Finding the crib is easier said than done. There are so many choices, and it's hard to know what's safe and what's not. Then there are the superficial choices. Do we want a convertible crib or not? Stained or painted? What shade of stain: expresso, cherry, oak, honey, or natural? Do we want modern or traditional style? What price range? Drop-sides or stationary? Decisions, Decisions...
I would like the crib that we end up with to be made of solid wood, have a non-toxic finish, have a modern look with clean lines, have stationary sides, and meet US safety standards. A convertible crib would be an added bonus, and I think I want a stained finish.
So after figuring out what we want, it's time to shop.
Option # 1: DaVinci Emily
This is a convertible crib made of pine, a soft wood. It converts into a toddler bed, daybed, and full sized bed. It comes in cherry, oak, ebony, and white finishes. It has stationary sides, and meets all of the safety standards. It also is recommended by Consumer Reports. Not exactly the look I am looking for, but acceptable. It's priced at around $250.
Option #2: IKEA Leksvik
This is also a convertible crib, however, it only converts into a toddler bed. It's made of a mixture of solid beech (main parts and bed side) and spruce (panels and slats). As far as I can tell, it only comes in the finish shown. It has stationary sides, and meets US safety standards, and is also recommended by Consumer Reports. I like that end panels are solid instead of slatted (is that a word?), and the price is right at $160.
Option #3: Baby's Dream Cube
This crib is also convertible. It converts into a toddler bed, and two full beds. You use both the solid and slatted side panels of the crib as the head boards of the full beds. It has stationary sides, and comes in white or expresso finishes. I also like that all Baby's Dream cribs are made of solid wood. It meets all US safety standards, and according to the Baby's Dream website they guarantee that they use non-toxic finishes. It's the most expensive crib I found at $550. I love the modern look.
Option #4: Baby's Dream Ocean v1
This crib is also convertible. It converts into a toddler bed, and a twin bed. It has stationary sides, and comes in white or expresso finishes. Again, I like that all Baby's Dream cribs are made of solid wood. It meets all US safety standards, and according to the Baby's Dream website they guarantee that they use non-toxic finishes. It's a little less expensive at $450. I love the clean lines.
Like I said before; decisions, decisions. Here's what I think. I love the Baby's Dream cribs. I think they are beautiful, and I wish that I could justify putting that much money into a crib. I just don't think that I can. That makes me sad, but it is what it is. And we are not rich. So I guess options 3 and 4 aren't really options, but they sure are beautiful. The DaVinci Emily has the most options for converting, and is more reasonably priced. I'm not sure about how non-toxic the finish is, and it's not exactly modern, but does have the clean lines. I wish the end panels were solid instead of slatted. It's not exactly what I wanted, but acceptable. According to buyer ratings, there is reason to be concerned about the durability of the finish and the quality of the wood. Babies apparently like to mouth their cribs, and if the finish won't stand up to that, then that's a concern. Also because pine is a soft wood, it will probably break off quite easily with little nibbling teeth. The IKEA Leksvik has only one option for converting, but the best price. Again not sure how non-toxic the finish is, but it's closer to the look that I want. The only complaints that I found for this one were that its difficult to assemble, and that you have to assemble the base that supports the mattress.
Now we just have to decide which one.
Now we just have to decide which one.
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