Seeking Advice on Cribs

A.,

The Gap sells Baby Items from other makers like Stokke, Baby Bjorn and others. So, check out the crib you want and then look it up on-line.

I purchased a convertible Baby's Dream crib that would have been great had we actually used it. My son slept in a co-sleeper for the first six months and then next to me after. Be aware of what you purchase and what you spend money on, and if you will be using it. I have friends who spent tons of money, only to run out and buy a bassinet or sidecare the day their kiddos came home.

Good Luck and congrats!

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Don't know what your price range is, but we have a Pali crib. It was pretty expensive, but the quality is excellent! It changes into a toddler bed, then a headboard and footboard full size bed. Our second baby is using it now, and it has survived lots of jumping toddlers over the past several years and still looks gorgeous! On the otherhand, if I had to do it again, I think I would not have spent so much money on a crib - and when pregnant I didn't like that the drop down side cribs felt flimsy but after bending over the side of ours I feel that maybe the convenience of having a lowering side would have been nice! Try to think of the crib functioning, not how it looks - it is meant to be used, after all - even if you end up with kids like mine who spend most of their time sleeping in your bed! haha

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I have a Jenny Lind (?spell) have had it for 14 years, gone through 6 kids, the side lowers, it is on wheels to make it easier to move, when changing sheets or need to vacuum/sweep. I think it cost $200,not much more now. It looks nice w/the rest of the furniture and will be good for one of the grandkids!!

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I have no experience with cribs from the Gap, and you should certainly check out cribs in person. I have the Babi Italia convertible crib (all the way to a full size bed) that I got at Babies R' Us, and really like it!

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Hi A.,

While I haven't actually used my crip just yet (baby due in April), after much research we purchased the Babi Italia crib from Babies 'R Us. It came highly recommended in the Baby Bargains book and also was well reviewed by mom's on the Babies 'R Us website. We've built it already and it's very sturdy. It seems like it will really withstand the test of time and I love that it can convert into a toddler bed, day bed, or full bed as the baby grows. You do pay a little more for the flexibility and have to buy the side rails and whatnot to do the expansion, but it still works out cheaper than buying a crib and multiple other bed types down the road. We love it and can see it really working well for our little one! Best of luck to you! Oh, and I agree with one of the prior mom's that you are better off to go with a well known brand so that you can see the reviews on them! For example, Simplicity, while well known, has had a lot of recall and safety issues. If you go with a known brand, you can find out those types of issues ahead of time.

Best of luck!

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I would rec a BABYS DREAM crib-it has a drop gate-not a slide down side. It is a convertible-which we did not convert yet,but it is sturdy.It is on the large side,but it has plenty of room and is very deep once dropped as low as the mattress wil go-my girl loves it.We did not buy this brand for our second due to some issues w/USA BABY and I regret not going somewhere else or buying direct from them as I hate my sons crib.GOOD LUCK! L.

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Hi A.,
I have never heard of Gap cribs. Check out consumer reports.com and the Baby Bargain book. They are good sources for the cribs that meet current standards and they can tell you approximately how much they cost. Definitely go to Babies R Us or Babytown on Sherman Way (we love this place) and check out the cribs in person and ask for advice from the sales people.

Good luck.

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the gap sells cribs? wow i didnt know that lol... anyways i have a simplicity 4 in one crib. it was ok i liked the 4 in 1 aspect. however the crib got recalled so my daughter went into a toddler bed. i would really suggest a convertable crib that goes into a toddler bed and up to the full size bed so it grows with your baby. im not happy with my daughter in a toddler bed but we didnt get enough money back to buy a new convertable crib. but shes happy so thats all that matters. i also love having the drop side on a crib. i have also heard that delta and pali (i thinks thats the name) cribs are nice so maybe check them out. look for whats going to accomodate you in the long run. good luck!

I know I'm a bit late in replying...I haven't been keeping up w/ my e-mail.

Anyway...don't know about specific brands form Gap, but the ladies who recommended a convertible crib are right-on. I bought my baby's after she was one year old and to-date she still won't stay in it, but it is a convertible one so by the end of the year or at least by one year form now, we'll take of the side, attach the side rail and turn it into a toddler bed. After that teh rail can come off and it will be a "day bed" for her or even a full size bed. Sooo...we will never have to buy another bed for her.

You can buy convertible cribs pretty inexpensively (About $200-$300), but since the object is for them to last "forever", we wanted to go with a sturdy, well-built one. Baby Appleseed is the brand we chose. While the sticker price on the particular crib we chose is around $700-$800, we ended up getting a floor model that was being clearanced out from Baby USA for $450 and the bedding was included! We upgraded the mattress from the basic to the $200 top-of-the-line for and additional $100. (We figure that mattress will be used till she's at least 6 to 8 or even longer before converting to full-size, so we thought it worth-while.) So with mattress, bedding, and crib we ended up paying less than $600 and the crib is gorgeous! I thing we made out. (The bedding was what was in the crib for display- no choice there, but I figure if I don't like it or use it, I could probably sell it on e-bay or something- It's brand- new!)

Anyway, there is a beautiful crib by Wendy Bellissimo at BabiesRUS--- "country something" in the name. That was the crib I was going to buy, before opting for this one...it was $499 at the time- I saw it the other day for $199!!! I don't know if there was a problem with it, but I figure they would not sell it if there was! You might want to check it out.

Anyway good luck!
-I.

I love my sons bedroom furniture. It is Bonavita. It is very sturdy, and converts to toddler size and full size. I made this big purchase because I had to keep buying beds for my girls and spent more and you don't use them forever.

I have had TWO Jardine cribs recalled in the last six months.

I read in a book, I think the Baby Bargains book, that it is wise to buy a well-known crib brand that specializes in baby furniture. Places such as Gap do it on the side on occasion, so don't put all their resources into it. This can affect you later if you have a problem or need a replacement part. Gap may not be making it anyomre when you need a replacement part in a few months or a couple years when you have another child. We didn't find the cribs at Babies R Us to be sturdy when we shook them, also recommended in the book to test them out, so we went to USA Baby and tried the brands there. We enede up with a drop side crib (I think this is important) from Million Dollar Baby. They had it at USA Baby, but we found it much cheaper at Upland Baby and Teen Furniture. Even though we live on the Westside, we recommend Upland Baby and Teen Furniture for the great deals they give. A man at my husband's work told us about the store. I just called and asked what price they could give me if I bought the crib, dresser, and mattress from them and they gave a SIGNIFICANTLY better deal than USA Baby. Also, when we went to pick it up, we asked what kind of deal they could give us on a Dutalier glider and they did a good job.

Don't know about Gap, but we went top of the line convertible crib with our first daughter, only to have her chew and destroy the "looks" of it. It is also a lot of large furniture now that she is 2 and b/c of the size of her room, we will transition her to a twin bed and not use the headboard for a full. I wish she had more room to play...so we bought a cheap IKEA crib and dresser for our 6 mo. old son and so far so good. As long as it meets safety requirements, I recommend you go for what you like, especially if it is cheaper than others! :)

I don't know what brand we have but definately get a convertable crib. My first climbed out of the crib at 14 mos. Our doc said that she will keep doing it and were fortunate that she was not hurt so we needed to take it down. But since we got a convertible we took the side off and it turned into a bed. Yeah! My second is 16 mos now and she hasn't even tried so of course every kid is different. but I was so glad not to have to go run out and buy a bed.