Hawaii Babies

recommend your crib and dresser!

i know this (especially the crib part) has been discussed a zillion times, but i'm having a a hard time choosing! 

i can't decide if we should just get the graco lauren, or splurge for something more expensive.  if the lauren won't last long enough to be used by baby #2, I'd probably rather just splurge to begin with.  (someone here has the lauren, right?  any thoughts?)

also totally lost on dressers.  I'm looking for something low and wide, where we can put a changing pad on top, like this. any other places I should be looking?  i have no idea how much stuff from MDB costs - there are 2 stores nearby that carry their things, so I'll go check them out.  i haven't ventured beyond babies r us yet.  the nursery furniture will be white, and I haven't ever shopped much at "traditional" furniture stores - will i find anything like that there, or do i need to stick with baby stores?  the quality of the dressers at target, etc, don't seem good enough - i want something that will last for years, that this kid could use for the foreseeable future.

so...

1.  what crib did you get?  would you recommend it?  do you expect it to last long enough to be used by 2 kids?

2.  any recommendations on dressers?  where should i be looking?

thank you!!

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Re: recommend your crib and dresser!

  • oh, I love that dresser!  I see an online price of $579 in a quick search.  That seems reasonable to me - but I haven't seen the quality to know what it's like.  That top that converts to a nightstand is awesome! 

    don't really know much about the Lauren - but it seems to get great reviews and I bet most people use it for more than 1 kid!  Cheap doesn't always mean bad :)

    For comparison sake if I had one, my "dream" set (but not realistic b/c Jack's room is tiny - not sure how people survived in the 1920's, haha) would have been this:

    dresser land of nod

    image

    which is $699 + $129 for the changing tray - prob would have just did a pad and called it good.

    and maybe this crib: Land of Nod Straight Up

    image 

    $659

     But actually liked the looks of a mid century modern/clean lines crib - something like this (Oeuf Crib more than $800 = ouch):

    image 

    image soooo... I ended up getting this one $300 from (ugh) walmart.  The quality seems nice and its made by a million dollar baby subbrand (baby mod) - I don't see any reason why it won't last through 2+ kids - it might not look as nice because I have noticed the wood is a little soft and I have a sneaking suspicion that Jack might find a way to chew it (need to look into bite guards).

    imageimage

    dresser was a refurb.

    image 

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  • ooh, i like that land of nod dresser!  totally forgot about LoN, but maybe that was a good thing - a bit pricey for me, sigh.  $579 is probably reasonable...i haven't seen much between the $200-$300 range at target, and $600+ Stick out tongue

    and hey, that LoN bed looks a lot like this PBK one I really like:

    image  but even though it's on sale for $400, I don't think the quality is really worth it. 

    i really like how the slats on jack's crib look a bit wider!

    so - silly question - do you have a changing table too?  or do you change jack on the floor (or somewhere else?)  I don't want a separate changing table (for space reasons!), hence the low dresser...

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • I like that crib - but I was drawn to the more modern look.  The wide slats are nice (seem solid) but a total PITA to tie a bumper on to - which I have decided to start using.

    imageSanHawaii08:

    so - silly question - do you have a changing table too?  or do you change jack on the floor (or somewhere else?)  I don't want a separate changing table (for space reasons!), hence the low dresser...

    yep, he gets changed wherever - I keep a basket with his wipes + spray a waterproof pad and diapers in our room and basement.  a low dresser would probably be ideal for most situations, but honestly we rarely use his room since it's so far removed from our main living area so even if we had one we would probably still change him in the our room or basement most often.  I really wanted to find a vintage changing table but didn't have any luck.

  • We have this set which I love. The quality is great and it also converts into a bed. It would definitely last long enough for 2 babies, but we specifically chose furniture that we felt she could keep for a long time & grow into. We'll just have to invest in more furniture for baby #2 when the time comes.

    We started off using the dresser as a changing table, but then decided to add the hutch when we realized we weren't using the changing table as much (her room is upstairs and we spend most of our time downstairs so we got used to changing her in her pack & play).  

    Definitely invest in some teething guards! I never got around to doing so and my beaver definitely did do some damage to her crib :)

    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • we have a mondi crib ("emily" model) and i love it. i have pics in my measly little bio :)

    the dresser/changing table we use i got off of CL so i would encourage you to look there. i have pics of it in my bio too. but it is perfect b/c it has an area we use for changing and it will be her dresser as she grows. there is the hutch where i put the storage baskets w/the CDs...i put the wipes to the side...and there is plenty of storage. only thing is that we had to get a slightly shorter changing pad (30 inches) to fit but that was fine b/c they are readily available at stores and they are cheaper :) i don't think it was intended as a changing table, the guy i bought it from had used it for his teenage daughter's room and they were moving.

