Life Time Crib

I have one and also agree that it will save you money in the long run, I have storkcraft and it is easily convertible plan for it to last my son at least through middle or highschool depending on how tall he gets. My sister has three girls and just did regular cribs (which because she coslept and used a bassinet never got used) and has now spent more on furniture in 10 years than I have on this one set of furniture. Even if your child decides they want new furniture it would work great for a guest room. also as of now my husband and I do plan another child and decided we could use my son's crib give him a toddler bed until the new one is ready for one and switch, then we are still only buying one more set of furniture for even the second child. Or if money allowed buy another convertible set again to save more in the long run. Congratulations!!!! I wish you guys all the luck and happiness with your blessing!!

S.

1 mom found this helpful

A.- we got my son this Simplicity Ellis 4-in-1 crib from Target:

http://www.target.com/Simplicity-Ellis-4-in-1-Crib-Cherry...

It was pretty easy to put together. The only bad things about it are mentioned in the reviews: I can't attach crib toys to the edge because the wood's too thick (but I solved that by attaching his aquarium to the side instead), and the wood did scratch on the front, where my son liked to stand and grip the edge. Other than that, it's been good for us-- I think it's pretty, and we didn't want to spend a ton on it, so the price was right. When it's set up as a crib, the mattress is deep, though, so it can be a little hard on your back if you're trying to lay down a sleeping toddler. My husband converted it to a toddler bed quite easily, and it was working fine for us (we just attached rails so he wouldn't fall out of bed), but we've converted it back to a crib for our second son. Before you decide, though, I would check out the Crib 4 Life cribs:

http://crib4life.com/

Some friends of ours have them and love them. We had already gotten ours when we heard about Crib 4 Life, but the Crib 4 Life cribs seem so well-made. And if I remember correctly, the mattress isn't so deep on them like ours is, which saves your aching back. They might be worth the extra money. You can go to the showroom and check them out, and Target usually has a Simplicity Crib set up in the baby section if you want to check that out. Good luck!

I have seen these at Target. They (from what I remember) are a 3 in one. The crib, a daybed (twin) and then a full. I was looking at them as well. However, we were given a crib. No baby yet though.

I have one and have used it with three kids. I've yet to make it into a full bed as it's occupied by Thing 3 at the moment. I've even had it repainted to match the room decor.

I will warn you that your baby's personality may or may not like it! My first one wouldn't sleep in it. She hated the bars. So she slept with us until she was 7-9 months old and she got a toddler bed (don't ask. ;-) )Number 2 tolerated it, but only for naps. She's my high maintanance kid. However, Thing 3 ADORES the bed. He's loved it from day 1.

I will say that it makes a great place to store laundry to keep it away from toddler hands that had already figure out how to undo the "child proof locks".

We have the bed and love it! We purchaed the crib in 2001 for my oldest son and it went from crib, to daybed to double bed. Then we had our second child and it is a crib again. We did not think we would have anymore children and we tossed the crib screws and directions. I called the store and they copied the instructions and gave us all the hardware. They were great and we love the bed. My husband just lowered the crib and it took 5 minutes. It is well worth the investment.

We bought a five in one for our daughter from a store here in S. Tampa. It was actually on sale because the company is not making them anymore, as they are not selling. Apparently people don't want the lifetime beds? We thought it was a great deal.

Hi,

It is a cheap alternative long-term. We bought the Baby's Dream convertible crib. On the good side, I already know what her big girl bed will look like, so I can plan furniture to match it now.

The only downside is that you will have to like the look for many, many years (and your little one too). There's no option to have your child go out & pick a new bed as a big deal for later. That being said, I like Baby's Dream furniture a lot, and I like this convertible a lot. We never used it as a crib, but I know it will get lots of use later.

My almost 2 year old is in a crib from crib-4-life, next to Babies'R'Us in Altamonte Springs. We looked around from Wal-Mart/Target to the expensive baby stores. The Crib-4-life mattress goes down farther then most brands allowing you to keep the child in the crib for longer, then converts to a toddle bed with rail, then full size bed with head board & foot board. It is VERY sturdy, so much so you can sit on the railing. It also has the drop down front that makes it easier to get the baby in and out of. The cool thing about the drop down is the hinges will not pinch in any way. We found this the best buy for the money and quality. A little more then Target/Wal-Mart but much less then the baby stores, the quality speaks for its self. If you haven't been to crib-4-life I suggest you go.

We bought the changing table that converts to a dresser with hutch too. Then went back and got a glider from there. The prices really are competitive.

Good Luck!!! I know this is a big decision.

