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Bonus Material: Additional crib maker reviews that didn't fit in Chapter 2.

Alta Baby 180 Vreeland Rd., West Milford, NJ 07480. Call (888) 891-1489 for a dealer near you. Web: altababyweb.com. Italian crib maker Alta Baby came to the party a bit late, debuting in the US back in 2002. That unfortunate timing coincided with a downturn in upper-end nursery furniture sales . . . and then the soaring Euro made their pricey cribs even more expensive. As a result, Alta Baby never really caught on here. Sure, you’ll still see a few of its cribs in stores or sold online—and the quality is good. Like other Italian cribs, Alta’s styles feature solid beech wood construction, hidden hardware, knee-push rail releases and under crib drawers. Alta Baby cribs are JPMA certified. The cribs look much like those of Pali or Sorelle—basic styling with just a handful of finish options. Yes, there are a few accessories (Alta has a line of crib bedding as well as changing tables) and a handful of matching dressers. Yet, the prices are rather high: $600 for a crib? Yeah, you can find these online for less (we saw prices ranging from $400 to $550 using froogle.com) . . and in fact, that might be the best thing about Alta Baby. With few other Italian crib brands sold online, this might be your best option if you live in the boonies and still want this look. So, what’s the bottom line on Alta Baby? “Nice but not spectacular,” said a retailer and we agree. The prices are too high, considering the lack of innovative styling or features. If you find one of these cribs on sale, we say go for it. But we’d be hard pressed to get excited about an Alta Baby crib at full retail. Rating: B

AFG Furniture Call 323-725-7767 for a dealer. Web: www.afgbabyfurniture.com. This Chinese import line is sold in discount stores and online (on the above web site as well as other sites). A simple crib is $200, which is a good price considering one model we saw online includes an under-crib storage drawer. AFG also sells a couple of convertible models, including a model that converts to a full-size bed for $250. If you are looking for a simple Jenny Lind crib for grandma’s house, AFG offers this for $150. What about quality? We saw this line at a trade show and it didn’t impress us. We were also a bit put off by the company’s marketing tactics, which claim their cribs “comply with the safety standards of the JPMA.” That’s nice, but these cribs are NOT certified by the JPMA as of this writing. Parents shouldn’t have to rely on a company’s opinion that its cribs comply with a safety standard; the safety should be verified by a third party (which is what JPMA certification is all about). Rating: C 

Baby Trilogy Corner Cribs (web: babytrilogy.com) This Texas-based crib maker’s claim to fame is their corner crib. If room is tight in the nursery, these corner cribs might do the trick. No, they aren’t cheap at $400 to $600—and then you have to buy a special mattress ($100) and bedding ($100 to $300) as well. Most of their models have canopies (which we don’t recommend, as they are dust collectors), but a new uncanopied corner crib that folds up is now an option as well. These cribs use a metal rod/foot bar rail release, which is a bit behind the times. Another negative: Triology cribs were (until recently) made of ramin wood, which is not our favorite. We say "were" because of October 2005, Trilogy phased out ramin and now uses ash and popular---that is better. As a result, we'll up their rating a bit. All cribs are made in America. Rating: B

