Extra cost of 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 cribs...worth it?

lromeo1

FTM here. For those of you that spent the extra money on convertible cribs, do you feel it was worth it? At the store where I am looking, there is about a $200-$400 price difference (depending on the crib) plus a $169 toddler conversion kit AND $249 full bed conversion kit. Not sure how to approach it. Thanks in advance!

psychobutthead

I didnt have one with DD. I regret it. after having to transition her unti 3 bed sizes through out her life tue extra money is worth it.

jaztastic

I was told the better quality ones are worth the money in the long haul. 

For example: A $250 convertible crib at say walmart  may not be as good of an investment as the $400 convertible crib at BRU. 

Check the materials and reviews. I'm considering getting one. 

cls78

Is this the same as the cribs that convert to a toddler bed?

Mom2DrG

We JUST switched DS into a toddler bed, he is 3. I don't think it will be long before he goes in the full bed. I didn't expect him to be in the crib so long but we put the mattress on the floor inside the frame w/o the springs at about 14 months b/c he could put his foot on the top on the rail but wasn't ready for the toddler bed. He climbed out twice a week after his 3rd birthday.

In our case the toddler rail was kind of a waste. He could have just gone to a full. But I think most people move them out of the crib earlier.

mandamoochie

Our crib for DS was from BRU came to be 400ish after discounts. Its a convertable. The toddler conversion is 99 and the full size conversion is 149. Considering its a nice, sturdy piece of furniture that is beautiful and matches the rest of his bedroom set... I think its better than having to buy new beds.

animalcrckr

We did not buy a convertible crib.  We bought this one https://www.landofnod.com/straight-up-crib-espresso/f3908 from the Land of Nod 6 years ago.  It still looks brand new and will be using it for the 4th time with the new baby.  My reasoning for not wanting a convertible crib is that you are stuck with the style/color of the bed frame for a long time.  DS1 and 2 now have a full size bed with a trundle underneath (for sleepovers, etc) that they sleep on together.  

jennypolkadots

I've looked at quite a few and honestly most of the converted beds are just NMS. I am not a fan of sleigh beds and I do not like rails as a headboard. I like fabric headboards and have made several tufted versions for myself and friends. SIL had a super expensive convertible sleigh bed but still ended up scraping it because it had bite marks and scratches all on it once her baby was a toddler. 

Our plan is to use the $200 crib (jenny lind divinci) and get the $49 toddler bed rail. I am not going to get my panties in a bunch if the kid scribbles on his bed, chews on the rails, or whatever other weird things kids do that totally destroy all of their furniture. We plan to have a second by the the time this LO turns 3 or 4 and will probably upgrade LO to a new bed and give the well worn crib to baby #2. But not everyone feels this way or maybe you are planning on being OAD. 

We prefer to buy used furniture which is also a factor. We bought a beautiful antique full bed for $100 on Craigslist and I painted it turquoise for our guest room. Beds don't have to be expensive if you know what you want and are patient. 

smg2302

I have a convertible, but probably won't convert it.  I can't imagine being married to one style of furniture for the rest of my child's life.  I figured, we'll redecorate as she gets older and her tastes change. Same for this LO.

michelle142

We have a 3-in-1 Delta model - Crib, Toddler Bed, Full Bed

We've gotten over 2 1/2 years of use out of it so far as a crib and toddler bed for DS. He will be transitioning to a regular twin bed next month and this baby will then get the crib.

We'll see what kind of condition it's in in a few years and see if it will ever reach Full bed status.

I think for as much use as it will get, it was definitely worth it. I think it was like $300 new at Target or something. We never bought the toddler conversion rail for it, I just picked up one of those mesh bed-side things meant for a toddler bed on Amazon, it was like $20.

maryxc1

Mom2DrG said:

We JUST switched DS into a toddler bed, he is 3. I don't think it will be long before he goes in the full bed. I didn't expect him to be in the crib so long but we put the mattress on the floor inside the frame w/o the springs at about 14 months b/c he could put his foot on the top on the rail but wasn't ready for the toddler bed. He climbed out twice a week after his 3rd birthday.

In our case the toddler rail was kind of a waste. He could have just gone to a full. But I think most people move them out of the crib earlier.

