Used crib

sis2930 · April 2014

Help! I'm having a freak out moment. I was at a yard sale and bought a beautiful crib and mattress for $90 (money is super super tight and cribs are expensive!!) I got it home and realized it was a drop sided crib but is in excellent condition. I feel like the new safety stuff is only very recent and we all probably grew up in drop side cribs and are fine!? Money is so tight and I don't know what to do. Should I take a loss and not use it or would you be okay with using it?

sis2930 · April 2014

I tried calling her and she isn't returning my calls :-/

Unknown · April 2014

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sis2930 · April 2014

It's not a friend just a lady in a fancy neighborhood. She just texted me back and said she would call after church. I hope she is willing to give me my $ back! I feel so stupid!! I'm usually such a cautious buyer!!

ksuRN09 · April 2014

I wouldn't use a drop side crib. If something would happen, you'd blame yourself and you don't want that added stress of "What if?" I hope she agrees to give you your money back!

ginger313 · April 2014

We used a dropside for DD, and plan on using it for this one as well. We looked up the brand, Simmons, and searched the internet for replacement parts. DH replaced all of the moving parts for less than $50 and we had absolutely no problems with it. It was actually really nice when she was a newborn because you can adjust the mattress to be up really high while the side is down, so bending over isn't as much as a hassle if you wind up with a C/S like I did.

As soon as DD reached 36" tall, around 20 months, we switched her to a toddler bed so she didn't even get a chance to climb out of it and hurt herself. (From what I've seen the newer cribs have a way to make them lower to the ground yet not a toddler bed in case of climbing out situations.)

I know that there are a lot of safety concerns and problems with dropside cribs, and I don't blame you for being scared about it. That is why once she was tall enough to swing a leg over the side we took her out of it. We also have a video monitor, which gave me some extra assurance that she was OK.

Also, DD is in the 99th percentile for height. Normal sized babies would probably take a while longer to be tall enough to swing a leg over the side.

SuperTinkerham · April 2014

I absolutely won't go used on cribs or car seats. Not negotiable. We will be getting an ikea crib.

netsirk2013 · April 2014

If it is made by a company that is still active like graco they offer kits so it is no longer a drop side crib. It disables the feature. At that point, I see nothing wrong with it. Its a used crib, so what?!

hope1017 · April 2014

Try to see if you can return it. If she does look on craigslist. That's where we got our crib for free and it was brand new!!! Still with tag and everything...the only problem with it was that one of the sides was missing a hole for the screw which was easily fixed.

pfeilele · April 2014

Eh. I'd try to figure out how to fix it. It's illegal where I live to sell recalled items such as a drop sided crib, but if she won't refund your money I don't know if it's worth any extra effort to get it back. When they were recalled, people just got kits to fix them... They didn't go buy a new crib.

My mom has my old crib still - drop side and all. I have no problem putting my kid in there because it's a metal drop side and not plastic (it won't snap and break).

chevronseven · April 2014

Ours is a wooden drop side hand me down from DH's aunt. I didn't know they were considered so dangerous, now I might reconsider.... It was used in the last couple of years by her sister for her baby though, so hopefully it's ok. We really can't afford to buy a new one and I feel bad registering for one since she's the one throwing my shower.... I guess if someone gives us money as a gift I'll use it for a new crib!

AmericanInOz · April 2014

I just called and spoke to our crib company here in Oz because drop sides are not banned here

We have a hand me down cot from friends that we used for dd, she explained our particular crib has a locking mechanism that won't allow it to move without pressure at the top and bottom, and as long as it's in good condition (nothing broken) and tightened every 6 months then it'll be fine, they have had no issues with them here

anyhow, if I was in the states I would just buy the conversion kit so the side couldn't drop down, problem solved!

Hoshikitsune · April 2014

A couple of nails will fix that problem.

sis2930 · April 2014

Thanks for all the suggestions y'all!! She never called me back so I guess I'm still out my $ if I can't figure out how to get it stable. It's pretty soild (made by Stanley furniture) other than the drop side but I'm not sure if the company makes the kits for this crib anymore. (I think it was made in 2004)? I'll call them tomorrow!

email2ash · April 2014

We bought a used crib but it was less than a year old and was the same type we were looking at from BRU. It came from a high-end household that had an extra crib in the nanny's room.

That being said I did my research and knew it was still within safety ratings. If you cannot stabilize that side I would not risk it.

I also agree with @SuperTinkerham‌ about not going used on car seats! They have expiration dates because the plastic changes over time sitting in extreme weather changes. Especially up here in New England.

redhotmama7 · April 2014

I have a used drop side crib that I got from the people I used to nanny for... It's like 8 years old and I called Pottery Barn and they mailed me the conversion kit for free. We put it on and now have no problems using this crib.

I'd call the manufacturer if they're still in business they probably still have the conversion kits available.

AMcLaws · April 2014

My parents bought one for their house. Like PP's said, they bought a kit to disable the drop-side feature, and it's worked just fine. However, if you're more comfortable asking for your money back, do so! I hope she agrees to it

sis2930 · April 2014

Update!! I finally got in touch with her and she let me return it and gave me my $ back!!! Thanks to to everyone that replied!! =D>

TugboatSheila · April 2014

We love used things and are frugal so I understand where you are coming from but the crib and car seat are things I would not buy used. If only because they come with a card that gives you instructions on registering the product online so if there are ever any issues or recalls they can contact you directly about them.