Childesigns This company went out of business in 2005. Here is an archived review of their furniture: Made by Generation 2 Worldwide 113 Anderson Court Suite 1, Dothan, AL 36301. For a dealer near you, call (800) 736-1140 or (334) 792-1144. Web: www.childesigns.com or www.g2w.com Childesigns used to be known as Nelson, a low-end crib maker that was always an also-ran in the crib market. Generation 2 (the parent company) has been trying to jump-start their sales in recent years with a combination of fresher styling and hardware improvements. Baby Depot is probably the biggest dealer of these cribs—you’ll see them sold here under the name Generation2 (although we noticed web sites still sell these cribs under the name Childesigns). Most styles sell for $150 to $250. All Childesigns cribs have knee-push rail release systems (although you might still see double trigger rail releases on a few older models—confirm the type of release before you buy this brand). The rail release rides in exposed plastic tracks. The company calls this system “Quiet-Glide” and claims the crib rail can be raised or lowered without any squeaks or clanks. Well, we tried it out and though it was quieter than other competitors, it’s still not whisper-quiet. On a positive note, all the cribs feature dual-wheeled casters and most have metal spring mattress supports (the exception: their newer models, which have a wood mattress platform). The more expensive models have a few more doo-dads (teething rail guards on both sides, a three versus two position mattress height adjustment, etc.). We also like the fact the cribs come pre-assembled. While Childesigns/Generation2 is all over Baby Depot, we noticed the brand has disappeared from other chain stores like Wal-Mart and Target. It appears Childesigns/Generation2 is losing the battle for the low-end crib market, as competitors like Simplicity seem to be eating their lunch. What probably doesn’t help: the company’s web site, which doesn’t show any product. Duh! Nonetheless, we’ll give this brand a thumbs up: this furniture won’t win any awards for cutting-edge design, but they are well constructed and represent a decent value. This is a good bet for Grandma’s house. Rating: B+

Concord For a dealer in Canada, call (905) 738-0084. This Canadian crib maker is on our short list of not recommended manufacturers. Why? A local Pittsburgh TV station reported in 2002 that a mother there discovered the slats on her Concord crib fell apart. “As she was pulling the gate to the crib up, it fell apart with all the slats coming completely out of the side rails,” the report said. This points up a problem with some cribs that the CPSC has moved to correct—in the last eleven years, there have been 138 instances of crib slat disengagements that have resulted in the deaths of 12 children. (Note: the 138 instances were for ALL crib brands, not just Concord). To fix the problem, the U.S. government enacted new standards in 1999 to make sure the slats don’t come out. The Pittsburgh mom bought her crib in 2000 (after the new rules were in effect), yet she still had a problem crib. Making matters worse, when contacted by the parent, Concord refused to help. Instead, they referred her back to the USA Baby store she bought the crib from. Fortunately, USA baby offered to repair the crib and—after the TV station got involved—refund the consumer the price she paid for the crib. Shame on Concord for telling the consumer, in effect, “tough luck.” We contacted Concord about this situation and, while they didn’t deny the basic facts involved in the case, they claimed the crib was much older than the consumer claimed. FYI: Concord is rarely sold in the US, mostly just in Canada—but a reader did spy them at a Wisconsin baby store. And their cribs still pop up on eBay from time to time. Yes, they are cheap ($169 to $229), but we say pass.  Rating: D

El Greco Web: ElGrecoFurinture.com; Paintboxdesigns.com. Wood furniture maker El Greco has been in business since the 1970’s, but just recently decided to concentrate on making cribs. The name “El Greco” might not ring a bell, but the company has been quietly making cribs under license for brands such as Lexington and Ethan Allen for the last decade. El Greco also makes commercial cribs for hotel chains. More recently, El Greco has been marketing cribs under their Paintbox sub-brand—Paintbox features brightly colored furniture in hues ranging from “Lilac” to “Sage Green.” A typical Paintbox crib runs $500. How’s the quality? We thought El Greco’s previous models for Lexington and Ethan Allen were fine and solidly built, but we don’t have enough info on Paintbox to give that line a rating. The line has very limited distribution (about 20 stores nationwide), so there isn’t enough feedback from parents to give us a picture of El Greco/Paintbox’s track record. Rating: Not Yet.

