Crib recommendations
We are looking for a baby crib and possibly matching chest of drawer set. Any recommendations on good brands/models? We are looking for non-toxic paint, easy to access (I have short arms!) and possibly convertible eventually to toddler-size. So far we have heard about the DaVinci Emily and Carter Lifetime Convertible models.
3 Answers
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My personal opinion is that newly-bought modern cribs are more or less the same (other than aesthetics), they all conform to now-established high standards and are all likely to "work well" once assembled. This is what I gathered from the book Baby Bargains when I was pregnant with my first back in 2007.
We decided to buy one that didn't have a sliding rail that lowered because a) we couldn't manage to do it one-handed in the store, b) the ones we tried seemed to be a bit noisy and unsound in their operation, and c) we're tall enough that we could just lean over a fixed side. It sounds like our solution might not work for you!
The ones that convert to a toddler bed seem like an elegant solution for a problem that needs proof. It's true that taking a 2-yr-old or so out of crib and putting them in a regular twin size bed will make them seem (and perhaps feel) lost and lonely, but if that's the case, it's always possible to take the crib mattress out of the crib and put it on the floor.
I'm pretty sure that I never had a toddler bed as a child, which is usually my baseline for whether something is strictly necessary.
That said, we were given a toddler bed hand-me-down and are using it now for our son. We like it well enough, and it's saved us from buying a new bed/mattress as our kids are closely spaced and so we have a 9-month-old using the crib.
Workarounds (like using a pack n' play or arms reach for a new baby, or putting the crib or twin mattress on the floor for the toddler) may be less aesthetically desirable than just having a crib that converts.
This is off-topic, but one thing I wish we'd considered in advance was a stroller that adapts to two kids...
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We got a stokke Sleepi crib. I have to say that I bought it mostly for the aesthetics but it turned out to be very useful since it has wheels and is small enough to wheel around. We would wheel the crib (sometimes with the baby asleep in it) into the guest room or living room so my mom or mother in law take care of her while we slept. This wheeling around a sleeping baby didn't work for baby #2 who is a light sleeper. When baby #1 was older it did work well for her in the toddler bed configuration before she got a regular twin bed.
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We did a lot of research for a crib that contained no paint and was made in the US. We absolutely love the crib we found from Room & Board in San Francisco. It's made of wood and made in the US. There are no side rails to drop but we haven't had any difficulty getting him out of the crib. The mattress drops 3 levels as the baby gets more adept at kneeling and standing.
You can buy the converter piece to make the bed a toddler bed when he get older. I'd recommend doing this for any crib you buy so that you have all the pieces to convert it when you're ready should the crib manufacturer stop making your model.
When the crib was delivered, I had the guy first build the bed so that I would see how it went together and then had him convert the bed to the crib. That way, the crib was built when he was done. The construction is really easy to figure out and very strong. Again, love it!
That's that beautiful oval shaped crib, right? A friend of ours got great use out of it during the day in the living room and at night in the bedroom.
- andrea, Nov 26, 2009