I got an email from Baby Center today entitled: Preparing the Nursery: Now’s the time to feather your baby’s nest. As I mentioned before, we have this great book with reviews and suggestions on what to buy for the baby. The furniture in the nursery seems pretty major (and slightly necessary) so I started there…and I feel like I haven’t budged since. Strollers? No clue! Car seat? Yeah, not so much. I feel like I could move on to what’s next if we could just find the right crib/dresser combination and be done with that one. I need to check something off, people!

We have a few preferences to consider:

• Solid hardwood (pine is acceptable, but it will dent easily)
• Metal spring platform (versus MDF or slats)
• Matching low dresser with dovetail drawers (which will double as a changing area)
• Adjustable mattress heights
• Reasonable price (the kicker)

The authors of Baby Bargains outline their “Good”, “Better” and “Best” suggestions (which are based on a combination of reader reviews regarding safety, customer service, quality and price) for cribs:

• GOOD: Ikea’s Gulliver ($100-140), Graco’s (Bonavita) Sarah ($160) or Lauren ($145)
• BETTER: Baby Chache’s (Munire) Heritage ($400), Bedford Baby’s (Westwood) Monterrey ($400),  Baby’s Dream Serenity ($350) 
• BEST: Munire, Westwood and Creations ($400-600)

The ones listed in the “Better” and “Best” categories are all convertible cribs, which we don’t think is necessary (at least not for us). God willing, baby #2 won’t be too far behind #1 and we’ll want to use the same crib as we transition Missy Miss to a “big girl bed”. The in between stages of a convertible crib aren’t a feature we think we’ll need.

The Graco’s listed in the “Good” category only have coordinating changing tables – no dressers. And we’re tempted by Ikea’s price. We don’t need something to become an heirloom piece that gets passed down from generation to generation (the authors of the book strongly discourage hand-me-down cribs). However, we do want it to last through more than one child. I’m worried that any of Ikea’s options won’t hold up. (And besides, I’m not a huge fan of the Gulliver. I much prefer the Leksvik which has a matching dresser in my favorite “antique” stain, but there have been many complaints regarding the large gap that exists between a standard crib mattress and the spindles. Yikes!)

Apparently, having a Buy Buy Baby in the area is a perk to living in SE Michigan. The store is a branch of Bed Bath and Beyond and is set up very similarly – floor to ceiling of stuff! You can also use BB&B 20% coupons on any items except furniture. They require their own coupons to use on furniture purchases which you have to sign up to receive. We ventured out a few weeks ago to survey the crib/dresser options. Two words: sticker shock. Far from Ikea’s selection of simple, low end cribs, those at Buy Buy Baby represent the majority of crib and dresser options out there – expensive! We really want a static, classic crib. Bonavita’s Peyton Classic Crib and Combo Dresser seemed to fit the bill the best. 

We are not done researching just yet and would welcome any advice on how to choose a crib and dresser for Missy Miss!

Sorry for all of the links and no pictures.