I agree. DS turned two in May and we have the crib mattress on the floor inside the frame. I hope to get a while out of that and by the time he is ready to move, he will be ready for the full bed. The toddle rails were a waste.

wendy46001

Our crib came with the toddler rail but it was extra for the full size conversion sides. We skipped them.  While we used the toddler rail we moved her to a full and will use the crib again for our second. 

I think you also have to take into account if you'll use the crib for another child.  If yes no need for the conversions.

JNettie73

Thank you for asking this. I was wondering the same thing. I also was wondering if going with a converter crib, which we are leaning towards from BRU, do you buy all the pieces to convert at the same time you order your crib? Or do you wait until you are ready for them? My concern is if waiting until you need them you may find they no longer sell the conversion kits when you need them.

Angeldcf

We did a convertible crib w/DS and bought the full-size converter kit at the same time (skipped the toddler rails). 

DS is now in a regular twin bed as we're using the crib for #2.  One drawback: we didn't catch him in time and one night, DS went Baby Beaver on the crib.  I've covered most of it with furniture marker, but there are some deep teeth marks.

Oem617

DS is 2 and still in his crib. He hasn't climbed out yet. It converts into a toddler bed and came with the railing. It was $400, but worth it cause I plan on using it for this baby too. By the time this baby comes I plan on moving DS to a twin bed. He has done it a few times at my parents and been fine. I just am keeping him trapped in his crib while I can. I don't want to worry about him getting into things while we are sleeping. But you never know when your LO will try to climb out.

bbergman

We've gotten by just fine with the regular crib. DS1 transitioned right to a twin bed, and he'll stay in that for a long time. DS2 will do the same when he's ready to be done in the crib. 

lromeo1

Thanks everyone. Ideally, we would use this crib for a second child, but this baby was conceived after multiple fertility treatments, so hard to predict. I would buy all of the pieces at once as I am afraid they would be discontinued. I suppose the convertibles are the most flexible, so I'm leaning that way. Thanks again!

KMommytobe

We bought (or rather the grandparents did, first grandchild) a convertible crib for DS1. I think it's awesome and love that it grows with him. He's 3 and is currently using it as a toddler bed. It was awesome to not have to guy a toddler bed when he was ready and likely the same when he's ready for a regular bed.

AngieAn

I always thought that a convertible crib was such a cool thing.We had a regular crib. When we went to put my daughter in a toddler bed i was going to get her a little wood one, but she saw a pink plastic bed that has the headboard like a house, and refused to get out of it in the store. She loved that bed, always went to sleep so good at night. My second loved the toddler bed also. But now i'm having my third and I gave away my crib 8 years ago, so i'm thinking of a convertible crib again. My husband wanted to hold on to the first crib, but didn't see a need. I guess i was wrong.

kdhuling

Certain store sell cribs that come with all the conversion pieces. Costco for example has a convertable crib for here in AZ that is great quality that sells for $399 all pieces except the mattress included. I am eyeing that one for our bean.

kismetjess

We bought a $400 convertible crib. Honestly, after this LO, we will probably never use it again. We had planned to transition it to a toddler bed, etc for DD...but decided to skip the toddler bed all together and give her the queen bed we had in our guest room. She did great. We'll probably do the same for LO.... And honestly, when they say kids chew the hell out of the crib rail, they mean it. If you plan on letting LO grow into it...protect that shit!

scgmama

I got a 4-1 crib for my twins and it's currently in the toddler bed setting, I'll eventually switch it over to a day bed. I'm pretty sure the front rail the chewed the shit out of it but if I remember correctly if you convert it to a normal bed that piece won't be a part of it. The bed I bought was rather expensive and I bought it at a local furniture store and it's very good quality wood. I say it's worth the price, my girls are four and they're still using them.

buggymuncher

If I could do it again I would not have bought a convertible crib...unless you plan to buy all new furniture for your next little one. Just after my DD converted to the toddler bed, DD#2 came and needed the crib. So we ended up buying our older daughter a low setting twin bed at that point. But that was just our experience. This time around we've gotten rid of everything we owned and my neighbor is giving us a non convertible crib, which is great and we'll just buy a twin or full when the time comes.

IsabelC687

I had been thinking of getting a 4-1 crib, but then I saw this bed/crib from IKEA which converts from crib to toddler bed only for $119. I think it makes more sense for us to get this bed than to purchase an all in 4 crib for several hundreds more, plus conversion kits. We will shop for a bigger bed when our child has developed preferences and we won't have to stress about baby going beaver on the bed. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80248573/