Help choosing crib

[Mommy of BB]

Please help... My husband and I are looking for a white crib with a knee push drop side, casters, multiple mattress positions, no solid headboard/footboard, for under $300. Any suggestions?

[Momof3Labs]

Try a lower end Sorelle, like the Rita:

http://www.babyage.com/product_details.asp?productId=2240

[amp]

As Lori said, the Rita is a great option. We have the Sorelle Nico, which cost us around $250 (not exactly sure what we paid now) at USA Baby. It has all of the features you are looking for, as does the Rita, which we almost bought, but they didn't have it in stock and I wanted a crib I could take home rather than ordering, since so many people have had trouble with ordering cribs from USA Baby.

[Mommy of BB]

Thanks! I'll check into those. Did you have any problems assembling it? I've heard that some people have had problems with Sorelle. Did you have to deal with the manufacturer at all?

[Momof3Labs]

We had no problems assembling our crib. There was one piece that had a small crack, and we called Sorelle; they sent out a replacement immediately that we received within a couple of days.

[rhymeswithfizz]

We just got exactly what you are describing -- we found the lower end Baby's Dream crib. It is pine, but it still feels more solid than some of the others we were looking at in that price range. Went together great!

[Mommy of BB]

Where did you find the Baby's Dream crib? Is that the name brand or model name?
Thanks!

[Imperia]

My husband and I saw these cribs at a store we went to; they were very heavy and sturdy looking, however, watch out for the Baby's Dream cribs with the hinged drop side. I know in Baby Bargains they warned the hinge could be a pinch point and they actually had a recall on some of their cribs for hinge problems. In Baby Bargains they also warn a toddler might use the hinge as a foothold to climb out of the crib.

Imperia

[amp]

We did not have any trouble assembling our Sorelle crib, nor did we have any defects. We never had to deal with the manufacturer.

[rhymeswithfizz]

exactly -- the one we got was NOT the hinged side kind. It has a regular knee-drop side. I think there is a section about the Baby's Dream line in the Baby Bargains book -- they got very poor ratings because of the hinged stuff. But there is a brief blurb about their lower end, hingless models being just fine. Ours even has a drawer below which I LOVE!

Just checked the babysdream.com website, ours is the "Roma" model. Check it out here:

http://www.babysdream.com/catalog/roma/index.html

[Imperia]

I am not sure if I saw that one in the store, but I really like it! I remember the cribs feeling as sturdy as a Sherman Tank in the store (especially the oak ones!) and they looked well crafted as well. It's great to know they have a normal knee push side model, maybe they will switch all their models over to knee push.

Is that the colour you go as well? I love darker finishes.

Imperia

[Mommy of BB]

Does anyone know if the baby's dream roma crib in white is true white or off/antiqued white?

[rhymeswithfizz]

Not sure... try calling one of their dealers in your area. (If you go to the website they can give you a listing by state.) I think USA Baby carries them if you have one in your area. I remember seeing the white ones, they definitely weren't an OFF-white, they were a true white (as far as I could tell anyways), but I didn't notice if they had any antiqueing or sanding to the finish that roughened it up at all.

We got the one in the amber finish, and it is gorgeous... not too dark, not too light, they only one I'd ever seen in such a nice rich color that really shows off the grain of the wood. we didn't want to pay for the $550-ish changing table dresser unit, so we found the same hi-lo dresser at a local unfinished furniture store and stained/finished it to match the crib, for closer to $300.

Forgot to mention, the hardware is all recessed, so you can take off the front panel to turn it into a toddler bed.

Hopefully they'll drop those stupid hinged models and make more of these!