I have a 4 in 1 crib that I got from Babies R Us.I'm using it for the second time. My kids are 5 years apart and it has worked very well for me.My kids did well in it.Hope this helps. H.

I bought one for my son and I love it. I am a single mom and I put it together myself and when it was time to change it to a toddler bed it was super easy! I would recomend it to anyone. I bought mine at babies r us and it was around $250.

They are every where. Look online.
sears
penneys
kmart
target
furniture stores canorder them
Are you sure you want one? They may hot last through the crib to bed daily distruction of daily wear and tear.

I have one by Jenny Lind from Sears, and loved it. I haven't used it as the full size bed yet, but I did use it as a crib, then a toddler bed. (Both were very easy and sturdy to set up)

I plan on using it as one in the future, but right now I have 2 boys and they have bunk beds instead of a big bed.

Just a note - make sure you get the hardware for converting it when you buy the crib - it may be hard to find later on down the road when you're ready to make those changes!

Good luck and feel free to contact me anytime with anything!! :)

I bought one of these cribs at toys r us back in 2003 for our first child. we used it with her and our 2nd child (born feb 2005) and now our 3rd child (oct 2006) is using it. When baby 4 gets here (in about another month) and moves out of the bassinet they will get the crib. It is still in GREAT shape. other than a few scratch marks from moving, it's perfect. still stury and strong. as for what it's like once converted, I have no idea. i've been having babies so close together that we've never had the chance to try lol. if you are planning on more children EVER though, i'd say it's worth it.

All I can say is do your homework. I bought one of those and as of 3 months ago I had to take it apart and get rid of it because my rambuctious 2 year old shook it to pieces! The screws came out, all the bolts kept loosening.. a nightmare! She is now in a sturdy toddler bed and I feel much better about it.

Good Luck!
J.

Hi A.,
I have one of those! My son is now 5 and we sleep in it together as we are using it as a full/queen size bed.
We purchased this bed at Sears. Let me see if I can send you the
link;
Otherwise just go to Sears Baby Furniture and look for cribs.
Hope you find what you are looking for!
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/KeywordSearch?storeId=10153&am...

CONGRATS!!!
My husband and I got the Jardine Madison Lifetime Crib. I like the look and that I saved money by converting it, but there were a few inconveniences for me. The bed rail doesn't collapse, and I'm 5'1". It wasn't that big a deal until I had to lower the mattress. I had to practically fall in to lift my daughter in and out. Another issue I ran into was when my daughter started teething. She started biting the bed rail. I couldn't find a bed rail guard for it because it is thick and rounded. I ended up tying her bumper pad around it. OH... speaking of bumper pads, they do not recommend that you use them because of a suffocation hazard. I did use mine (never even came close to a problem), and I had a hard time tying it to the thick bed posts.
Even though I ran into these problems I would still get a convertible.
Good Luck and God BLess,
H. H

We have one made by Legacy/Child Craft and love it. We used it for my first born up to toddler bed, and then passed it on to her baby sister and converted it back to a crib. Have yet to make it to the full size bed, but there are boards for most that you need to buy extra (about $70). I would recommend getting them the same time as the crib to make sure the wood matches as well as avoid shipping delays since they will be an oversized shipment and cost more to deliver.

Having the converter made the transition very easy- and they are very sturdy and dependable. I have heard that Target carries a Child Craft crib now that is a converter as well (which I am sure is less than what we spent 4 years ago!).
I was able to convert it myself when my husband was out to sea from a crib to a toddler bed easily.
We have friends that did not get the converter crib and did have a harder time transitioning their daughter, but every child is different.
Hope this helps!

After doing a lot of looking around and compairing we decided on the Storkcraft Heather Stages 4-in-1 Crib. It is very sturdy it is made of oak. My son use to shake the drop side to try and get it to drop and it never fell. (The drop side is a one handed drop side very handy when holding a sleeping baby.) There is a drawer to go underneath. It converts very easily to a toddler bed, day bed and a full size bed. It comes with all the parts you need. (Some of the beds we found you had to buy everything seperatly.) It only costs about $180. at Wal-Mart not all stores carry it. We had to go get a 2nd one for our new baby and ordered it on line and had it shipped to the store. Hope this helps

We purchased a Legacy lifetime (3 in 1) crib in 2005 and love it. I thought the set was pretty pricey (we got the dresser, crib, and all conversion railings/hardware) but you can really feel the quality and sturdiness of it even after it's converted to the Full Size Bed. We used the crib for 2 baby boys. Once the the oldest was 2 we moved him up to his big boy bed (full size matress/boxsprings on the floor) while the youngest was using the crib, so we never had a chance to use the toddler bed. They now sleep together on the full size bed (3 yrs and 18 months old) and love sleeping together. Down the road when then need to be separated, I wonder which boy will end up with the 3 in 1 bed, and which one will get the new bed. I do love how Legacy has a "topper" for the footboard as a solution for those teething marks on the crib railing. The hardware was not the easiest to figure out at first, but it is REALLY safe and VERY durable. So if you can find one that you can afford that is sturdy, safe, and durable, I say go for it.

