A very lovely crib, indeed!

UPDATED *** Feb. 2007***

After doing a lot of looking around, my husband and I decided to purchase the "Emily" crib from the Million Dollar Baby Co. One of the things I liked about the crib was the nice flowing lines and the lack of spindles and harsh corners. Looking back, I realize that I might have sacraficed a bit of practicality for appearance's sake. In the picture that accompanies this review, they show the crib after it has been converted to the full size bed (doesn't make much sense for a crib review, huh?) A better picture of the "Emily" crib is available the manufacturer's website URL:

http://www.milliondollarbaby.com/cribs.htm

First off, this crib is super easy to assemble. It comes with very easy to follow directions and my husband had the crib together in under 45 minutes. The crib does not come with a crib mattress, but you can purchase a sturdy one for under $50. This crib, unlike many you might remember from past years, does not have any moving parts. Everything is connected and solid, with the exception of the mattress "frame" which is lowered as your child gets older, essentially dropping the height of the mattress to prevent your child from crawling out. I loved this, because I hated having to lower the side of cribs when I used to babysit as a teenager, because they would seem to always get jammed or stuck on their track. The mattress frame is easily lowered, for your convienience.

One of the selling points of this crib was that it is considered a "convertible", meaning it goes from a crib to a toddler bed, to a full size bed (as seen in the picture above) with minimal work. Since we are most likely having only one child, I wanted to have a crib that we would continue to get further use out of and not just wind up selling it or keeping it in the attic. I know that we will be able to get years of use out of this "crib", well into her teenage years when we can convert it into a full size bed for her room.

There has been one downside that we have noticed so far. As with most babies, you'd like to be able to hang a mobile on the side of the crib to entertain and relax your child. Or you might want to attach one of the popular items like the Fisher Price Crib Aquariums to the side to soothe the baby with ocean noises and sights. Due to the size of the cribs side frame area above the slats being too big, I have yet to find a mobile that can attach. Additionally, I can't attach the aforementioned crib aquarium to the side because the same reason. It looks like the only place I can safely it to is the foot of the crib. I will let you know though if I can find a good mobile that fits this crib with ease!

Overall, this is a beautiful crib at a very reasonable price. Aside from a few decorative issues, I'm thrilled that I bought it...

***AUGUST 11, 2004 Update***

I've read the other postings regarding this model of crib and the comments about how the wood scratches and dents easily. I have had NO such problems and my daughter (now almost 6 months) sleeps in her crib every night. Additionally, neither I (5'6) nor my husband (6'0) have trouble bending over the crib and picking up our daughter. I have NO regrets in purchasing this particular crib. In fact, I am planning on purchasing the same model in a different color finsh for our next child. In my opinion, it is asthetically appealing as well as functional. Two Thumbs up!

***FEBRUARY 2007 UPDATE***

I thought I'd add an update as my husband and I have converted the crib into the toddler bed. Actually, I did it myself (I was quite impressed!) and it took about 1 1/2 hours for me to do so. I had a day off of work and some time to kill, so I decided that it was time for my little girl to move up to a big girl bed. Had I known how much blood sweat & tears would go into the conversion process (with a few choice words thrown in), I would have waited until my husband got home. This is definitely a 2 person project as it is almost 100% necessary to have an extra set of hands to hold things together while the other person uses the provided allen wrenches to screw in the bolts. Once assembled (which really should take about 30 minutes) it is the perfect height for a toddler. It is easy for her to climb in and out and has no sharp edges or safety hazzards. I would still recommend this crib to any expectant parent!