  • We got the Munire Urban Safeside crib. Munire is highly rated in the Baby Bargains book. We were looking for a crib that is not made in China and Munire is one of the few. It converts to a toddler bed. When we got it, we know we didn't want to use for the 2nd baby because we won't know then what condition the crib will be. I have heard about cribs with scratches and teeth bite marks so some people had to buy a new one for their 2nd baby.We got the crib in espresso but I think most of the MUnire cribs come in white too. I like this crib because the design is simple and modern. It retailed for $329.99 but I had a 20% coupon so we got a good deal :-).

    We did not want to spend tons on the dresser and/or changing table so we bought ours in Ikea! We got a 3 drawer dresser for $149!! It's made of real wood and the quality is good. The color matches with the crib. We just changed the knob to make it look more modern. We made sure that the changing pad fit on top of the dresser. Our nursery is still a mess but you can see a photo of the crib and dresser in my blog (under nursery)

    We also got a matching armoire in Ikea (also in espresso). We designed it ourselves so we were able to add how many drawers we want, shelves, etc . DH is still assembling it. I'll take a photo once it's done. 

    For the dresser, try looking at non-baby stores. DH and I looked in regular furniture stores but did not find anything that we like. Little did we know, we'll find it in Ikea :-). Ikea cribs have good ratings on BB book btw.

     

  • We have the Munire Urban in espresso. LOVE IT!!! It matches a dresser that we already owned. 

    Photos of nursery here:

    https://growinglimabean.blogspot.com/search/label/nursery  

    image
    Malia & Dave & Alexa
    Happily married since 2-17-08! Three since 9-9-09!
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  • We havethe graco Lauren and I like it so far! No complaints here. Got the matching changing table since it was the tallest changing table I could find at a reasonable price (to make it easier for MH to use)
    Sept 2008 Wedding | May 2010 & Mar 2012 Babies
  • thanks for all the comments and advice, everyone!  ...maybe i shouldn't expect to use the crib for baby #2...so many things to think about! 

    imageeacerna:
    We got the Munire Urban Safeside crib. Munire is highly rated in the Baby Bargains book.  ... I like this crib because the design is simple and modern. It retailed for $329.99 but I had a 20% coupon so we got a good deal :-).

    seriously?!  I went to a baby store here today, and i really liked the urban - but I'm pretty sure they had it listed for over $450!   i knew their stuff was marked up, the MDB dresser I linked to above was $630 (compared to $579 online), but still.  sheez.  $330 - 20% is much more affordable!  There's no buy buy baby here, sadly Sad

    and i've definitely been looking at ikea!  they don't have any wide dressers (2 columns of drawers) that I like, but maybe we could build one from various pieces...hrm...

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  •  Sandra - Malia got the Munire Urban. I got the Munire Urban Safeside. The regular Urban costs more. It converts to a full size bed. The Urban Safeside doesn't (only toddler bed). We got the Urban Safeside more for the looks more than the price. It was so overwhelming to choose a crib so I went by what I like in terms of look first and the Safeside was the only one I liked. We were surprised to know it was reasonably priced.

    For wide dressers, did you see the Hemnes dresser in Ikea? We got the 3- drawer one. They have the Hemnes with 8 drawers too for $299. Like I said, I am not a big fan of the dresser knobs that come with it so we changed it to a stainless steel (or was it nickel?!) one and it looks much nicer. You can of course get any knob that matches your nursery.

    image

    Here are some of my fave baby furniture stores website:

    We got our crib at a baby furniture in MD (Great Beginnings). Malia got hers there too. I think they can price match. You may not be able to see some of the stuff online but if you know what you want, call them and check their price.
    https://www.greatbeginningsonline.com/ ( I have a code for 10% off for orders over $100. I don't have it with me right now but let me know if you need it)


    https://www.albeebaby.com/ (google for discount coupons online)

    https://www.treasurerooms.com

    HTH!

     

     

  • thanks so much, ericka!!  i didn't realize the urban and the urban safeside were different - that makes more sense! 

    i'll have to check out the Hemnes dresser again - I thought the white one wasn't quite white enough, but I will look - and changing out the knobs is brilliant!  i'm not a fan of those knobs with the white either.  we actually have the tall version of that dresser in our bedroom (in brown) Smile and I like it! 

    and those are some great resources - thank you!!

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