Forever Mine Web: www.ForeverMine.com. In the past edition our book, we were very impressed with Forever Mine and gave them our highest rating. Then disaster struck: a warehouse fire wiped out Forever Mine’s inventory in March 2004. The situation was made worse by the company’s management, which didn’t initially disclose the fire to consumers and continued to take orders. You can guess what happened next: we started getting numerous complaints about late shipments and customer service. Belatedly, management realized their mistakes and apologized. So, what’s the situation now? Production is back up to full speed and their new warehouse is shipping within promised order times. That’s nice, but our confidence in this company was shaken by how they handled the situation. And we still receive a handful of complaints about Forever Mine, most of which involve their third-party delivery service. Check our blog for the latest complaints we've heard about Forever Mine. Prices start at $289 for a basic crib and go to $700 for a convertible model. Most dressers are around $300 to $500. Quality is good. While this might be a good option for those folks living out in the boonies, where the nearest baby stores is hundreds of miles away, we can't recommend Forever Mine---the number of complaints from consumers is too high. Not recommended.

Li’l Angels. Web: www.lilangelsstore.com This eBay seller (id: lababy2) of cribs also has a web page at www.lilangelsstore.com. They describe themselves as a “Canadian-based manufacturer and distributor” of baby furniture. When pressed about who manufactures their cribs, a reader said a representative of Li’l Angels told her their cribs are made by Concord (reviewed earlier). We asked that question directly to Li’l Angels via email and the phone and we got a different answer—they told us they make their own cribs and dressers. Yet Concord later did confirm to us over the phone that Li’l Angels is a dealer for their cribs. And another source tells us Li’l Angels and Concord are one in the same. So, we’re not sure what to believe with these guys. Yes, the prices are low ($199 to $249 for cribs; $149 to $259) and their feedback on eBay is mostly positive . . . but we can’t give them a recommendation until we get some straight answers. Rating: C

Little Miss Liberty 3040 N. Avon St., Burbank, CA 91504. Call (800) RND-CRIB or (310) 281-5400 for a dealer near you. Web: www.crib.com. Little Miss Liberty has two claims to fame. First, they are one of the very few companies that make round cribs. Second, they are the only crib maker owned by the wife of the cartoon voice of Shaggy (of Scooby Doo fame). Yes, actress Jean Kasem (who played Loretta Tortelli on “Cheers” and is the wife of Casey “America’s Top 40” Kasem) is the driving force behind this company, which took over the country’s largest round crib maker a few years ago. The company plays up its Hollywood connection to the hilt, with Jean dropping celebrity client names (Melanie Griffith, Roseanne) on her many talk show appearances to plug the cribs.

So, what’s so special about a round crib, except for its price tag? The company points out that the first cribs commissioned for European royalty were round or oval. In press materials, Jean says “those who want the best cribs favor the rounded shape because they don’t restrict the child’s view. They can focus on the whole world and they are the center of it.” Uh huh.

Well, we can say one thing about Little Miss Liberty—that unrestricted worldview ain’t cheap. A Little Miss Liberty wood round crib will set you back a cool $1000—and that doesn’t include the bedding. Matching bedding sets can add another $500 to $1500 to the price.

Not expensive enough for you? How about a brass or chrome round crib? The “Biker Baby Crib” in chrome is just $2400. Brass will set you back $4400. New this year is the “Crystal Crib” with sterling silver mylar rope spindles for $4800. Of course, you should buy your baby a cradle for those first few weeks. To help with this, Little Miss Liberty offers a “Swan Cradle,” a hand carved replica of a 16th century design, finished in cherry and gold leaf. Your bargain price today, just $3800.

It’s apparent the company realized those prices were a wee bit high for those of us non-Hollywood types and has since introduced a low-price crib model (and bedding). The “Dura Crib” is made from molded “poly-plastic” components (the regular round cribs are made of wood) and features a canopy. The original price: $570, but we’ve seen it recently on close-out on Little Miss Liberty’s web site for $200.
So, is it worth it? Well, we don’t buy Little Miss Liberty’s argument that round cribs are safer than rectangular ones. We monitor the federal government’s reports on injuries caused by juvenile products and see no evidence that rectangular cribs are a problem. So, if you’re going to go for a round crib, do it because you like the crib’s aesthetics. And save up those pennies—when you add in the bedding, this investment can soar above $1000 quickly.  Rating: B

