Friday, April 3, 2009

How about cribs?

I need your help. I'm going to have a baby, and today when I told someone "not for 7 more months" I realized that it's really closer to 6 months, and then I had a tiny panic attack. (Tiny in comparison to my major meltdown last night.)

So, I'm really hoping you'll help me out. Since this is our first, I know nothing. I. mean. NOTHING.

I look at a crib and see a crib. A mattress, legs, and bars to keep the child in. I'm thinking there's got to be more to it than that.

Obviously there are a million styles and colors, but are there certain features you can't live without? This isn't the kind of thing I wanna learn on my own, so if there's something you love (or hate) about a crib you've owned or used, I want to hear about it.

Is there an annoying bar that you knock your shins on every night?
Would you die if the wall didn't drop down? (Do they even make cribs with walls that don't drop down?)
Are square bars dangerous and your kid split their head open on it?
Do you love the size/height of yours?
Is it really all about the looks?

I know you people are reading this blog (I feedburner'd you, and I know you're out there...even when you don't comment. Take THAT lurkers!) and I know a LOT of you have kids, or you know someone who has a kid, or you saw a kid crying at the grocery store. I don't care who you are, or how experienced you are, I want your input. So, please share!

PS Don't even start to think the only thing I'm asking for your advice about is cribs, it will be an ongoing series. It's just that right now all I wanna do is sleep so the crib is on the mind.

21 comments:

  1. We actually got our crib off of craigslist when Rem was 4 months old. Before that he just slept in a pack and play. We really weren't that picky. Of course make sure the crib you get doesn't have any recalls and stuff like that. I'm sure you will pick something wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmm.. when I was looking for a crib I was just looking for a color that would match the other furniture. We ordered ours online- there are a lot of good websites with free shipping. I love Jayden's crib... But I would probably love any crib ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't know much about cribs but my advice is
    A) get a bassinet. You definitely want the baby in your room at first when you're getting up 2,3,4 times a night-

    B) buy the crib sooner than later- there is SO much to buy that you gotta start now so you don't have to spend a million dollas at once. we bought one big thing a month instead of all at once which helped me not feel so poor :)

    C) buy the angel monitor that I did- so when you do put the baby in the crib you aren't worried all night! It detects movement, so if the baby stops breathing for more than 20 seconds a VERY loud alarm goes off. I LOVE it!

    Yay buying baby stuff is so much fun!!

    P.S. Shopko is having a GREAT baby sale right now- SUPER cute cribs, changing tables, and rockers for way cheap. You should go.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was going to say that we didn't even use the crib until Rachel was a few months old, so it's really no rush. We used a bassinet right beside our bed until she was sleeping somewhat regularly because, really, who wants to walk all the way into the other room to nurse a baby when you could just pick her up and drag her into bed without ever leaving it yourself?

    My mother-in-law bought us a crib/changing table/dresser combo from Wal-Mart. It's nice, but it's pretty big. And I'm not sure that I liked having the changing table attached to the crib all the time because sometimes gross things happen up there. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is really best to get as much as you can NOW before the baby comes and the expenses REALLY start adding up (diapers, dr appts, formula (or not), bottles, etc). I am day dreaming over the ones from Ikea. They are nice and low to the ground which means you don't have to reach WAY DOWN into the crib.

    If you ever want to come down to Ikea to look CALL ME! I will TOTALLY go with you because I'm dying to get the one from there for #2.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, and call me anytime about anything :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Joshua has been in a pack n play since he came home from the hospital, for the last 9 months. It has worked totally fine, but once we move we plan on getting him a real crib. I have been looking at mini-cribs, they look nice because they take up less space.

    ReplyDelete
  8. So I don't have any advice. I have a hand me down crib. Which I am sure will look fine even if its not my dream crib looks wise. But I would LOVE to hear what everyone tells you so do share :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. We like our crib. We decided it didn't have to be much, simple was fine. We did get a height adjustable one, so that there is a up-high-little-baby setting and a down-low-toddler-can't-fall-out-and-die setting. There is a drop down wall, it's convenient. I also like that ours has a drawer underneath because I care more about clothes (and such) storage than having a duster. I liked the mattress we got because it is sturdy and plastic-lined, water proof. Also, there are these cool sheets that Heather bought us that are basically a pillow case with a velcro-closing flap for the crib mattress. Those are nice because the sheet stays on a tight and doesn't come off to smother your baby. That's about all for us. A crib is a crib is a crib, right?! Good luck! It's so fun!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. As I have no children, I don't actually know anything about cribs, but I do know that there is one at the Target in American Fork that is white and brown and I WANT IT! So while I don't know anything about which crib is best, I'm going to just buy the one that I think is the most cute. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. We got ours at a yard sale. It was like $50 for crib and mattress which was still in plastic so it seemed safe. In my opinion, it is important that the mattress height can adjust to fit infant and toddler. I like the lowering walls. No lead in the paint, and I think "they" recalled cribs that had bars further than 4 inches apart cause the kids get their heads caught. You might want to google that though since it's been a long time since I learned that.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cribs can be ridiculously expensive... and for features that I didn't find necessary at all. My husband and I bought a simple white crib from Ikea that was super cheap... and the mattress was too. It doesn't have a front bar that comes down or anything fancy like that..... but in our 7 months of having a baby... we haven't missed any of those things. I love the simplicity of the crib and the fact that we didn't have to lose a bunch of money getting it. I would highly recommend it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'd definitely go for a drop side on the crib. I'm short, so I can barely lay my son down in a crib without one. I also think it's nice if it will turn into a toddler bed. I just figure one less purchase in the future. Other than that, don't spend a ton of money. My husband helped me realize that you can get a really cute crib for under $200. Babies R Us has good reviews.

