Baby M has been sleeping in the cradle that was mine as a baby
since he was a few weeks old. At first he was in a bassinet in our room
and then I put the bassinet inside the cradle when he was 2.5 weeks
old; then at 12 weeks we retired our bassinet completely.
In a few
short weeks baby M and I will go to my parents' house for the summer,
and he'll be sleeping in his crib there. We'll be packing up the cradle
and taking it with us to return it to my parents' attic. When we get
home, we'll need a crib waiting for us here. So, we're
in search of the perfect crib!
We have a fairly straight-forward
wish list for our perfect crib. We'd like something simple and
modern-ish looking, probably in white and preferably something that
doesn't scream "I need a skirt." We want solid wood, no pressed board or MDF and a non-toxic finish. It would be nice if it converts to a
toddler bed and extra storage would be ideal. Made in the USA would be
fabulous. Most of all, we want something affordable since we bought a more expensive mattress made of organic materials.
After much searching and pinning I came up with the following options.
Crib collage thanks to HelloBee where I'm Mrs. Stroller!
1. Pottery Barn's Skylar - $800
This is the dream crib for our small nursery that's tight on space. I
love that it has three separate drawers for storage underneath, converts
to a toddler bed and is very well made. However, the price is steep and
the toddler conversion kit is sold separately.
2. Babyletto Modo 3-in-1 - $390
I love the two toned finish and the simplicity of the modern look of
this crib. The price includes the toddler conversion kit. The only
downside of this crib is that there is no extra storage and there's very
little space to slide anything underneath.
3. Spot on Square Eicho - $595
I love the super thick slats on this crib. It's sturdy and modern, eco
friendly and made in the USA. However the toddler conversion kit costs
an extra $200.
4. Babyletto Mercer - $400
This crib is a great storage crib alternative to the Pottery Barn
Skylar, plus it's a bit more modern looking, is available in a two-tone
finish or all white and comes with the toddler conversion kit. It's not
made in the USA, however, and I haven't been able to find it available
in a brick and mortar store so I can test out the quality of the drawer.
5. Babyletto Harlow - $410
I love, love, love the base on this crib. It screams, "I definitely
don't need a skirt!" However, in a small house and a tiny nursery, a
solid base means giving up valuable storage space. Plus, the solid side is placed right where baby M would be looking out of his crib and into his room. How not fun to see a solid panel of white!
6. Babyletto Hudson - $370
I love the legs on this crib. They're reminiscent of much more
expensive brands. It has a timeless simplicity and the toddler bed
conversion kit is included in the price.
7. Nurseryworks Twinkle 3-in-1 Billy - $300
The solid head and foot of this crib caught my eye - less distraction
during nap time! The toddler conversion kit is included and it can stand
alone without the guard rail like a little daybed.
8. Ikea Gulliver - $100
The price on this Ikea crib cannot be beat. It gets rave reviews from
everyone I know who owns it and is timeless in its simplicity. It
converts to a toddler bed, but the toddler style does not have a bed
rail like some of the other cribs. There is no storage underneath, but
we could add a skirt and put a box under it. However, the base is reportedly made from pressed board, which means toxic glues I'm not psyched to have near my baby. And the whole thing just doesn't seem too sturdy.
9. Child Craft London - $200
This option, which is also available in white, is a little more classic
looking. It converts to a toddler bed, but a security rail is sold
separately.
10. Baby Mod Modena 3-in-1 Navy - $200 A navy blue crib to match baby M's nursery!
I love the detail on the solid ends and the simplicity of the legs. It
converts to a toddler bed and includes a safety rail. Navys are all very
different so it could end up not matching baby M's nursery at all, and
it may limit nursery color choices in the future should we decide to go
against everything we've ever said and have a second baby.
I recently found two more options that were recommended to me:
The Baby Mod Olivia - $270
This crib is similar to the Modo, is solid wood and has a non-toxic finish. It looks solid, converts to a toddler bed, with a rail included and is super cute! It's sold by WalMart, but is apparently made by the same company who makes the Babyletto series, only less expensive. The only problem is it isn't sold in stores, so there's no way for us to see if we like the shaded of the wood on the base.
Baby Mod Parklane - $250
This crib is also sold by WalMart, is solid wood and has a non-toxic finish. It meets our storage criteria underneath and has 137 reviews, nearly all of which give it 4 or 5 stars. It's a great price for a crib with storage, but the reviews say and photos show that there's a large gap between the mattress and drawer when it's converted to a toddler bed. A little skirt might fix the issue of being able to see into the drawer. I'm a bit concerned about the sturdiness of the drawer when toddler M decides it's a great step stool or fort. It's also not available in stores, so we can't go and inspect the drawers in person. Plus, I'm not sure I love the color of the drawer, but I could easily solve that with a touch of old navy to match baby M's bookshelves!
Our
final option is to have a crib made to our specifications. We have a
local furniture maker building the two hutches for our dining room right now
and if we like how they turn out, we might ask him to draw up plans for
our dream crib while following the CPSC's crib safety guidelines. It
might end up being an economical option and we could definitely get
everything on our wishlist. But of course there's a time consideration
with that option. Baby M is growing like a little weed and before
we know it he's going to be too big for his cradle; I'm getting a tad
concerned we might not make it 'til the end of June before we need to
make the crib transition! Just look at the difference twenty weeks
makes:
I'm at a total roadblock. I just cannot decide which crib to buy! What are your favorite features in a crib? Any one crib you absolutely love or absolutely hate?
