Nursery Notes: The Crib Hunt

Finding a crib that met all of our strict requirements was quite the challenge. And since our little Eggroll will be spending a good chunk of time in her crib, we weren't willing to compromise on safety. Now here's a fact to keep any parent up at night: cribs are the 3rd largest cause of injuries and deaths among all nursery products. In the latest year, 11,300 injuries and 32 deaths were blamed on cribs and mattresses. In September 2007, over 3 MILLION cribs were recalled for lead paint, defective slats that could break, poor side railing and more. Scary stuff. Yes, baby furniture is made with toxic chemicals: paint, glue, varnish, and manufactured wood products... all of which can off-gas toxic emissions. And while many can debate over the safe levels of these chemicals, we prefer to try our best to limit exposure when we can.

That being said, here is our exhaustive list of crib must-haves:

• Meets or exceeds all US safety standards
• Constructed entirely out of solid wood (no formaldehyde-ridden MDF or particle board)
• Non-toxic finish (since babies are known to nibble on anything and everything within arm's reach)
• No moving parts, stationary (due to so many recent recalls on drop-side cribs)
• Lead, phthalate free
• Under our $400 budget

And some nice perks, if we could get it:

• Environmentally responsible (made of wood harvested from sustainable forests)
• Convertible toddler bed
• Under crib storage
• Modern design
• Espresso finish
• Free shipping

I won't bore you with the mountain of options I had wade through, but I will say that more often than not was I disappointed by the $800-1000 price tags on the solid wood/non-toxic/eco-friendly cribs out there. Hard to believe that it's next to impossible to find a crib that met all of our criteria and still stayed within our budget. Surely we're not the only ones with big concerns and a modest budget?

Needless to say, when we finally settled on THE Crib we were over the moon about it. The hunt was finally over! But, as Murphy's Law would have it, it was out of stock. Nooooooooo! So I called every store within a 50-mile radius to see if the crib was available in-store, and still... to no avail. *Some excessive foot-stomping and curse words may or may not have occurred during this process.

Much to my surprise, I found another worthy Crib contender (pretty much exactly the same one actually) made by a different manufacturer. However, it was $100 more. Though still under budget, I wasn't too happy about the increase, but I was ready to put this crib hunt to rest without having to compromise on our requirements. Not only did it pass our 'must-have list' with flying colors, but it met every bullet point on our 'nice perks list' too! And it states that it's made of solid wood grown in sustainable forests (something that other crib might have had, but didn't tout). And look at that: free shipping! Well, there's a light at the end of this long, exhausting tunnel after all! No way was I going to let this one go out of stock too... SOLD!

But before I could click "Add To Cart," our day was made even brighter... my sweet Mother-in-law bought the crib for us as a gift! Is that not just truly amazing? We are so incredibly blessed. Now we can rest easy knowing that our little Eggroll will be safe and sound in her crib.

Babyletto Mercer Convertible Crib in Espresso

Next up... choosing a crib mattress. Oy. Let the parent-paranoia begin.

Comments

[@milkboytommy]

It's a beauty. It will serve you well!

[Beth]

Nice work! You will need a step stool to put the baby in once the mattress is on the lower level so you can reach in enough to put her down on the mattress. Can't wait to see pics of your baby - she's going to be adorable and so loved! You are putting so much love and care into her room :)

[Janine - Alternative Housewife]

So cute that you call the baby Eggroll! I loves.

We are doing a co-sleeper and then once Baby is more mobile we're putting a twin mattress on the floor. We never planned to have a crib other than in our room anyway so it makes the most sense. Plus crib shopping is SO stressful. Congrats that you had such great luck!

[Jen K]

We have the same crib and love it! (Well, ours is the white with dark brown version.) That drawer is so great to keep extra diapers in and a spare sheet, mattress pad, and changing table cover. Our son slept with me (no I didn't even come close to rolling over onto him) for 6 months and then transitioned beautifully into the crib. He was ready and I was too!

I just started blogging too. My blog is www.eatplaylaughoften.blogspot.com