Just Had THE BEST Experience with Childesigns

[ajhooker]

Hello All,

I've been reading this board as a guest for the past month, and thought I'd finally sign up and post something. I love the book and have found this board very, very helpful. So, I thought I'd start sharing some advice of my own.

My wife's expecting in late March and I've been busy getting the nursery together. After doing much research on cribs, deciding between Simmons or Baby Italia...we settled upon Childesigns.

We purchased the Scottsdale crib, priced at $280 on BabyStyle.com, for $100 direct from the Generation 2 factory outlet (http://search.childesigns.com/garage/), shipping included. We received it yesterday and are so impressed. The quality is simply amazing, especially given that it's a "factory second" and they warn you that there might be some minor blemishes. So far, I can't identify any blemishes!

Simply amazing...and to think we almost paid full price on BabyStyle for the same beautiful crib!

Andy, a Dad-to-be in San Jose

[ddmarsh]

Do you really not see any imperfections? How does the quality/sturdiness feel when you sort of "shake" the crib? I have wanted to buy a white crib for our daughter but have not been able to justify it since we have a crib that was used for all of our sons. Some of the cheaper ones I checked in BRU, etc. felt so flimsy - does this one feel sturdy?

TIA

Debbie

[tabytha77]

You don't work there do ya? ;)

I would be worried to buy a "second" in case there was some sort of wood crack or some structural problem.

[ddmarsh]

I wonder if they meet the JPSC standards before or after they are considered seconds?

Debbie

[angusmom]

Their factory outlet store is a fantastic tip I don't think I have seen mentioned anywhere before! Thanks!

I think it would be illegal to sell a crib that did not comply with the CPSC standards. And a reputable company like Genration 2 wouldn't take that chance. One lawsuit and their company would be wiped out. It sounds like their factory seconds are simply due to wood blemishes, nicks, cuts, scrapes and not anything else affecting the assembly or use of the crib?

[ajhooker]

Hi All,

To answer a few Qs...

1) It really does feel nice and sturdy (no shaking), headboards seem much thicker than the Simmons Matino I was considering. As for imperfections, I have seen a couple of very tiny "nicks" in the paint but are not noticable. The finish is very nice overall.

2)I've found no cracks or structural problems. It apeears that the white color and the small "nicks" are the reason they're blowing them out. BabyStyle only carries natural and oak versions of this crib, though they display a white version on their web site. White must have been discontinued.

3) The box itself identified it as a factory second and meeting all JPMA standards.

4) I don't work for G2, ha ha.

Quite simply, whenever my wife and I were at BRU, I'd head straight for the Baby Italia and Simmons, and my wife simply forbade me to sink $400 in a crib. $300 was her maximum, and once she found out that she could get a crib for $100, there was no way of talking her out of it.

I did a lot of browsing online and found that most online baby stores typically carry brands such as Delta, Da Vinci, Angel Line, or Childesigns, rather than the brands sold in brick 'n' mortar stores. I had considered the Delta line of cribs but could not find anything that didn't have the dual-trigger rail release. DaVinci and Angel Line have that horrible foot release design. The Childesigns indeed has a knee-push rail release system. Home delivery was important to me since I own a car and wasn't sure if I could get a crib box into my trunk, even with the rear seats folded down!

I'll have to admit I was pretty nervous when I ordered it, but I was very pleasantly surprised when it arrived.

Best of luck in your shopping!

Andy, a Dad-to-be in San Jose

[gour0]

We did the 'no no' and took a crib from a friend. But, $100 for this crib is great! Good for you guys. :7

[ddmarsh]

So should I give it a try? I guess I figure I can sell it on Ebay if I'm not happy with it :).

Debbie

[newmom111501]

I noticed the width of the Scottsdale crib was 33 inches. Is that a problem with a standard crib mattress which is 208 inches?

Thanks,
Yin

[zen_bliss]

i am super impressed with this deal. i received my scottsdale crib via fedex ground saturday (a week after ordering). it is very easy to put together.

i called customer service because the headboard was missing one of the predrilled holes for the casters (and I'm certainly not going to take a shot at drilling it!) she said she'd ship one right out. my husband thought i was being fussy about this, but while i was on the phone about that issue, i mentioned that in the footboard, there was a small crack in the wood where the hardware had screwed in and that though it didn't matter so much to me, I was surprised it had gotten past the inspectors because it had been flagged with red tape. her reply? "well, it matters to baby, so I am sending you a footboard too." i am just amazed. now THAT's customer service. thumbs up.

[havelkd]

Thank you so much for posting your experience with Childesigns! Because of it, I went to their website and purchased a toddler bed for my daughter for only $35 shipping included! It is a wonderful bed! I e-mailed the compnay prior to purchasing and asked them to define "not perfect-looking" since this was the term used on their website.

Here is the response I was given, "The carton may show signs of wear and tear (this product is a return from a retailer so it's shipped from our facility, to a retailer "distribution center", to the retailer's store, then back to the distribution center, then back to our facility), then it is opened by us and inspected for safety, then put back in the carton and shipped out to the purchaser (you, hopefully!). So, the majority of the imperfection is the carton -- the items itself is probably in very good to excellent shape, as well as fully inspected for safety."

We haven't found any problems with the bed and are extremely happy! Espcially since the Toddler Bargains book states that you should skip the toddler bed and just move up to a twin bed. I would agree except when you can get a beautiful toddler bed for only $35!

Thanks again for telling everyone about your experience! It convinced me to give them a shot and I'm happy that I did!

Amy

[karin4]

Amy--
Just had to thank you for your response to the original message! I've been looking at toddler beds, and wanted a wood one, and did not want to pay much. I was on the phone with Childesigns ordering the Colony toddler bed about 5 minutes after reading your post and visiting their website. I do a lot of internet research, both professionally and for fun/shopping/etc, but I'd never have found this deal without your post. That's what makes this board so great.

I can't wait for the bed to arrive (hope they still have some in stock!)-- how long did yours take to get to you?

Thanks again--
Karin

[havelkd]

Karin:

We got our bed within 2 weeks. So glad that my message was helpful! I don't go on message boards too often, but I do find this one extremely helpful and wanted to share my good luck with others.

Hope you like the toddler bed!

Amy