No regulation dictates a safe weight limit for a child placed in a portable crib. Manufacturers provide their own specifications, which typically list 50 lbs. as the limit.
Height
The Product Safety Commission uses height in lieu of weight as an indicator to decide whether a child has outgrown a portable crib. A toddler taller than 35 inches should not be in a portable crib anymore.
Rule of Thumb
The parent can translate height into other indicators. For instance, if a child is 35 inches tall, he will likely weight between between 19 and 36 lbs., according to standardized infant growth curves. Similarly, the age of the toddler can provide another rule of thumb. A child between the age of 24 and 36 months will typically cross the 35-inch height threshold.
Testing
Manufacturers follow the regulations established by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was enacted on Aug. 14, 2008. New safety rules require that portable cribs must be able to withstand 700 times a 45-lb. vertical impact launched from a distance of 6 inches from a mattress. This simulates the force applied by a bouncing toddler. Another test involves placing a 100-lb. object inside the crib for 30 seconds. This tests the ability of the crib to support a child who is lying down in it.