This one is Wonderful and for such a great price and from someone that we all trust. It is only for $199.97

I LIKE THIS ONE THE BEST BECAUSE THE PART THAT WILL BE THE HEAD BOARD, IS HALF SOLID AND I THINK THAT WHEN IT COMES TIME TO MAKE IT INTO A FULL IT WILL LOOK GREAT! WHAT A WONDERFUL PRICE, SOME OF THE OTHER ONES CAN COST YOU ABOUT $250.00 OR MORE. :) I WISH YOU THE BEST.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6497872

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Here is more to chose from,

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=91512

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Here is more to chose from,

http://www.target.com/gp/search/602-###-###-####-###-###-...

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Here is more to chose From,

http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2256274

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Enjoy your little one and God Bless you and your family.

From one mother to another. :)

We have one, and although our little boy isnt coming for a few weeks, we are already in love with it. We have tried all the conversions and love it!

I have one and it works. My first son used it as a up to a toddler bed and now my second son is using it as a toddler bed. If you have boys, they are rough. They constantly jump on it and it has taken a beating. I would have to say that it could NOT last a lifetime. A lot of the screws have been stripped and the wood around the bolts has been cracked or compromised. We are now getting him a big boy bed. The set and my first son are now 5 years old and my baby 2nd will be 3 in april.
I would suggest getting one, but dont be surprised if it doesnt last a 'lifetime' I am happy with the 5 years and the 2 types of beds we got out of it.
Good Luck!

They are a good idea, I have one for my daughter she will be 3 in about 3 weeks. The only thing is, if you child is tall like mine, they will be into the full bed by this time. The first 3 stages use the crib mattress so once your child is too long for the mattress they go into the full size bed. I did have trouble changing it into a toddler bed/daybed because I could not put a guard rail up to prevent falling out. If I did put up the guard I had to take off 2 of the posts, of course leaving the bed unstable. I still like them, but I did have to buy a seperate toddler bed, but now that she is in the full bed we use it again, just had to buy the frame for the full bed because it did not come with it. I had got mine from Babies R Us, but looking around I never found one to come with the full size bed frame/rails. I know this all sounds bad, but just do your research and hopefully you will get more feedback from this site as well. Congrats on the baby!

I do own one of the conversion cribs. It goes from a crib to a toddler bed to a full size bed. I LOVE mine. The only cost you have when converting to a bed from the crib is a mattress and box spring. They do tend to be a bit expensive but you have to think of it as an investment. They are very easy to convert, our son is still in the crib (at the age of 2 1/2 and I will keep him there till he's three I hope)but when we first bought the conversion crib my husband set it up in all three ways to make sure we had everything we needed in case they did not make the bed anymore and to see what it took to convert it. I highly recommed them! Good Luck and Congratulations on the new addition to your family!

Hello! Congratulations! We too thought we could not have a baby, but, we were all wrong (thank goodness!) Anyways, yes, we have a convertible crib. My sister had her child before me and she got a "Crib 4 Life" and we all fell in love with it. Then, of course, we got one for our baby girl. It starts as a crib, turns into a toddler bed (which she is using now) and then turns into a full-size bed. The difference between this crib and the ones from Babies R Us for example is the sturdiness. Our crib is super strong and is real wood. So, you may want to compare. The prices are a little higher, but the quality is way better. Hope this helps! Good luck!

We got our crib from Babycenter.com - it is a 3 in one and we love it. I think it is very cool for our daughter to have this "one" bed her whole life. She is only 3 1/2 but we have it set up as the full size bed because we have a lot of guests and need the extra bed from time to time.
The transition from crib to bed was uneventful due to using the same bed and mattress. And we have a story to tell when she notices the "teething" marks she left on the top rail!

All for this type of bed!
J.

My mom bought our fist daughter a convertible crib, we were told she was going to be able to be in it until @ 10 yrs. It went from crib to toddler bed. Kasey is almost 8 and we just bought her a daybed with a trundle. If she had not had a little sister, she would probably still be in it. It does save money, especially if you are going to have more kids. You can always convert it back to a crib. I think it was definately a smart buy!!

