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Parenting
Questions about "convertible/lifetime cribs"
How many of you have convertible/lifetime cribs? Were they worth it? I'm thinking about getting one for both of mine but my mom thinks it won't last past the toddler bed stage. Has this been the case for any of you.
I'm asking on this board b/c I assume some of you are past the toddler bed stage. Please help and reccomend your crib
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Re: Questions about "convertible/lifetime cribs"
I bought one with the intent of it being a forever bed. Our second child is now using it as a toddler bed and then I will Craig's List it or donate it. It is trashed, every thing from teething marks on the rails to potty training stickers that DD got a hold of and stuck all over. Some of it could be cleaned up if we really had to use it as a big bed but it's really not nice enough after living through 2 toddlers. Not to mention, as a head/footboard, it will have random holes in it where the cribrails used to be. That would drive me nuts. We'll replace ours with a nicer regular bed as soon as my kids are old enough not to destroy it.
ETA: I forgot to say, I really do think it was worth it for us. Ours was not terribly expensive and we got out money's worth out of it. Especially with our second child--he was climbing out of the crib nightly since he was 13 months old. So we converted it to a toddler bed right away so he wouldn't break his neck. The toddler bed alone made it worth it to us. Just don't expect it to be a "forever" bed.
We have one (from JCPenney)
We used it as a crib and as a toddler bed, then converted back to a crib for baby #2.
I don't see us ever using it as a headboard, as I wouldn't use a full sized bed for my kids (would rather use a twin sized bed)
And- there was some value in having a "brand new bed" when DD#1 was ready to make the move, so that she'd be excited about the transition.
We have had ours for 5+ years. DD used it as crib and toddler bed. Now DS is using it as a crib. Soon it will be a toddler bed, then it will be his bed. It's in great shape.
yep! Here it is in all three stages. I really don't have THIS much time on my hands but I just sent this to my friend this weekend since she was getting one.
Christmas 2011
I have a Baby's Dream Infinity crib for DD. It has held up wonderfully! She is currently using it as a full size bed. I purchased the large dresser to go with it. I did find a similar colored bookshelf at Ikea to go with it.
My quandary is with #2 fast approaching, do I do another lifetime crib or do I change DD to a new full size bed and dresser? hmmm
coming in late, but we got the Stanley Young America build-to-grow (BTG-2000) crib, I think from the Hampton collection. We used it as a crib for almost 2 years, then a toddler bed for a little over a year. PAC is in a big-boy room now with a new bed, but when #2 is born we're going to use it all over again. It's held up very well.
Once #2 is ready for a big-girl room, I think we're going to give her PAC's current bed (it's a loft bed with a slide so more conducive to young kids) and convert the toddler bed to a full bed for PAC.
Munire makes a lot of nice cribs that are not very 'babyish' in style. Plus, their dresser drawers are basically the same size as the furniture that DH and I have in our bedroom, so I know that it will also last them for a really long time.
Our older two both have better quality convertible beds....B's is as a full-size now, N's is a toddler/daybed now. We bought those because we intended to use them forever.
Then we had twins.
Our plan, for now, is in another 1.5 yrs or so, put the boys together and the girls together (we have 4 BRs, but one is our master). We'll convert N's to the full bed and it will go in the guest room (that is the twin's room now). We plan to keep B's because we hope to convert the last 1/3 of our basement to a bedroom....and assume that at some point he'll want to move down there (when teenage years hit..but we'll finish the room before then as a second guest room.
But we'll be buying 4 twin beds/mattresses plus dressers/nightstands in a year or so - that should be fun. But Both of the nicer beds have been well worth the money. We bought 2 of the Graco Lauren 'convertible' cribs for the twins....they are nice as cribs, but definitely not the quality as the other two. We bought those with the intent of selling/donating.
B's bed is a Babi Italia, not sure what N's is off the top of my head.
I bought two also. DD was in a crib and then we bought another (the same--A Baby's Dream) for DS1. Both were in a crib for a year together then we converted DD's to a toddler. DS1 is in that toddler one now and DS2 is in the crib. DD moved to a queen.
However, I am thinking I want bunk beds for the boys so I am not sure what I will do with the crib/toddler beds afterward. I could fix it to DD and switch her queen and it would give her more room or pass it down to my brothers. No sure we will use them all the way...
IMO, they are wasteful. We have a convertible crib for DS, but I didn't spend a lot of money on it, and I plan on selling it as a crib when we are done.
My neighbor bought a really expensive crib for her son's forever bed. The crib alone was $800 something, then she had to buy the rails to transition it as well. When you turn it into a regular bed, then you are only using the headboard/footboard. The side rails become useless. I believe she ended up throwing their's out. What a waste of money.
you buy regular bed rails to replace the sides, and we didn't spend anywhere near $800! Your neighbor doesn't sound all that bright, frankly. $400-600 for 18+ years of using a bed is a good deal in my book. And since we lost our guest room when DS was born, DD's full size bed is the guest and she sleeps w/ us.
Christmas 2011
I've got 2. DD's is Babi Italia, from Babies R Us. It was converted to a full size bed before DS came along, so he got a new one. His is a Graco Lauren from cribs.com
I don't feel the Graco is as sturdy as or as good quality as the Babi Italia one, BUT I only intend to use it to the toddler bed stage. DS's room is not big enough for a full size bed, if we want him to have any extra 'play' space in there. DD's, on the other hand, was purchased w/the intent of having her use it as long as possible. It's great, and the only damage to it was done by our movers when we moved a few years ago. We also got her matching furniture, so it's a nice set.
If you're going to get a convertible, you might want to consider buying the rails and whatever else you'll need to convert it just in case you can't get them in a few years when you'll need it.
Yes, I said that you buy bed rails to replace the sides. I am pretty sure that her crib was a Munire and used actual side rails and not metal rails. I am saying that you don't use the sides of the crib, so that to me is wasteful.