The Adventure of the New Crib

Ellie's crib, the one she's slept in every night since she out-grew her cradle, was recalled. New furniture usually makes me giddy, but this time the idea of getting something new was kind of bitter-sweet.

Like most expectant parents, we spent quite a bit of time agonizing over what crib to get. And there were about a million options. Expensive or cheap? Fancy or simple? Light or dark wood? Or painted? Drop side or not? Just a crib or convertible to a toddler bed? We decided on middle of the road, simple and understated, not expensive but not the cheapest we could find. And we loved it.

{her first night in the crib}

The first time she smiled when I came in to get her in the morning was in this crib. She found her feet, went from a back-sleeper to a belly-sleeper, and discovered she could sit up, then stand up, in this crib.

Even though the recall was for something silly, we decided it wasn't worth keeping a potentially (no matter how slight) dangerous crib. So, it was off to Babies 'R Us to look for a suitable replacement. After a second round of agonizing, a selection was made. They didn't have the one we wanted in stock so it was back to BRU a week later to pick it up.

{such a helpful child}

Things we like: the darker wood and more modern design fits in a little better with the furniture we've shoved into her room. The lowest setting is a little lower making that much harder for her to climb out should she ever try this. Things we don't like: It sits lower to the ground and so we can't store the pack 'n play and other things under it. Despite costing more the mattress support isn't as nice. The bolt placement made it hard to assemble. Also, this one doesn't have a drop side. We didn't use the drop side much in the other crib so I don't think we'll miss it, but it was nice to have the option.

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{old crib, newly assembled}

{new crib, newly assembled}

Her old crib is sadly now part of the local landfill. Except for the bolts, which were painstakingly removed and sent back to the original crib company in order to receive the voucher that we will then take back to BRU to be refunded most of the cost of the new crib. The voucher should arrive in 1-2 weeks. Don't get me started.