Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Crib Decision

Aside from our baby's name, the bed she'll be sleeping is probably one of the biggest decisions we'll have to make.

I know people agonize over lots of stuff, like whether to breast feed and how long and what kind of birth plan to have, but those decisions were easy for me because I am so dead set on what I want already. But the name? We're still working on that and the crib, too. But I am really close to finally pulling the trigger and buying one. It's exciting. It means I'll soon have something to measure to make the baby bedding and the room will take shape. I want to have it done in time for my parents to see when they come to visit. I don't know if that's possible but it's my hope.

One of the easiest things about the crib to decide was getting a convertible crib that will grow and expand with our child's age and needs. Convertible cribs start out as cribs then become toddler beds and finally full size adult beds. Ideally, this is something she'll be able to take off to college.

I looked at a lot of cribs in the $200-300 range at places like Overstock.com, Walmart and Amazon and after reading the reviews have decided I'm going to go for a higher end crib in the neighborhood of $800.

The ones I found in the lower price range invariably received complaints that the wood dented, chipped, scratched and showed tooth marks easily. Apparently they are all made of pine, a soft wood. What's the sense of buying a convertible crib if by the time she's old enough to use the bed it looks like crap?

So I decided to look for convertible cribs that are made entirely of hardwood and I even found a company that makes cribs out of discarded rubber trees that are no longer useful for their sap. Now, rubber plantations are a bad, bad thing for places like Indonesia where plantations are being put up in orangutan habitat so it would not be my first choice of hardwoods from an environmental standpoint. It's hard to make the argument that the business doesn't in some way support the economy of rubber plantations.

I would definitely prefer some other kind of wood like oak or maple but I haven't been able to find any convertible cribs made out of domestic hardwood. I am still looking. If you know of any, let me know.

I just refuse to get one of the pine ones if there's a chance it will just end up at the goodwill then the garbage and leave us buying another bed later and result in spending just as much money if not more in the long run. However, if you think that's more environmentally sustainable, I'm all ears. Seriously.

8 comments:

Sycamore Moon Studios said...

What an exciting time for you! Congratulations!

By the time you get to baby #3, a dresser drawer seems fine, but there is something special about the first little one....

Anonymous said...

The $800 range for a cot doesn't seem so much when you realise you won't be buying a bed to replace it in two or three years time. I think it's the way to go :)

As for buying one made from rubber plants...that is a dilemma. There would be other hardwoods available that haven't been responsible for wreaking havoc on a species well being (I hope).

Good luck with the name choosing too :)

Kim Caro said...

i always wanted a round crib but the baby will grow out of it so quickly. choose a crib that your child can grow in so when its time for a "real" bed you can get it and your child can grow in that one too, like a twin.

Anonymous said...

Amazing design!! Check out the wide range of Crib Bedding Sets from Spacify.com

punchanella said...

oh congratulations!!!!

i'm so happy for you!

dionne said...

Congratulations - it's exciting being a mum to be! I'm 23 weeks pregnant and I decided to venture into the baby shop - I was surprisingly quite restrained.

I have a PhD thesis to finish between now and then which is why I'm not in a rush to buy anything yet - one baby at a time!!!

Just to let you know I'm running a series of interviews with high profile female scientists and business women, covering topics like balancing family and career. They are free to join, so if you'd like more info feel free to check it out.

Unknown said...

This doesn't seem exactly what you're looking for, but I thought you might want to check it out:
http://www.qcollectionjunior.com/product/5002-NTCL/Luna_Crib_3_in_1_with_Toddler_Daybed_conversion.html

Field Notes said...

Thank you Nerida, but I couldn't get that link to work.