Crib donation value: what a used crib is worth for taxes
Updated , edition 2026.1
A donated crib with mattress is generally worth $26 to $105, $55 to $80 in good condition, per the Salvation Army guide. A crib without a mattress has no published value, so you use comparable sales, and a drop-side or recalled crib is worth $0 because it cannot legally be resold. Whether a charity can safely resell it is settled by its label rather than its finish.
- Typical value, good condition
- $65
- Published range, good condition
- $55 to $80
Crib and nursery donation values by condition
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
| Item | Like new | Good | Fair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crib with mattress | $80 to $105 | $55 to $80 | $26 to $55 | Source 1 for Crib with mattressSource 2 for Crib with mattressSource 3 for Crib with mattress |
| Crib without mattress | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| Play yard, pack n play | $23 to $31 | $13 to $23 | $4 to $13 | Source 1 for Play yard, pack n playSource 2 for Play yard, pack n playSource 3 for Play yard, pack n play |
| Portable travel crib | $23 to $31 | $13 to $23 | $4 to $13 | Source 1 for Portable travel cribSource 2 for Portable travel cribSource 3 for Portable travel crib |
| Crib mattress alone | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| Bassinet or cradle | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| Changing table (nursery clear-out) | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| Toddler bed (nursery clear-out) | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| High chair (nursery clear-out) | $39 to $50 | $25 to $39 | $10 to $25 | Source 1 for High chair (nursery clear-out)Source 2 for High chair (nursery clear-out)Source 3 for High chair (nursery clear-out) |
Values are per item, in 2026 dollars, from the DeductiBee valuation dataset, edition 2026.1. A range is what the source guide published; the suggested figure is the point inside it we prefill, not a price. Back to the full chart of donation values by item, or add this to a list. Got a receipt for this? Check it.
Rows with no published range take your own figure from comparable sales. High chairs are here for a nursery clear-out; they are not a kind of crib.
Count yours
Set a count and a condition on each line for a total range you can print, link to, or save.
3 pieces, suggested total
$115
Supported range $93 to $142
- This is fair market value, not tax saved. What it is worth to you
Photograph them before they leave the house. DeductiBee keeps the count, the condition, the photo and the value together on your iPhone until April. A counted batch is one entry; free for 20 new entries a year.
How this range was derived
The published band is $26 to $105, from The Salvation Army and checked against 2 other published guides. We split that band into three condition tiers: the bottom 35% is Fair, 35% to 70% is Good, and the top 30% is Like new. The suggested figure is the point we prefill inside each tier.
The dataset record
Published: Salvation Army "Crib (w/mattress)" $26.00-$104.00. Single primary source. L*=$26.00 H*=$104.00; tiers split at 35%/70% of span per CITATIONS.md 3.4-3.6. The published row explicitly includes the mattress, so it backs this variant only. Considered and excluded: St. Vincent de Paul Cincinnati prints "Bed (Baby)" $45-$100 under Furniture, a registered primary. It is unqualified as to the mattress and ambiguous between a crib, a bassinet and a toddler bed, so merging it with a row that explicitly includes the mattress would cross granularity (CITATIONS.md 3.2). If a reviewer rules the two rows denote the same item, |P| becomes 2 and this leaf re-derives to L*=$26 H*=$100 (fair $26-$50, good $50-$80, like new $80-$100) and loses the singleSource flag. CORROBORATION 2026-08-04 (derivation pass, no values changed): hope-village "Crib (w/ Mattress)" $25.00-$75.00, an independent Deep South figure differing from The Salvation Army's row at both ends. Corroborating, so per 3.3 it does not enter the consolidation. AUDIT 2026-08-04 (adversarial verification pass, no values changed): smbiz-valuation-guide-charitable-contributions prints "Crib (w/mattress)" $30.00-$120.00 as a Low / High / Average triplet, and per CITATIONS.md 3.1 a three-point quality row yields the outer pair. It was fetched and read on this pass (HTTP 200, 11,999 bytes) and is now recorded in sourceIds; it is registered corroborating, so per 3.3 it does not enter the L*/H* consolidation and the published range above is unchanged. It is recorded because the leaf previously cited fewer publishers than actually print a matching row.
The same rules apply to every item: how the values are built. Want a different condition? Look up this crib in the value tool.
- Like new
- Recent, compliant and complete, with hardware, instructions and an unstained mattress.
- Good
- Used and sound, all hardware present, finish worn at the rail.
- Fair
- Compliant and complete, but the finish is marked or the teething rail is chewed.
What drives the value of a donated crib
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
The standard the crib was built to comes first. Drop-side cribs are no longer manufactured or sold under current federal crib standards, and charities generally will not accept one at any condition, which means it has no fair market value to claim. The same applies to any crib under an open recall. Both are answered by the model number and date of manufacture on the label, usually stamped on an end panel or a rail, and both are worth checking before the crib is dismantled.
Hardware is the next thing, and it is where most donated cribs fail. Cribs are assembled with model-specific bolts, barrel nuts, and mattress-support brackets that are not interchangeable and often not replaceable, so a crib donated without its complete hardware bag cannot be reassembled and cannot be sold. The assembly instructions are nearly as important, and printing a copy to tape to the rail is a genuine value-preserving step.
After that it is the wood and the parts that make it a bed. Slats must all be present and firm, the mattress support must sit level and lock, and rails should be free of splits and of the teething damage that appears on the top rail of the front side. Whether the mattress comes with it matters: our sources price a crib with a mattress and publish no range for a crib without one, for a crib mattress alone, or for a bassinet, since used infant mattresses are frequently refused for hygiene reasons.