Luna Call 888-346-5862 for a dealer near you. Web:  lunaproducts.com Canadian crib maker Luna has limited distribution in the U.S., but we liked their offerings. The company’s dozen crib styles feature knee-push rail releases and solid beech construction (except for two models). Most styles feature a metal mattress support and half the line has an optional under-crib drawer. We were a bit surprised to see the exposed crib rail release hardware, as that is a bit behind the times. Nonetheless, we thought the quality was above average—the company also makes a couple of convertible cribs, dressers, cradles and more. Luna’s more simple styles retail in the $400 range while models with under crib drawers are in the $500 range. Rating: B

Mondi/Vox (630-953-9519; web: www.mondibaby.com; rating: B) is the latest Italian import to reach the U.S. Made in Italy by the same factory that turns out Bellini’s cribs, Mondi cribs are similar to other Italian models you see on the market (solid beech wood, hidden hardware, under crib storage drawers). Mondi’s differences: heavier side rails and more ornate carved headboards. Prices are about $300 to $550. FYI: Mondi also imports cribs from Poland under the Vox label; these stationary-side cribs sell for about $300. In general, parents who have bought have been happy and think the quality is good. Unfortunatley, there are few dealers who carry this brand so it is a bit hard to find.

Moosehead Readers have emailed us their kudos for Maine-based Moosehead (207) 997-3621 (web: www.mooseheadfurniture.com, rating: B+) cribs and other juvenile furniture. The company has been in business since 1947, but just started making cribs and other infant items a few years ago. Moosehead has two lines: a Shaker look made of maple and a Mission-style in ash. Prices for a crib are $349 to $499. Moosehead is sold in 200+ stores in the US, but their distribution is somewhat spotty (they are not sold in Canada).

Pacific Rim Woodworking For a dealer near you, call 541-342-4508. Web: pacificrimwoodworking.com How times have changed—not more than 15 years ago, if you wanted nursery furniture that was made in the USA, you didn’t have to look far. There were probably a dozen or more domestic nursery furniture companies sold in stores as recently as the 1990’s.  But that was then and now, with the glut of imported furniture from Asia, domestic furniture makers are few and far between. Among the few survivors is Pacific Rim Woodworking, an Oregon-based company that still makes cribs, dressers and twin beds in the U.S. The look here is clean and contemporary. The “Arts & Crafts” crib (pictured above) is made from solid maple (as are all Pacific Rim’s pieces) and has a single drop side with spring mattress platform. The price? About $600. No, not a tremendous bargain, but we liked the quality here:  all Pacific Rim’s dressers are hard wood (no veneers) and other little details are similarly impressive. We wish the crib hardware was hidden (at this price point, you’d expect that), but environmentally-inclined parents will probably be more impressed by Pacific Rim’s commitment to use “green certified” lumber. That probably explains why we occasionally see Pacific Rim’s cribs sold in eco-catalogs. The company has only about 50 retail dealers nationwide, so if you want to take a peek at their offerings, you may have to do a bit of searching. Bottom line: this is a good option if you want a domestically-made crib and nursery furniture. The plain maple finish and look won’t appeal to everyone, but we give Pacific Rim a thumbs up. Rating: B

PJ Kids This company went out of business in 2005; what follows is an archived review from the 6th edition of our book. PJ Kids more like a modern design house than a crib maker of old. Yes, PJ Kids makes nursery furniture, but then pairs that with its own bedding and accessories to create a one-stop shopping solution for parents. Sure, that sounds like a no brainer, but this is an industry where until recently, furniture makers made, well, furniture . . . and left the bedding to bedding companies. The integration of both furniture and soft goods is PJ Kids strength—you can find an entire coordinated look here, including matching lamps, rugs and more. And it’s more than just nursery; PK Kids sells twin beds, bunks, desks and other youth items. PJ Kids has also innovated when it comes to selling their line. The company owns four factory stores called Rooms to Dream where you can see the entire collection; the stores are in Cherry Hill, NJ, Charleston, SC, Tulsa, OK and Corpus Christi, TX (more are planned).

