Best crib brands

[dramamama04]

1) Who makes the best cribs and the prettiest?

2) What are the best crib brands for the least amount of money? I'm talking about cribs that look like they should have cost more, but were really quite affordable.


http://lilypie.com/days/040912/1/26/0/-6/.png (http://lilypie.com)

[kijip]

After seeing a positive post about Childesigns, and looking in the BB book, I think that they are are nice, well made option for a modest price. Kmart has them for 99-249 dollars and they have knee release drop sides, wood construction and spring matress support. Also Bassett has some nice looking cribs for under $300. I just got a nice one on overstock.com for $170.

[jakobsmommie]

I like the LEGACY ones - they are super sturdy - especially if you plan on getting a convertable one. I'm SO happy with mine and we are using it with baby #2 currently. I'm sure if baby #3 comes along we will use it for them as well.

HTH

[bostonsmama]

I have to say that I love the Pali cribs. They are the most beautiful, well-constructed heirloom cribs I have ever seen. My girlfriend has a 7 year old crib that looks brand new! After two toddlers, nothing has broken or fallen apart. There is solid wood construction, steel spring mattress supports, no exposed hardware, and easy knee push releases on the drop side. They can cost an arm and a leg, though. If I hadn't been given one (well, I actually paid $60 for it as a kind gesture), I doubt I would have been able to afford a new one. I have the Paula, a sleigh style crib, in Natural, and it converts to a toddler bed with an included adapter bar (yr.2000). I love this crib so much that I often sit up and just look at it and touch it. Everything is so smooth and seamless. I can easily see myself passing this crib on to my children's children, but I think because of changing standards, I'll wind up giving it to someone else in need when their time comes.

After some careful research on the internet, I saw some of the nicer models going for $300-$400 w/ free shipping. Ebay is a great place to get killer steals on these cribs (new in the box), and even more so if someone lists a used crib in your area for pickup. If in the end it feels expensive, just think of the money you could recoup in resale. While you're lucky if you can get $50 for a regular used crib, you're almost assured to get 50% of the retail for your Pali. This means your $400 Pali might only cost you $200 by the time you sell it. It's something to think about!

[HallsofVA]

We looked at a bunch of cribs before settling on the Sorelle brand. They had the nicest and quietest dropside mechanisms of all the brands we saw. Even better, they have multiple price points, and even the cheapest models (i.e. Rita) were nice though not ornate. The Sorelle Nico also seemed like a nice crib, right in the middle pricewise. And there was another model (Lynette?) that was unique in style and also in the middle pricewise.

We opted for the Sorelle Rosemary crib, which is a beautiful and incredibly sturdy crib, with shaker and sleigh ends, but that extra wood cost us an extra $100 above the Nico (and almost $200 above the Rita). Pali makes a similar crib to the Rosemary, but we liked the ease with which the Sorelle droprail went up and down better.

[Fairy]

FYI --> I accidentally posted this under a reply, rather than the root post. My apologies, folks.

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I probably won't be in the majority on this at all, but I really don't have a problem paying $500 - $700 for a crib if I'm going to get alot of use out of it. And honestly, the plain four-sides-straight-up-with-slats is just boring to me and, frankly, ugly. I bought a Forever Carmen by Pali (first choice was the Forever Rosalia, but, Hubby and I wanted to agree, so we both took our #2 choice). We got it for $579, plus $150 for the conversion kit for the regular bed. It's very solid, very well-made, and a beautiful design. Stationary side. Highest rated in BB. I also don't believe in hand-me-down cribs, so there was no use in saving it for anyone, my progeny included; so we opted for something we could use later, hence the convertible.

We almost went with a Baby's Dream stationary side in Honey that is the only one the BB Book review of that manufacturer recommends, as the price was $200-something, a design we really liked, and impossible to ignore for the price. But ultimately, I didn't like it as much as the Pali, the color would be hard to match with other furniture (we're not buying case products from a baby store), and it's $400 extra dollars we won't miss by the time the kid grows out of the crib. So, we said, screw it, let's get what we like.

Another thing is that while we did look at the mass marketers (Baby's R Us), I thought 90% of their cribs were boring/unattractive (couple Jardine's were ok), I didn't trust their customer service or expertise as far as I could throw them. When you go to The Baby's Room or other privately owned speciality stores, you're paying for a) better brands, and b) customer service.

Might also want to consider a Stokke if you want alot of use out if it. Didn't find the crib worth it (you're tied into specialty bedding; no thank you), but the changing table (worthless in general, when you can do this on a dresser) is a good buy for us in that it converts to a drawing table and then a TV/bookshelf. Great for the guest room. Definitely someething we'd invest in.

I don't care what other people get and never judge anyone; for myself, tho, I like the very best I can afford or don't bother at all. Take that for what it's worth, cuz again, I realize, I'm in the minority with that outlook.

Good luck.

[mam615]

We've been pretty happy with the Ragazzi we bought. Wanted something very simple, which was actually pretty hard to find!

Recently, though, I found a crack on the bottom corner of the drop side -- which may or may not have been a result of DD falling and bumping her head on it. Anyway, customer service at Ragazzi/Albee's (in NYC) was excellent and a new drop side arrived free of charge within a few weeks. Replacing the drop side, however, was unbelievably difficult. Definitely pay whatever it costs to have it delivered and assembled, and never take it apart or you will regret it!

[stanathan]

I second Cathleen's post re Sorelle cribs. Hidden hardware and quiet dropside mechanisms were the selling points for us. They all look very nice, and would go with any furniture.

[aim]

I couldn't afford to spend a ton of money on a crib and so I chose a Cara Mia crib - it was $275 and it has hidden hardware, is made of hardwood and has a great finish - I think that is is just as good as many other way more expensive cribs.

Amy
Mom to bennett 1-14-04

[KBecks]

We chose a Legacy by Childcraft crib, in a simple design and paid $300 on sale at USA Baby.

I preferred the Legacy because it was a sturdy crib, and had a smooth and quiet drop side. I felt it was a good price for the quality. The crib also has a drawer underneath.

I also liked the Sorelle cribs, which were less expensive, but I did not like the drop side as much, and it seemed less solid feeling. Still probably a very good crib, just not my first choice.

I've heard great things about Pali as well.

In any line you can pay more and get a fancier design. Depends on what you want.

We did not get a style where the crib converts. We'd rather get a real bed headboard, and keep the crib as a crib. IMHO, the crib side headboards don't seem that they would make attractive beds.

KBecks

[JenzooBen]

We bought a convertible Pali for my DS and it is beautiful and very sturdy. It looks brand new after three years! I also have the matching furniture pieces and all of it is good quality.

We are now expecting twins and wanted to go with something cheaper and bought (2) Sorelle Lana's(their cheapest crib). I was disappointed to find out later that this crib is made from Birchwood(not Beechwood like what the Baby Bargains books stated all their cribs are made of) and their Cherry finish was not very good. The crib is sturdy however and still a decent bargain - their customer services was not good either - I was disappointed with their response but did get some help from the distributer.

In any case, if you can - check out the crib in person before purchasing.

Jenny

[Nikshim]

Wow, that is a tough question and as you can see from the responses, there are different thoughts. I think Baby Bargains does a really nice job of reviewing the various manufacturers.

After looking everywhere from Babies r-us, Pottery Barn, Target and speciality stores we ended up with a Ragazzi. We also liked Morigeau/Lepine which was in the same price range. We liked the Pali cribs but the prices were even higher than the other two so I just stopped looking at those. I found from a safety and feature standpoint, there were a lot of similarities. The difference we found was in the sturdiness of the crib, ease of use (pulling down the rails), noise and style. Definately try lowering the rail with one hand-that immediately made us run from some cribs.

Note, not everyone can afford $500+ cribs and that is why I think Baby Bargains does a great job of reviewing the manufacturers in all price ranges. I would personally try to put a budget together and focus your crib selection on the cribs in that price range. When you enter the baby store, tell them what are my options in this price range and these brands.

Also, if there are outlets or warehouses near you, look there in that you might find deep discounts on last years model.

[dramamama04]

We ended up buying a crib from a specialty store. It's the Baby's Dream Generation Next single dropside crib with a knee release. We got it in the cherry finish. It is so sturdy and beautiful! It actually looks better and is definitely safer than the Generation Next crib that has the drop gate. Plus the finish is so deep and rich it's more like a black cherry, which suits us since I'm having a boy. I couldn't be happier with my crib. They had a lot of others on sale, including Pali, Morigeau-Lepine, and Legacy. When I saw it I knew and felt that it was the one. The crib is convertible, but it only converts to a toddler bed, so we can switch it back to a crib for future use. The crib was on sale for $299, so we were lucky. I'm SOOOOOO glad we ended up purchasing from a specialty store rather than a "big box" store. Thanks for all your help!

[newNCmom]

I recently bought the Paula crib too! I actually didn't buy it for the convertible extra +, but you said it came with an adapter bar? I don't we received one of those. Have you converted it yet? Did you have to buy other parts? If so, where did you get them? I know the 1-877 Pali # my specialty store gave me is on vacation until Aug 5th.


I love mine too! It's gorgeous! Good to know it's lasted you 4 years.. I hope to get the same great use out of mine.

Thanks!

[waikula]

Fairy,

I too am considering the Forever Carmen crib by Pali. How do you like yours so far? How hard is it to change the sheets when the mattress is in the lowest position? Any info you can provide about this crib would be much appreciated.