Can you donate this crib? A 60-second check
Is it drop-side? Then do not donate it. Drop-side cribs cannot be made or sold under the federal crib standards that took effect on June 28, 2011.
Does the label show a manufacture date after June 28, 2011, and compliance with 16 CFR 1219 (full-size) or 1220 (non-full-size)? Is the model under an open recall? Check cpsc.gov/Recalls and SaferProducts.gov.
Is all the hardware bagged with the instructions? Are all slats present with no splits? Is the mattress firm, snug and unstained? Many charities refuse used mattresses anyway.
Not accepted means no contribution and no deduction. A crib that fails any of these checks should be dismantled and disposed of, not donated cheaply.
How to value a crib without a mattress
Most donated cribs leave without a mattress, and no guide prices that row. Find two or three used listings for the same or a similar model in similar condition and take the middle price. Keep the links with your records: they are the evidence for fair market value.
A recent convertible crib from a premium brand, with its conversion kit, can sell well above the thrift band. Value it the same way, from comparables, and note the model and whether the kit is included. Goodwill's rule of thumb of 30% of the original price is a second reference, and it tends to run high for used furniture.
Where to donate a crib
Crib-specific nonprofits, pregnancy and women's care centers and local baby banks take cribs that pass the check, and they get them to families who need one. Habitat ReStore often takes the frame alone. Thrift chains vary by store, so call ahead.
Make sure the organization is a qualified organization and ask for a receipt. A crib handed straight to a family is not deductible.
What a nursery clear-out is worth
Illustrative, from the published ranges: a crib with mattress in good condition ($55 to $80), a play yard in good condition ($13 to $23) and a high chair in good condition ($25 to $39) come to $93 to $142. That is what the counter on this page starts with. Add a stroller and the total can pass $150.
A changing table or toddler bed takes a figure from comparable sales. Past $250 for one drop-off you generally need a written acknowledgment, and past $500 of noncash gifts for the year, Form 8283 Section A.
What evidence supports the condition you claimed
A number you can trace and defend is worth more in an audit than a generous one you cannot.
Before dismantling, photograph the crib assembled, the model and date label close enough to read, and the hardware laid out on a cloth. Bag the hardware and tape it to a rail with the instructions. Record the recall and standards check with the date you made it. If the crib turns out to be a drop-side model or is recalled, dismantle it and dispose of it rather than passing it on, and claim nothing for it.
Like new generally means recent, compliant, complete with hardware, instructions, and an unstained mattress. Good means used and sound, all hardware present, finish worn at the rail. Fair means it is compliant and complete but the finish is marked or a teething rail is chewed. Missing hardware, a split slat, an unknown model, a drop-side design, or an open recall all mean it should not be donated rather than donated cheaply.
Items people log as a crib by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Bassinet or cradle
A different product with a short useful life and no published range in our sources. Weight limits and stability standards apply to it rather than crib standards, and many charities decline used ones.
Crib mattress on its own
Also unpriced by our sources, and often refused outright for hygiene reasons. The priced row on this page is a crib with its mattress, so listing the mattress again would count it twice.
Toddler and twin beds, nursery dressers
A convertible crib used as a toddler bed still sits on the crib row, but the twin bed a child moves into is valued on the bed page, and a changing table or nursery dresser is furniture too.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the baby gear section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesBaby gear donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesStroller donation value: what a used stroller is worth for taxesA donated stroller is generally worth $38 to $70 in good condition, $5 to $100 overall. Check the tier, the recall list, and who will actually take it.
- ValuesBaby clothes donation value: what each piece is worthWhat donated baby clothes are worth for taxes in 2026: sleepers, onesies, pants, dresses and snowsuits by condition, and a bin counter that totals a whole tote.
- ValuesChildren's shoes donation value: what a pair of kids' shoes is worthDonated kids' shoes are worth about $2 to $10 a pair. Sneakers, boots, sandals and dress shoes by condition, with Goodwill and Salvation Army figures.
- ValuesHow much is a donated bed worth?A donated full, queen or king bed frame is worth about $95 to $140 in good condition. Add the mattress and box spring, compare sizes, and log it for taxes.
- LookupLook up any other itemSearch the whole catalog, pick a condition, and read the range with its citation.
- CalculatorWhat the deduction is worth to youTurn a documented total into a range of tax effect, with the marginal-rate assumption stated on screen.
Questions about donating a crib
Will a charity take a used crib?
Does the mattress count as a separate item?
What about a drop-side crib?
How much is a used crib worth without a mattress?
Will Goodwill or the Salvation Army take a crib?
Is a convertible crib worth more as a donation?
Can I deduct a crib I gave to a friend or family in need?
Where these values come from
Every range on this page traces to one of these. Values are derived from the published ranges, never copied from another product’s valuation database, and never invented where no source covers an item.
- Donation Value Guide (The Salvation Army Thrift Stores | Donation Valuation Guide)
The Salvation Army (Thrift Stores / Adult Rehabilitation Centers)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide
Hope Village for Children (Hope Village Thrift Store, Meridian, Mississippi)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Charitable Contributions
Small Business Taxes & Management (A/N Group, Inc.), ISSN 1089-1536
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Publication 561 (12/2025), Determining the Value of Donated Property
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
- Publication 526 (2025), Charitable Contributions
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
The rules behind the thresholds
- Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated PropertyIRS, IRS publication
- Publication 526, Charitable ContributionsIRS, IRS publication
- Instructions for Form 8283IRS, IRS form
A value is evidence, not a ruling. Deductibility depends on your own facts, including whether the organization is qualified and what records you kept. This is record-keeping software, not tax advice.
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