It all started with a room that is too small, and a giant (but totally awesome) crib. This lead to months of sleepless nights, and many tears shed over this ridiculous situation, that we don’t really need to resolve until April or so. I feel really bad for Brody, he tried so hard to help me solve this.
This summer we got a crib from Lilli, Brody’s sister. It was a really nice crib, converted from a
crib to a toddler bed to a full. It
didn’t fit in the room except under the giant window.
It was also a drop side, which is something I wanted. Anyway, we had the crib set up for a few months, and I started thinking about where a rocking chair would go. We want it in the room with the crib. BUT with the crib perpendicular (Parallel to the giant window.) it was the only thing that would fit comfortably in there. So Brody and I started looking for cribs but our baby budget was disappearing faster than we thought it would. I was trying to just suck it up, but I couldn’t. A baby needs to be rocked to sleep in its sleeping space. Babies, just like us, need a different space for different activities, play space different from sleeping space. Then in out birth class someone was talking about where is the best place for the crib, and gave us this list of do's and don’t's. Brody was reading through it and then agreed that the crib shouldn't be under the window and that we really do need a rocking chair. So we started going through stuff and selling things on craigslist to beef up our budget, and then my MIL found a crib for 30 bucks and so we got it.
We got it home and set it up, and I looked at it and started to panic. It was a plastic drop side, that was BROKEN. Brody told me he would fix it, and ordered the free part the recall replaced. We got back from Christmas and the part was in, so Brody replaced it. It sat for a few days and it festered within me. The only part that was replaced was the bottom of the rail, but the top was still held together by two plastic parts. I couldn’t handle it.
Brody, worked so hard to fix the crib. He even manufactured a part at work to replace the plastic. He is so good! But my crazy pregnant brain, couldn't get over the fact that the crib was recalled and broken. (Seriously, I would be crying over this 'malfunctioning crib', and telling Brody I am sorry I can't help it.)
I felt that we could find something way better and up to standards and we could just eat the $30. Brody couldn’t. He kept trying to “fix-it”. So of course more tears, and sleepless nights…
I started to research cribs, I learned a lot about the safety standards, materials used now versus 20 years, ever 5 years ago, and even got pissed off at the government just like I would in high school. I also learned that companies lie hand over foot about what their crib is made of and what paint they use. We stopped looking at cribs in our budget and was ready to ask my dad for some money for the crib. We even were planning a trip up to Spokane to look at cribs. That’s when we learned about all the lying companies are doing these days. So we stopped looking at traditional wooden cribs and started looking at iron cribs actually manufactured in the US. I started talking to my dad about it, and started considering borrowing a Grand for a crib. Then I started to feel guilty for asking my dad for money, especially since we have never had to borrow money from my parents. So, we decided to look again, this time we went to Consumer Reports.
I really enjoy reading what Consumer Reports has to say about products, maybe because I am an engineer. At Consumer Reports we found out about Ikea’s cribs. Interestingly enough they never came up in my research, but scored 81 out of 100 on consumer reports and they were in our budget. They even have more good reviews than bad, they are made out of solid hardwood, and they are super cheap. We picked one out, and my dad picked it up, we didn’t want to pay $45 in shipping. He will be bring that along with a rocking chair when this baby decides it is time to meet the world.
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| Remember Brody's Zucchini baby from September? |
It was also a drop side, which is something I wanted. Anyway, we had the crib set up for a few months, and I started thinking about where a rocking chair would go. We want it in the room with the crib. BUT with the crib perpendicular (Parallel to the giant window.) it was the only thing that would fit comfortably in there. So Brody and I started looking for cribs but our baby budget was disappearing faster than we thought it would. I was trying to just suck it up, but I couldn’t. A baby needs to be rocked to sleep in its sleeping space. Babies, just like us, need a different space for different activities, play space different from sleeping space. Then in out birth class someone was talking about where is the best place for the crib, and gave us this list of do's and don’t's. Brody was reading through it and then agreed that the crib shouldn't be under the window and that we really do need a rocking chair. So we started going through stuff and selling things on craigslist to beef up our budget, and then my MIL found a crib for 30 bucks and so we got it.
We got it home and set it up, and I looked at it and started to panic. It was a plastic drop side, that was BROKEN. Brody told me he would fix it, and ordered the free part the recall replaced. We got back from Christmas and the part was in, so Brody replaced it. It sat for a few days and it festered within me. The only part that was replaced was the bottom of the rail, but the top was still held together by two plastic parts. I couldn’t handle it.
 |
| Crib Number 2 |
I felt that we could find something way better and up to standards and we could just eat the $30. Brody couldn’t. He kept trying to “fix-it”. So of course more tears, and sleepless nights…
I started to research cribs, I learned a lot about the safety standards, materials used now versus 20 years, ever 5 years ago, and even got pissed off at the government just like I would in high school. I also learned that companies lie hand over foot about what their crib is made of and what paint they use. We stopped looking at cribs in our budget and was ready to ask my dad for some money for the crib. We even were planning a trip up to Spokane to look at cribs. That’s when we learned about all the lying companies are doing these days. So we stopped looking at traditional wooden cribs and started looking at iron cribs actually manufactured in the US. I started talking to my dad about it, and started considering borrowing a Grand for a crib. Then I started to feel guilty for asking my dad for money, especially since we have never had to borrow money from my parents. So, we decided to look again, this time we went to Consumer Reports.
I really enjoy reading what Consumer Reports has to say about products, maybe because I am an engineer. At Consumer Reports we found out about Ikea’s cribs. Interestingly enough they never came up in my research, but scored 81 out of 100 on consumer reports and they were in our budget. They even have more good reviews than bad, they are made out of solid hardwood, and they are super cheap. We picked one out, and my dad picked it up, we didn’t want to pay $45 in shipping. He will be bring that along with a rocking chair when this baby decides it is time to meet the world.
 |
| Our crib. |
Now that a decision has been made, I am completely fine. To
be honestly, I am a little concerned with how calm I am...
Yay! I'm glad it's all worked out. I've felt silly doing things like this, too but you know what's best.
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