XP from PGAL: Tell me about your crib!

Regne · October 2012

Hi everyone. Sorry for the lurker post. I "live" over at PGAL, but thought I might get some help over here with this. I am 28 weeks so I figured I'd better start at least looking for a crib considering at some places it can take up to 8-12 weeks to actually arrive, which puts me almost at my due date. Must. Stop. Procrastinating. Anyways, I am stressed as hell about what kind of crib to purchase. There are so many brands and styles, it is so overwhelming. What made you decide on your particular crib? What made you avoid any particular crib? I was eyeing PBK cribs (Kendall, Larkin, Catalina) and also some cribs at BRU (I liked the Baby Cache Essentials)...but really I don't know what the difference between all these brands is. MIL was like "Don't purchase cribs from China!" so now I'm freaked out about that. But it looks like most cribs are made in China. Also, is there a difference (with regards to safety) between cribs with a solid back vs. cribs with slats on all four sides? My mom keeps pushing me to get a crib with a solid back but they don't seem very common and I'm wondering why. Am I overthinking this? Any thoughts are welcome. I appreciate your crib input! Thanks for helping out a stressed out PGALer.

Junebug060609 · October 2012

Do you have the Baby Bargains book? If not, I'd recommend getting that for starters.

I read that and noted the cribs that fit into our budget and that got good ratings from BB were contenders. From there we whittled out ones that weren't our style. Got us down to a few possibilities, which we went to see in person. Our winner ended up being the Graco Lauren in Espresso.

The only difference I can think of in terms of safety with a solid sided crib is breathability. Baby will likely at some point fall asleep with their face smooshed up against the side of the crib (you know, just to give mama a heart attack). I'd be worried about airflow in that situation if the side Baby snuggled up to happened to be the solid side.

adoxyinherear · October 2012

Junebug060609:
Do you have the Baby Bargains book? If not, I'd recommend getting that for starters.

I read that and noted the cribs that fit into our budget and that got good ratings from BB were contenders. From there we whittled out ones that weren't our style. Got us down to a few possibilities, which we went to see in person. Our winner ended up being the Graco Lauren in Espresso.

The only difference I can think of in terms of safety with a solid sided crib is breathability. Baby will likely at some point fall asleep with their face smooshed up against the side of the crib (you know, just to give mama a heart attack). I'd be worried about airflow in that situation if the side Baby snuggled up to happened to be the solid side.

Seconding that book! It helped me out tremendously. The bottom line on safety is that they all have to meet federal standards, so with the more expensive cribs you're just paying for style.

CheesyPeas · October 2012

Junebug060609:

Do you have the Baby Bargains book? If not, I'd recommend getting that for starters.

I read that and noted the cribs that fit into our budget and that got good ratings from BB were contenders. From there we whittled out ones that weren't our style. Got us down to a few possibilities, which we went to see in person. Our winner ended up being the Graco Lauren in Espresso.

The only difference I can think of in terms of safety with a solid sided crib is breathability. Baby will likely at some point fall asleep with their face smooshed up against the side of the crib (you know, just to give mama a heart attack). I'd be worried about airflow in that situation if the side Baby snuggled up to happened to be the solid side.

Everything she said, except we ended up purchasing the Graco Lauren in white instead of espresso.

FmrAFBrat · October 2012

Unfortunatly the only place I found cribs that were made in the US was www.thelandofnod.com & those cribs were well out of my price range. I was looking at Graco cribs and Carter ones at Target & Walmart, however none of the sets had a dresser that was small enough for the room that is DS nursery (the bedrooms on the same floor as our master were designed to be offices by the original owner of the home, what is funny is our bedroom is 3X as big). I actually went to furniture stores too & was in a spot to find a small dresser. I took a gamble & purchased a 3 piece set from Walmart online. It worked out great and actually was really pretty in real life. I recommend the set for anyone needing a set that fits in a small space.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/BSF-Baby-Sleigh-4-in-1-Crib-Changing-Table-and-Clothing-Organizer-3-Piece-Set-Cherry/12330428

It's lower to the ground as well...so my MIL who is 5' can reach in it as well. So if you are short-it works well. It also came with the toddler conversion rails & all the pieces were labeled & idiot proofed. It even came with the tools you needed to put it together. Like PP said I don't think a crib with a solid back would be as good due to SIDS. Another big thing.....the matress is VERY important. You will probably end up spending at least another $150 regardless of what crib you get. I bought a Serta from BRU.

KJsbabe · October 2012

We went with the Hensvik crib from Ikea.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50213565/

Space was our big deciding factor. DD's nursary is a pretty small room. It really seemed like all of the cribs that BRS, Target, and Walmart carried were these huge, bulky, mammoth things. I feel like you can still have a sturdy crib without all the bulk. The Hensvik has a simple design, not bulky, sturdy, and very reasonably priced. Everything I was looking for!

I checked the Ikea web site and they're pretty vague about where their items are manufactured. So, it's posible some things are made in China, but really these days, what isn't? I agree with pp, on the cribs with solid sides I would be concered with air flow. I mean, they made everyone stop selling fabric bumpers because of air flow issues, and I would think fabric would let more air in than a solid piece of wood, kwim?

Good luck with your decision and have a H&H rest of your pregnancy!

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