Crib Drama

I started looking at cribs around my one year anniversary (April, 2008). I bookmarked a few and then got too sad since I knew it was going to be quite some time till I could have a kid since I had an entire year of school left.

Then I found out I was pregnant and I had no desire to really start looking at baby stuff since I didn't know what I was having and it was just too soon in the pregnancy to do so.

All of that changed the second I found out I was having a girl (I'm sure it would have been no different if I found out I was having a boy). This fetus became a girl, our daughter and we already had a name (which will come when she comes, b/c we may change it). I started doing all sorts of research on EVERYTHING baby. Ask me about almost anything and I can tell you what I've learned.

I'm picky. It's a horrible curse. The only cribs I was finding that I liked were too expensive. I liked the convertible cribs with a thicker back and an overall chunky sturdy look.

In July I was in Salt Lake baby looking/shopping with my friend, Ashley and we found a crib that I LOVED at USA Baby. It was a bit more than we were going to spend, but I wanted this one for every single baby. I thought, "if we have the money set aside now, we might not later if we want to or need to replace. Let's just buy the right one once."

Jaren didn't shoot me down, he looked at it, said he liked it, too and then we measured the nursery.

Now, our nursery used to be a pretty big room at one point. But then a hall (to our garage) was put in and cut about 4 feet out. We found the crib wouldn't fit with a dresser. It was too big. I cried.



I kept looking and looking and had trouble finding something we could afford with the style I wanted. We knew that if we wanted to do a crib and dresser the dresser had to be no more than 40 inches wide. There are none in a collection that are that size that aren't just a shelved changing table. I would like drawers so it can be used as a dresser when the kid no longer needed "changed".

Another friend mentioned the brand name of her crib and I realized I had seen that before. When I found the bedding I wanted it was on a crib I really liked. I could not remember the name myself but I knew it sounded super familiar. So I looked it up and found that it was the same crib I had originally liked the 2 days after I found out what I was having. I was SO excited. It was the exact price we said we could spend and we measured and the crib fit fine, but it didn't have a dresser that matched it. But I figured I could mix and match.

Then I started looking for the crib and every website said 6-8 week wait. When I called the store I had seen it in they said the same thing. We really would much rather buy in a store so we wouldn't have to order online. And the 6-8 week thing? She would be here. Which wouldn't have been too much of an issue because she will be in a cradle for the first few months. But I REALLY wanted my nursery set up.



I continued to look to see if I could find something better. I then found a crib at Downeast Home - a place where they get wholesale stuff. Pottery Barn and then this different brand of a crib I liked. This crib I found had to be ordered and paid for in order for it to come to the store because they only had 7 in their warehouse and they have 25 or something stores. This crib was originally 200 bucks more than we wanted to spend but because they were getting it wholesale it put it at the same price as the other one. I just didn't want to pay for it until I had seen it and decided it was exactly what I wanted.

So I didn't.



I struggled for 2 days debating and trying to get opinions on which one was better. I was having such a hard time. I'm sure a crib isn't a big deal for some, but I was struggling! It was a huge purchase and would be used for who knows how many kids - if not all of ours. I wanted something I liked.

I went to Babies R Us online to look to see if I could find a dresser that matched the dimensions we needed. On their homepage was a crib. I thought, "Where has this been??! I have seen EVERY single crib" I clicked on it and saw that it was just over a hundred less than what the other two cribs were. I got really excited because I thought it was pretty, too. It was a little more simple than the ones I was looking at but had the overall shape and color that I wanted. At this time we were going to be going to Boise in just over a week.

I called Babies R Us and they didn't have it in stock. It was really weird and complicated trying to order it. Then I thought, "wwaait, we have a Toys R Us just 30 minutes from us, can they get it? We can pick it up there." And they called each other and me and it was a really annoying 40 minutes. In the end I found out I could get it from the Toys R Us store AND get an extra 20% off if I brought in an old baby item.

I got really excited because that meant it would save us even MORE money! But then I realized I didn't know anyone well enough to ask for an old baby item. So I went to one of their thrift stores the next day and found a swing for 5 bucks. I took it in, got that 20% off and then they got me another 10% off with a coupon. I about cried. And we didn't have to pay shipping and handling. And it came in a week!



We picked it up, it filled up the Tahoe and stayed in there till my mom came the next week and helped me clean out and get my nursery organized. Jaren set it up that night and I couldn't have been more happy. It's beautiful and it's perfect and it was MUCH cheaper than what we were going to spend. More like, what Jaren said was okay because he knew how much it meant to me.

My beautiful bedding is in it and I can't stop staring. Very excited to lay her in it. Even though she wont be sleeping in it for a few months. In fact, my sister in law liked it so much the next day she went and ordered herself one. She got just as much off as I did, so I was happy for her.

The other cool thing is that the crib is made by the same company that made the one I really wanted that had my bedding in it (second crib picture from top). It's just their sister company. And the reviews I read about this brand and their quality of cribs was wonderful so I felt good about it.

I have found a dresser that would work - not quite sure if the wood will match exactly, but that's okay. It's just about 30 bucks more than what we ended up saving with this crib. And it can be shipped to the Wal Mart here so I don't have to pay shipping and handling. Only thing is that we aren't sure if we want to be spending any more money on stuff. Spud prices are horrible and so we want to be even more careful. Even though we hardly spend money on anything other than what we need anyway.



So, we wait on the dresser. We have one in there now, it just is a little bit wider and the drawers drive me up the wall. They fall out and to me - it really clashes. And the nursery is my baby right now - since my actual kid is just being lazy and getting fat and hurting my ribs.

Jaren setting it up with Stephanie. You can see how small the room is.
He sure makes me happy.

Here is MY crib with MY bedding in MY nursery!

Other pictures of the whole nursery will come in a different post.

SO glad the search is over and my nursery actually can be called one because it has a crib in it :)  I'm VERY pleased!

p.s. if you want to know any of the crib names/brand names ask me and I'll send you an email.