We bought one and it's been through my daughter, then my son. We never did use the daybed....we figured why? We just turned it straight into a full-size bed and our 2 year old son did just fine. Bought it at Babies-R-Us as a whole set and am perfectly happy. We were warned by a few other parents that we'd get sick of looking at it, but that's not the way it went. Very sturdy and very very easy to convert!

Hello A.,
I am sure that there is a Crib-for-Life next to the
Babies R' Us on 436 in Altamonte Springs. They are great furniture. I have had a few clients that have bought them. Very nicely made.
I am a baby proofer. When you are ready to have any gates or cabinet locks installed, give us a call for a free consultation. You are not obligated. You can check out our website as well at www.childseniorsafety.com.
Good Luck and congrats.
S. D.

Life time cribs are nice, but most of them do not have a drop down side...instead, the matress height adjusts. You can go to a store and see the mattress height at it's lowest setting...this is what I did..and I decided to go without the lifetime crib. My impression of the crib was back-breaking. However, I have heard that there are now some lifetime cribs with drop down sides. Just visit a few places and when checking out a crib remember that your baby will sleep in it until about 2 yrs old...a lot of lifting...so make sure you can comfortably lift and lay down your child.

A.,

First of all, congratulations!! My son (now 4) was born when I was "a little older than the average new mom" :)

We did buy a convertible crib, a beautiful dark wood one that I loved. However, when it came time to try a toddler bed, we found that the crib was kind of high (it was the kind with a storage drawer under it) and we were worried that our son would fall out and hurt himself. And anyway, by the time he was old enough to stop sleeping in a crib, I was ready to redecorate his room and I was kind of sick of that crib! Plus, ours only converted from crib to toddler bed - we had to get another bed when he went up to a twin.

Hope that helps!

-M. C.

Hi A.. My daughter is now 5 and she loves her bed! We got one for her from "Baby's Dream" company. It goes from a crib to a toddler bed and then a full size bed. We needed to buy a set of boards to convert to a full size bed, about $80. The crib is a sleigh bed style and the side only folded from the side about 1/4 of the way and it was so much safer than the whole side comes down. Try the web site and see what they have; it is www.babysdream.com . We have the "Generation next" set with the matching combo unit. It is expensive but well worth it and solidly build. GO FOR IT!
good luck!
K.
Mother of Sasha age 5 yrs.

I have one of these for my son and I am so happy we got one. We're still in the baby stage, but unlike other cribs, it makes no noise when you close it, so you don't risk waking the baby up once he's asleep. We got ours at Crib-4-Life and they did a great job explaining everything to us. We also got the rest of our nursery furniture there and it is very well made. My experience makes is it's worth the investment! Enjoy being a (person)mommy....I was 35 when I had my first and I was a puppy mommy for a long time, too!

A.,

Congratulations on the new arrival. As for the 4 in one bed. My daughter has the one with the dressing table attached that converts as well. So far she is very satisfied with it. As you can take the baby from the crib right to the dressing table or diaper changer without going far and still have everything right at hand.

K.

Hey, In order to get to the daybed and full bed alot of companies require you to purchase additional parts. We are in the military so I don't usually get them because we move so often, I didn't want the hassle of trying to keep it all togther. We are on our 4th and final baby and I am really considering on this time. A friend actually let me borrow one a while back and it was really neat. My 19 month old has a bed that converts to a toddler bed and a day bed, but no the full size. The only extra parts acutlaly came with it and they are in a small box. Maybe you can look ito something like that. Hope this helps. Good luck with it!

I bought one of these cribs 7 years ago for my son. It is a beautiful piece of funiture! After 2 years, my daughter came along and she used it as a crib too. Then a couple years ago, when she was 3, we transformed the crib into a toddler bed. I did it myself by following the directions that came with it. She is still in the toddler bed, but one day we will again transform it into the double bed for her. We also purchased the dresser from the same store several years ago. Through seven years of constant use, the crib/bed shows no wear or tear. It is quality furniture. When we did have a problem with the dresser top, the company happily replaced it without any troubles. My sister has since purchase two of these 4 Life Cribs for her children and also loves them. I highly recommend them.

I have a friend who had one of those 4 in 1 beds and they say its just another "bed". I would think it's gonna save them money in the long run. We went from a crib right into bunk beds at the age of 2 years old and our son loves the "big boy" bed. He sleeps on the bottom bunk but I guess there is extra room up top if he ever has a friend sleep over when he gets a little older.