    ReplyDelete
  15. My crib is a hand-me-down! I did zero research..but it has worked great! It has the drop down side and converts into a toddler bed...a feature I've never used! I agree with the advise about a bassinet...my kids didn't use the crib at all the first few months! My bassinet has wheels, which I love. I liked wheeling the bassinet into the living room or computer room so I didn't have to run to the bedroom to check the baby.

    ReplyDelete
  16. We got a very nice crib for pretty cheap at Burlington. I love it, it's simple and it does everything I need it to...it keeps Porter contained.
    As for the bassinet, we bought a pack-and-play which has a bassinet for only $50. We used it with Porter and now with Bridger. It's a much cheaper alternative than buying an actual bassinet and we use the pack-and-play all the time. It's something that can be used for more than just the bassinet.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, what can I say that hasn't already been said?!? Get a bassinet of some sort first. They will be in your room for the first 6 weeks at the very least. And even once they are in their own room, you may still keep them in the bassinet cause the crib seems so huge. Spend time worrying about a comfy rocker so you can be cozy while feeding in the wee hours of the morning. Our crib was cheap and basic and I have no complaints. I would suggest one with height adjustments and one where the bar lowers. When you have a tiny one in there the bar never needs to come down, but eventually they get bigger and heavier and it just makes things easier. AND, Stetson learned to get out of his bed earlier than we planned and we don't have a big boy bed yet for him so we just keep it lowered now and he can get in and out on his own safely. Also, I don't love the beds that convert to a toddler bed. Likely you will need one of both unless you plan to only have one kid so just buy a big bed (with a safety bar) and keep the crib for the next one. Since I am starting a crib novel, I'll continue. If you scroll through some of our posts you may catch a peek at ours....one thing I have really liked is that the ends are solid (no bars) and it has made cleaning it a lot nicer. Just a thought. K-I'm done. And so excited for you. Sure wish I knew you :) :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. We got our first crib at Burlington for $99. It's simple. Drop down bar. Two leavels. Turns into a toddler bed. We got the mattress at Wal-mart for $60. We got our second crib (That's right, we have two cribs) on KSL for $25. It was only a little dusty, looks pretty much like Jordyn's crib, just a little older. We bought a second mattress at Wal-mart for $46. We like both the cribs. I should have got our first crib on KSL too, just to save a little money, but I had this big idea that for my first baby I had to have everything new. Poor Tessa....she is the kid of hand-me-downs.

    ReplyDelete
  19. they do make cribs with the sides that dont move.. avoid those. i HATE those! because im short and once you lower your mattress to the lowest setting once they stand up and all.. if you ever want to grab blankets, stuffed animals, etc. out of the crib or your child who is laying down or still sleeping its difficult or impossible if the crib doesnt have a wall that slides down.
    we got ours at a garage sale for 50 bucks and my sister gave us a mattress.. id try craigslist... alot of times you can get the crib and matress for a great deal.
    alot of them convert to a toddler bed, ours doesnt but im okay with that cause by the time we have another kid that one will need the crib and Kason can go into a toddler bed. so im not worried about that.
    color- stay nutural with wood colors so if you have more kids its cool with either girl or boy.
    good luck!
    -oh Kason slept in his crib for about 3 weeks after he was born, then he got super sick and we kept him in our bed for 3 months, then put him back in his own bed... so we really didnt need one for a bit after he was born.. but it was nice to get before he was born to feel more prepared!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hey, I'm still shopping for our crib so I'm not an authority on cribs, but I've been doing my research and I will say that the crib manufacturs have had so many recalls on the drop-side cribs that most of them have decided to stop making them. The American Pediatric Association's current reccomendation is to avoid drop-side cribs altogether and stick with the static-side cribs.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Honestly there's just a lot of hype and their way over priced. The twins bedspreads cost more than our king sized one and it's like 2' x 3'. Everyone told me you had to have one with a drop down front thing so I got those and I have never used it even once!! My advice get something cheap and convertible Target has some low priced good looking ones and so does Walmart. Also the sooner the better. Things just get more stressful the closer you get so the more you can do now the better.

    ReplyDelete

Share |