So, what do we think about PJ Kids? Frankly, this line is so big it is a challenge to review. But let’s just look at the furniture. While we give PJ Kids bonus points for innovation, their execution and quality have been uneven. All the furniture is made in China; the wood is ash or ash veneers. Retailers we’ve interviewed have mixed feelings when it comes to PJ Kids quality; while the prices are affordable (crib start at $300 and go to $500), we hear complaints about low quality and damaged shipments. The crib designs themselves are all over the board—there are both static and drop-side models, the latter have both knee-push and swing gate drop sides (we aren’t fans of that last option). All cribs have spring mattress platforms and most cribs can convert to a full-size bed. The dressers do feature dovetailed drawers, but again the quality is only average. Another negative: PJ Kids was slapped with a class-action lawsuit in 2004 by a Connecticut mom who claimed formaldehyde fumes given off by a new PJ Kids bedroom set sent her four-year old child to the hospital for three days. Toxicologists from the University of Connecticut found unsafe levels of formaldehyde in the child’s bedroom. In a newspaper article on the lawsuit, Stewart Paul, president of PJ Kids, admitted the company does not test for levels of formaldehyde, a chemical used in the manufacturer of plywood. Paul said the company was very concerned about what happened and vowed to lobby Congress to require testing for the chemical in kid’s furniture. Our take: we’re glad PJ Kid’s is concerned about this issue, but this points out an obvious problem—furniture made in China may be cheap, but importers like PJ Kids must keep their factories on a short leash when it comes to safety. So, it is a mixed review for PJ Kids . . . kudos to the company’s pioneering design direction, but we’d like to see a tighter focus on quality and safety before we can give a better rating to this line. Rating: C+

Relics Furniture 607 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401. For a dealer near you, call 612-374-0861. Web site: relicsfurniture.com. Minneapolis furniture maker Relics specializes in antique looking furniture that has been “distressed” for a retro feel. Relics cribs are actually made by another company that specializes in commercial cribs; Relics finishes and distresses the cribs to fit their collection. While styles are limited, Relics does offer ten color options, including a “fire truck” red and an ivory “French cream.” Matching case goods, including a changer are also available. Quality is OK. While we loved the look, the prices are going to limit Relic’s appeal—a crib with hidden hardware and knee-push drop side is $789. A spindle crib with exposed hardware and foot bar release is $649. The changer with three drawers is $1325. If you’re going to drop that much money, we’d go for one of their funky finishes. You can find a white or ivory crib for much less elsewhere. Rating: B

Restore & Restyle Web: target.com. Target’s in-house brand of baby furniture features a single crib ($250) and hi-low combo dresser ($280). The reviews on this brand are mixed—while the very simple crib (made of poplar) features an under-crib drawer, there is one major drawback: the Restore & Restyle crib has a double-trigger drop side release. Rarely seen on the market today, the double-trigger release requires you to use TWO hands to lower the crib rail—not fun if you have a sleeping baby in your arms. Our readers were downright hostile when it came to reviewing the Restore & Restyle combo dresser—many told us of assembly hassles (pre-drilled holes in the wrong location, nothing fitting right, etc), shipping damage and overall poor quality. So this one is a bust—we’re amazed that Target (which generally has a good reputation for their in-house brands) decided to put this on the market. (Note: as of this writing: Target has dropped Restore & Restyle nursery furniture from their web site, so we’re uncertain about the brand’s future). Rating: D

Room & Board Web: roomandboard.com. A nine-store chain with locations in Chicago, San Francisco and New York, Room & Board has been busy rolling out knock-offs of expensive nursery furniture. Example: Room & Board’s Moda crib, which looks amazingly similar to Netto’s Moderne crib, all the way down to the headboard and footboard made of white MDF and the natural wood side rails. Yet while Netto wants $1440 for the Moderne, Room & Board’s Moda is $800. If even that is too expensive, Room & Board sells a simpler crib (the Nest) for $600. We haven’t had much reader feedback on this chain; so no rating at this time. Rating: Not yet.

