Mystery BRU Crib Brand: "Koala Home"

[foodparty]

I saw a crib I liked at Babies R Us this past weekend, the tag read "White Taylor Lifetime Crib", by "Koala Home", but I cannot find any information about this company anywhere. Its not on their website either...

Has anyone heard of this company, or, perhaps own this crib?

pic of tag: http://lh6.ggpht.com/plwagner/SPzW3Bf9NeI/AAAAAAAAAIM/RT6_mKfKfUU/s800/IMG_0791.jpg
pic of crib: http://lh5.ggpht.com/plwagner/SPzW3uWGZVI/AAAAAAAAAIU/l3AP7DH9dkI/s800/IMG_0792.jpg

Thanks!

[ha98ed14]

Koala is a BRU store brand for clothes, linens, etc. My guess is that they have branched out into furniture with the "Home" label. I would think it would be as good as any not super top of the line. One good thing might be that if there was something wrong, they are local and you could go there with your problem.

[KBecks]

Koala baby makes linens, maybe google that or email the Fields?

[DaddyNoBucks]

I asked a sales lady at BRU this week who the manufacturer is of this sturdy white (yippee) Taylor Lifetime crib and she came back with... Baby Cache. Who???!!! So I came home and researched Baby Cache and found out that it is a commercial line from Munire Furniture (highly recommended by the Fields). Munire is not doing so well in the reviews section on BabyBargains.com. Quality issues are the biggest complaint, followed by long lead times, and poor service. However, a search for Baby Cache netted hits from a site called Buzzillions.com where the quality and lead times have not been a problem (Google "baby cache reviews"). So, it sounds like a crap shoot.
I knocked the crib around a bit while I was at BRU and noticed it was pretty sturdy. The fit and finish seemed good to me and I liked that the front and sides of the crib did not show any bolt holes unlike some other higher priced units on the floor. I don't know what the crib looks like in toddler and twin/full bed form. But since the parent company is Munire, I'm ordering all the parts at one time to avoid discontinuation of the product and its accessories later on down the road. BRU already quoted a two (2) week lead time for just the crib.
Sorry for the rambling but no one has reviewed this product yet. I'm not completely sold yet, but if I buy it, I'll make sure I post a complete review.

[JamesT]

Hello -- My wife fell in love with this crib at BRU but I'm hesitant to buy it w/o learning a bit more about it. Sounds like its a private label brand at BRU.... Does anyone know for sure who manufactures this crib? Would you trust it for your baby?

The Koala Home White Taylor Lifetime Crib appears to be VERY solid and sturdy.... and the BRU label says JPMA certified. But why isnt there any more information out there about this crib out there?

Many thanks for any thoughts or assistance!

[dianad]

hi there,

just wondering if anyone from this thread actually purchased the crib and has any feedback on it so far? would love to hear your thoughts ~

thanks!

[TAXE46]

ok here is a little more on the mystery of the white taylor crib i did buy this crib i like it very much it is very sturdy and also needed to order a part no fault of them. bru took care of it no problem at all. anyway on the box it shows baby cache 9 new england ave picataway newjersey 08854. from another response i checked out munire furniture same address but when you call munire furniture the will give u a number for baby cache 18665955175 there really is a baby cache. speaking with sales person at bru baby cache makes the crib for koala home which is a bru company but koala home also known as foremost furniture. very confusing. i think the crib is very well made and am very happy with it. this just happens to be an exclusive piece made for bru and is a fairly new crib.
hope this helps a little. still no reviews maybe because it is still a new item

[JamesT]

Ok, I had another look at this crib at BRU and it seems very solid and sturdy and we're leaning towards buying it. At $300 it seems like a great deal for such a solid crib thats made by a recommended manufacturer (Munire via their Baby Cache brand name)

My only concern is the mattress support. It looks like most cribs support the mattress with metal springs.... But the Koala Home crib supports the mattress with a wood or MDF platform. Any thoughts on concerns with that?

[chicagoprego]

We received this crib as a gift from our registry at BRU. We had also registered for the dresser (more on that later). We live in the Chicago suburbs. My mom had ordered the crib on Oct 18th and we picked it up from the store in our area exactly two weeks later (btw, you will need an SUV/pickup if you intend on getting it home from the store yourself). The box listed the Baby Cache information that the other posting mentioned. We assembled the crib in less than an hour, instructions are very simple and there are only five pieces. We chose the color white and the finish seems very nice and consistent on all pieces. I'm extremely happy!

The mattress support is a piece of MDF reinforced with solid wood ribs. It attaches to the crib frame with stationary metal brackets and bolts (not springs). I was also slightly concerned about MDF being strong enough but after seeing it in person I'm not worried at all about safety.

As for the dresser... we waited until after our baby shower to place our order. Big mistake. We got placed on the "waiting list" for the dresser on November 30th and BRU has no idea when it will be available. We technically can't even place our order yet! I've been calling BRU each week to check on status but so far no luck :( BRU claims that it is very popular and when the manufacturer has some available to purchase they will call us so we can place our order... and then wait a few more weeks for it to come in...

[dianad]

thanks for the responses!

[foodparty]

I bit the bullet and ordered this crib. It took about 3 weeks to get it delivered, but 3 of the 5 pieces ended up being cracked/marred, despite the box looking in good shape. I called BRU who said they would ship out another crib to me and take back the first one. It took 3 more weeks, but thank god they got it right the second time.
In the end I'm happy with this crib, though it's been a huge pain in the ass dealing with all of this. Crib looks great and feels very solid. Assembly was very easy.

