website, all of the outposts will have the crib back in stock in December, but at different dates; you can go to the site and click on your location for details.
However, Ikea's customer service Twitter tells a slightly different story. When a customer from Yonkers, NY, reached out to ask when the Sniglar will be available in his area, the representative answered that there is a "supply issue," which the company doesn't expect to have resolved until early 2018.
@IKEAUSAHelp, every store within two hours of me seems to be out of the Sniglar Crib, any idea when it will be available?
— Larry in Yonkers☕️? (@LarryMCarlson) September 11, 2017
Unfortunately, there is a supply issue. As of now, we're not expecting to have this resolved until early 2018. We're sorry about this!
— IKEA USA Help (@IKEAUSAHelp) September 12, 2017
The Sniglar shortage seems to be affecting Canada as well. To a customer near the Vaughan, ON, location who asked when the crib will be available, Ikea customer service answered that there's a "delivery issue" the store expects to resolve by February 2018.
@IKEACASupport When do you anticipate that the Sniglar crib will be back in stock at your Vaughan location? Or available for online?
— Duderotomy (@CraigerB12) September 2, 2017
Thanks for reaching out. At this time, we're currently experiencing a delivery issue with our SNIGLAR crib.
— IKEA Canada Support (@IKEACASupport) September 2, 2017
We expect to have the matter resolved by February 2018. We apologize for the any inconvenience this may cause you.
— IKEA Canada Support (@IKEACASupport) September 2, 2017
For now, there are other ways to get your Sniglar fix: through Facebook's Marketplace (we saw two Sniglars in the New York City area; you can search for your own location), and on Craigslist (at press time, only one listing exists, in Charlotte, NC — but more could become available). There are also a couple available on eBay, but the fact that they're being shipped from the U.K. will likely make the "affordable" part a moot point.
We've reached out to Ikea for a more definitive answer on when the Sniglar will be more widely available. We also asked the store's representatives whether the crib shortage is an annual occurrence: After all, with September 16 being the most popular birthday in the United States, it makes sense that there's a lot of demand in the weeks and months before. We'll update this story when we hear back.
Welcome to Mothership: Parenting stories you actually want to read, whether you're thinking about or passing on kids, from egg-freezing to taking home baby and beyond. Because motherhood is a big if — not when — and it's time we talked about it that way.
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