Sauder Web: sauder.com. We mentioned this brand of RTA (ready-to-assemble) furniture in our Toddler Bargains book as an inexpensive option for dressers and wanted to include a quick mention here. Some readers were surprised that we’d recommend Sauder, given their past reputation for cheap, particle board/laminate offerings that were poor quality and prone to damage. But they’ve improved the line lately and we do recommend you consider it as an option, especially if you are a do-it-yourselfer who wants to finish the furniture (Sauder offers both finished and unfinished options). Yes, you do have to assemble the furniture and that can be a hassle. But the prices are amazing—you’ll see Sauder at Wal-Mart, Lowe’s and other stores. We’re talking (at Wal-Mart) a hi-low combo dresser for $198, five-drawer chest for $169 and armoire for $165. For unfinished options, Lowe’s offers a four-drawer chest for just $122. If you go this route, be sure to get the ALL WOOD Sauder furniture (the Sand Castle for Kids collection at Wal-Mart is an example). And see it before you buy to make sure it is what you expect. Rating: A-

Stephanie Anne’s “Room to Grow” (888-885-6700; www. stephanieanne.com; rating C) offers whimsical cribs with pencil post designs and interesting finishes. The company (with two locations in Dallas and Houston) sells its cribs through a catalog for about $785 to $1075, depending on the finish. That’s very pricey, considering the cribs have exposed hardware (rod and cane) rail releases. And we did receive a complaint about Stephanie Anne’s customer service from a reader who bought over $4000 of the designer’s furniture for her daughter’s nursery. The reader complained that her furniture was damaged upon delivery and despite the company’s pledge to promptly fix the problem, it took nine months and numerous calls to finally get in replacement items.

Today’s Baby Sold on BabyAge.com, these Chinese-imported cribs sell for $139 for a simple single-drop side model to $400 for a convertible crib that converts to a toddler bed. On the plus side, they do feature spring mattress platforms and knee-push real releases. On the downside, these cribs are all made of ramin wood, which is not our favorite (it is too soft and considered inferior to other options). We’ve had little feedback on this brand, so we don’t have a rating at this point. One caveat: as we were going to press, we heard several complaints from parents about Baby Age (late deliveries, poor customer service, etc). So, we’d pass on this option for the time being.

Vermont Precision 249 Professional Dr., Morrisville, VT 05454. For a dealer near you, call (802) 888-7974. Web: vtprecision.com FYI: this brand exited the nursery business in 2005 to concenrate on furniture for older kids (bunk beds, etc). Here is an archive of a our previous review: This children’s furniture veteran launched a crib line in 1998, winning kudos from our readers. Their handcrafted cribs boast solid wood (maple) construction that exceeds Pali and Ragazzi in quality and stability, according to recent customers we’ve interviewed. The cribs use the knee-push rail release and all the hardware is concealed. But the prices are steep: a crib from Vermont Precision will set you back $500 to $750. A combo maple and cherry crib this year nears $800. That’s a bit steep, considering the competition. And all the cribs are only single-drop sides. But this is really an heirloom-quality piece of furniture, so some readers have felt the high price was worth it. Vermont Precision has limited distribution (about 30 stores nationwide), so it may take searching if you want to check them out. Finally, we should note that Vermont Precision had a recall in 2002 for about 1000 cribs for defective side rail slats. Vermont Precision said they made changes to their production process to fix this problem, but we were a bit disappointed that a $700 crib would have this problem. Rating: B-