picking out cribs...need advice!

Okay, DH and I are finally starting to think about the nursery and right now are concentrating on cribs....there are just so many out there and the reviews on the internet are so wishy/washy...I was just wondering what some of you have bought, or have for previous children, and what you think about them...any advice/review will help...THANKS!!!
Nicole
Moderators if you could link this to the first year board that would be great!

 

I loved the cribs in the Pottery Barn catalog, but did not want to pay that much money. I saw cribs at Target that were the same style, white sleigh type cribs, and got them. They were $299 each, I think the PB ones were $700 each and the ones in our local Babies R Us seemed really rickety and expensive for what you were getting.

Its now almost 2 years later and I still love them. No problems whatsover.

The cribs do not convert to a bed, and I know alot of people probably prefer those. We didn't go that route, because I just didn't know that after having the cribs for a couple of years that I'd want to have the big beds be the same style. We also didn't find out the sexes, the cribs are white and I don't think that if we had boys I would have wanted white headboards for their big boy beds.

Good luck and happy shopping!!

 

Little tidbits I've learned from experience:

- The ones with built in storage drawers are nice and handy until the babies are mobile and then they pull everything out of the drawers and climb in. Hate them now.

- If you get a non-standard shape, you may have an issue later getting crib tents to fit if they are needed. Our cribs have a curved back that is supposed to be a headboard later and while it didn't prevent the tents from working, I couldn't install them following the instructions -- had to get creative.

- Many babies chew wood. Mine won't be using their cribs for beds later because they look like I used them to house beavers.

- If you're over 5'6", you don't necessarily need a drop side and probably won't use it anyway.

To do it over again, I'd get very basic, non-converting cribs. HTH!

 

We had a Simmons crib from BRU with my daughter, and while the crib itself was sturdy and great quality, it had solid ends, which made it a huge pain to tie on a bumper pad. (Because there were no corner posts to tie around.)

Despite that, we were going to get another one to use with these babies....but Simmons has discontinued the line, and I can't find the crib anywhere, not even used.

So, we're thinking of selling that one on Craigslist, and we bought two cribs from JCPenney online, and had them delivered to the local store, so the shipping was much cheaper.

The quality of the finish is not as good as Simmons, but they seem plenty sturdy -- and I paid only $230 each for these, as opposed to the $500 that I paid for the Simmons crib -- so I'm fairly happy with the purchase.

 

We have this crib that we got at BRU. They offer a 10% twin discount. The crib is very sturdy. I probably would have gotten something with straight sides so that crib tents would work better. It doesn't have a drop down side, but that is why I liked it. I felt the ones with the drop down sides seemed less stable.

 

Get Baby Bargains. It's a book - can be found on Amazon. Make sure to get the latest edition which I believe was done in April '06? It was a LIFESAVER for picking out all of this stuff and it had great advice for what equipment was frivolous and what was a must-have. Plus they rate darn near every piece of equipment and the model.

As far as cribs, we went with drop side because I'm shortish and when that mattress is in it's lowest position, it can be hard to get a baby in and out. We have the solid ends like a PP mentioned and, yes, the bumper was sort of a pain but we made it work and I LOVE our cribs. They do not convert - I didn't see the point. For the extra cost of a decently rated convertible crib, I could have easily purchased at least 1 toddler bed, sometimes 2 and we already had twin beds for them.

So, I say get Baby Bargains before you buy another item.

 

We got our cribs from a crib store--we paid about $300 a piece, and sold them on e-bay to an expecting twin mom for $300. Ours were sturdy, had casters (wheels) which are great to so I could move it away from the wall when needed. They also had the storage drawer, which I loved and never had a problem with. Other than that they were pretty basic.

 

I am just dropping in here . I saw this on the top for hot topics. I thought that I'd add in my .02 cents worth. I had 2 different style cribs. The one IMO that is to be avoided (if you plan on getting one w/ drop sides) is the kind that has the two handles you squeeze on each end of the crib. The drop side that you use your foot for was so easy. The one that had the handles you squeeze was sooooo hard to squeeze. I hated that so much. Hope this makes sense. I thought it was worth mentioning as this is something I never even thought about considering before I bought the crib.

 

I agree on Baby Bargains -- check out the message boards on their website, too, which are terrific -- but, if you get the book, there is a brand new edition coming out next month, which would be worth waiting for!

 

Ditto on Baby Bargains! We have these cribs. I think they were about $269 each.

 

HI,

I believe that the pottery barn cribs are made by ChildCraft/Legacy and if you get those branded under the child craft or legacy brands you pay about 1/2 the price.

We got Legacy cribs, really like them.

There's a book called Baby Bargains.. it's a great resource for saving you money as you start to buy things.

Oh -- don't spend tons of money on crib quilts, I have never used mine. I just use the bumper and crib sheet right now.

Teri D