Wife is in love with Young America Crib$. HELP!!!!!

[essnce629]

I'm another one that would definately not spend a ton of money on a crib. I refused to pay more than $250 on a crib and ended up getting the JCPenney Renew crib that gets excellent reviews and has never been recalled. It's great. Plus, DS spent the first 5 months sleeping in the pack-n-play and then would cosleep with us the second half of the night once he was in the crib. He even went through a period of about a month or so that he refused to sleep in the crib at all. I would definately save the extra money and put it towards a nice stroller, a few diaper bags, and a nice crib mattress. It was really important to me to get an organic mattress since babies spend soooo much time sleeping and regular mattresses are filled with chemicals. I also wanted a latex mattress, instead of cotton, since my first DS had really bad eczema and I wanted to avoid any potential dust mite allergies. Dust mites can't live in latex.

And oh yeah, that crib your wife likes is really girly, which means if you end up having a baby boy in the future you may not want to use it for him.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i'll be another voice of dissent. i think that crib is gorgeous and if it's good quality and you can afford it i'd totally go for it. i don't have a YA crib, but i have a Munire and i'm so glad i spend the $$ on it (i think it was $400) vs. a cheap one. maybe my kid is odd, but my DS absolutely loves his crib and spends a lot of time in it (~15 hrs a day, at 14mos). it's of great quality, very sturdy and i just like the way it looks in the nursery. we would have used it for a 2nd baby if we didn't have kids so close in age.

[veronica]

Slightly OT, but where on earth did you find a Morigeau Lepine crib? They went bankrupt several years ago. I know because that's what we have, and they were located less than 20 min. away from us.

DD is 5, so they were around then! I like her set better than the boys' sets. I'm sorry to read that you had issues.
I was so sad to read that ML had gone OOB. A family owned business with a quality product that was a victim of the economy

[SnuggleBuggles]

Our crib was fine. It was a nothing special, $300 crib at BRU. It served it's purpose for 2 kids. It is a 3 in 1 but we will only ever use it as a 2 in 1. The style is ok but I can't see it as a full size headboard just per my style. I prefer beds that aren't just head board/ foot boards, I like wood all the way around. I suppose we can keep it around in case one of the kids wants it when they move out though but I doubt it.

I heartily agree that sitting down and determining a budget would be a good idea. Even better, a fantasy budget noting the prices of every thing you would love to have and then see what needs to be cut back.

Beth

[babywhatbaby]

Hello Everyone, Again, ALL this feedback is really helping me out!

So, on to my next phase, where do I look?

Is there a good thread out there that actually gives good direction as to where we should start looking for all the brands everyone has mentioned. One of the complaint my DW <---(I'm learning) is that she wants to be able to touch and feel all this stuff before she buys.

What direction did you take on this one?

Thanks.

[arivecchi]

Do you have a good baby superstore near you like Buy Buy Baby or USA Baby? I would start there because they carry mid-range and better brands as well. Also check out Ikea if there is one near you. I would avoid the super high-end boutique type shops. You end up buying a lot of expensive and unnecessary stuff in those.

P.S. BBB and USAB have email lists. Sign up so you get coupons and notice of sales.

[mikala]

Is there a good thread out there that actually gives good direction as to where we should start looking for all the brands everyone has mentioned. One of the complaint my DW <---(I'm learning) is that she wants to be able to touch and feel all this stuff before she buys.

I agree w/ the previous poster to look for other stores locally. When you see the cribs try leaning into them and thinking about picking up 20+lbs from the lowest mattress height. This is especially important if either of you is short or if it's possible you'd still be picking one kid up out of a crib while pregnant with another. I'm petite and was surprised at how much crib rail height varied and how some of the crib rails really dug into my abdomen when leaning.

As a sidenote, I'd also try to avoid spending much on a changing table. My DC was a wiggler and we were changing him on the floor by 8-9 mo because he tried to vault/squirm/wiggle/scoot/crawl off of the changing table. Each kiddo is different but this tends to be a short-lived piece of furniture. Consider something more temporary for changing or plop a changing pad on top of an existing piece of furniture for the early months.

Good luck!

[Melbel]

Another voice of dissent (to some extent anyway). We purchased a Regazzi crib (the old company before the bankruptcy) and we were very happy that we invested in a quality crib that we used and enjoyed for all 3 DC. That being said, we paid about $500 11+ years ago, not $1,000. I love a well decorated nursery. It is something that makes me happy every time I enter the room, and it is part of my fond memories of babyhood. We intentionally purchased a more gender neutral crib that can be used for multiple children. It converts to a toddler bed, but not a headboard.

We skipped the changing table as well as smaller scaled children's furniture and opted for a changing pad on a regular sized dresser. We prefer to invest in nicer furniture that will last.

We have a Stanley YA bookcase in DD2's nursery that is lovely and well made. We have a Furniture Mart in town that significantly discounts Stanley YA.

Everyone has their priorities when in comes to babies. For me I am willing to forgo a $$$$ stroller (gasp!) and instead purchase a well rounded, reasonably priced Baby Jogger City Mini stroller and splurge on a well put together nursery.

[lhafer]

You might give birth to a beaver.

My son has chewed the paint around all edges of his crib. I don't know if "baked on" paint prevents this or if it just tastes better?

Now that he's a toddler he enjoys driving his wooden Thomas trains (which he must sleep with) along the top rails. This has served to remove much of the paint that he hadn't already ingested.

Hopefully my experience is food for thought as you consider how much to spend on your crib.

I'm pretty much in the don't spend a ton of money on a crib camp.

My DD1 LOVED her bed, and treated it well. No scratches, dents, bites, etc. She was in that bed for almost 4 years. It was a drop side, so I ended up getting rid of it as a trade in for her booster seat. Her bed as a Bassettbaby furniture crib and it was SOLID. NEver once had to retighten screws, etc.

DD2 came and DH wanted a new crib. He wanted a crib/changing table combo. I was fine with that. We went with this one: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...LAID=512439048

It has held up very well so far. BUt DD2's only 13 months old. She has chewed on the side of the crib though. Luckily - the headboard and footboard are more sleigh bed shaped - so she can't knaw on those. She can only get to the side boards, and those are part of the full bed (should we choose to actually use it in that manner).

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I would also be one to say get a middle of the road crib. Chances are you will get another bed in 5 years anyway. You may not use the nursery like you imagine you will. I would totally kick a rockin' stroller though!! That thing you will use every day for years!!

[blondflava]

I have a cheap (but solid!) crib for DD too. Initially we went with a conversion crib to use as a headboard for a full bed later on, but now, once it's time for DD to get a big girl bed (hopefully not within the next 6 months yet , I'd rather get a twin bed or a toddler/twin one... We have no space in DD room for a full size bed, which we didn't think about 2 years ago...