Cheers

[gobadgers]

I was glad to stumble on this thread - I was considering getting this Baby Cache Taylor crib (because my Jardine Capri was just recalled), and now I think it's my front runner, even though it sounds like they gave you a quite a hassle.

Has anyone else gotten this crib yet?

ETA- grammar!

[vcardug]

ChicagoPrego (or anyone else who own the Koala Home/Baby Cache White Taylor Crib), did you have any trouble locating a mattress that fit the crib well? I thought I read somewhere on these boards that the mattress was too small for the crib which caused a large gap. I was wondering what size mattress fits the crib snugly? If anyone knows, please let me know. I'm hoping to order this crib this week @ BRU. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though, because two people told me it was recalled and couldn't be ordered at this time, but then two people told me that it wasn't recalled and was available for purchase. Hoping to buy it on Member's Night and get 20% off. :)

[MrsGoose]

ChicagoPrego (or anyone else who own the Koala Home/Baby Cache White Taylor Crib), did you have any trouble locating a mattress that fit the crib well? I thought I read somewhere on these boards that the mattress was too small for the crib which caused a large gap. I was wondering what size mattress fits the crib snugly? If anyone knows, please let me know. I'm hoping to order this crib this week @ BRU. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though, because two people told me it was recalled and couldn't be ordered at this time, but then two people told me that it wasn't recalled and was available for purchase. Hoping to buy it on Member's Night and get 20% off. :)

I bought it, but i haven't gotten a mattress yet.. hopefully someone will answer this soon?! :):thumbsup:

[nbarrett78]

I was also in love with this crib when I saw it. I did read somewhere that there was a dangerous gap in the crib, so I went back to BRU to check it out again. I reached in and the mattress does not fit the crib correctly. I could fit my fist inbetween the slates of the front of the crib and the the mattress. :32: From everything that I have read, this is not safe, and I choose to get a different crib. This gap could be solved with sticking a blanket in there or something, but I didn't want to chance it. I checked multiple other cribs and none of them had this gap. Well... that is my 2 cents on it! Good luck!

[vcardug]

Well, we bought this crib and got it home last Wednesday. My husband put it together Thursday and was very impressed with the quality and sturdiness of the crib. When I got home, I was very impressed, too.

Now I had to think about the mattress and stress a little. The crib states that "any mattress must be at least 27-1/4" x 51-5/8" with a thickness not exceeding 6 inches". So, I went out and purchased the Kolcraft Sealy Natural Rest Crib Mattress from Target that was recommended in BB. The measurements are 52 x 27.50 x 5.25. Got that mattress home, plopped it in the crib and it fit great!!! A nice snug fit. I was so excited. So, anyone thinking about buying this crib -- don't stress out, you'll easily find a mattress to fit it.

[Vetchic]

We ordered 2 of these cribs and the matching combo unit (we are having twins). The mattress I ordered was the Colgate Classica 3 which is 28 x 52. Hopefully they fit. I will report back when I have the crib (in a couple of weeks)

[MrsGoose]

Just wondering if anyone else found a matress? :) TIA

[gobadgers]

I bought this crib when our Jardine Capri crib was recalled at the beginning of the year. The old mattress we had fit fine - it was exactly the dimensions stated on the crib (27 1/4" x 51 5/8", and 6" high). The crib seems pretty great so far too - the hardware is all hidden and it seems very sturdy.

The only complaint I have shouldn't really be a complaint - just that the mattress is supported by plywood instead of slats or springs. I knew that when I bought it, but its bothering me a little more than I thought it would. There are slats attached to the plywood support, but as far as I can tell they don't bear any weight.

[vcardug]

Yes, I have the Baby Cache Taylor crib. I bought the Kolcraft Sealy Natural Rest Crib Mattress (52" x 27.5" x 5.25") from Target that is recommended in the Baby Bargains book. It's a perfect fit.

[chicagoprego]

We bought the Sealy Baby Soft Premium Crib Mattress (Kolcraft) and it fits perfectly, very snug. The dimensions on the mattress tag are 27 1/4" x 51 5/8". I can only think that in the situation mentioned above they put the incorrect mattress in the display model at the store? I would check the tag on the display model mattress...

As for the dresser, it finally arrived in January for us after DD was born. Great condition, luckily. Please be aware that although the crib requires assembly, the dresser is already assembled and QUITE HEAVY. You should check the dimensions and weight of the dresser before trying to bring it home, especially before trying to get it upstairs to a bedroom.

I heard from the salesperson at BRU that this manufacturer often has issues with the furniture incurring damage during shipping, which causes replacement orders which in turn causes long waiting times for you... I'm glad we had a substitute "dresser" set up in our nursery while we were waiting, since the one we ordered didn't come in until after our baby's birth.

[Vetchic]

So we got 2 of these cribs and the matching combo. I LOVE these cribs. Sturdy, easy to assemble. I got a Colgate Classica mattress and it fits perfectly.

One thing about the 2 fingers rule - I saw 2 people at BRU testing crib matresses and their fingers were rotated the wrong way (2 fingers flush against the crib vs middle finger against mattress)!

[MissAshley918]

hey! I actually bought this crib for $135 on CRAIGSLIST!!!(LOVE it!!!) put it together w/o hubbys help, so VERY easy, and used a standard colgate mattress, fit fine. its a beautiful, sturdy awesome crib i just love it madly. very happy with my purchase, i would recommend it to anyone!!! ash "Colie's Mommy":heartbeat: