Information Gathering: Cribs

DH and I went "information gathering" yesterday. Please note that it was NOT a shopping trip, as DH will point out. We were just checking out the cribs in person.



After reading the chapter on cribs in Baby Bargains (this link is for the 7th edition--the 8th edition comes out next month and I'm going to pre-order it), I realized that I wanted to see what these cribs looked like in person. Was it worth paying $400 for these cribs or were they just as good as a $200 one?



The trip brought out quite a few discussions about our plans for the future. Do we want the furniture to stay with the child for their entire life? Or if/when baby #2 comes along, will we give the furniture from baby #1 to baby #2? Also, we currently have a low-quality dresser that I've used through college. I thought it would suffice for storage, along with the closet and a changing table. DH apparently thinks we'll need another dresser and should get one that matches a convertible crib so the child will have a dresser and bed set to use at least until they graduate college. But that means we'll have to buy another set for baby #2.



We liked the drop-side cribs (it seems to pretty much be either drop-side OR convertible...not both), but are leaning toward convertible and getting a nice set so that we don't have to invest in another bed later. Of course, part of me thinks we could invest in one crib, then get bedroom suites for the kids as they get older.



So much confusion and we haven't even gotten to the brands!



Speaking of brands, though, we liked this one:

It's a convertible by Jardine. It's a good price and felt really sturdy and looked nice. The reviews are mixed and Baby Bargains assigned it a B+ (or A-....). Of course, Baby Bargains gave the matching dresser and changing table an F. *sigh* So that may eliminate that choice, but I'm not sure. We might get the crib and try to find something else that matches.

Of course, we might also look into Amish-made furniture. We need to go price that sort of thing. I know it'd be sturdy and well-made. A friend of mine got a convertible that was Amish-made.

I'm sure there will be more updates as we consider other items!