Skip the toddler bed conversion. I hated it and ended up just going to a twin. We splurged on a good crib for about $400 and good car seats. The wood on the cheaper cribs was not as solid - my mom had a cheap crib and the quality difference was huge.

We spent $500 at Babies R Us. We will also use it for our second child plus it's convertible to a full size bed.

I found the crib(s) I wanted and stalked the internet until one of them dropped to a reasonable price. I paid $159 for the crib and the mattress (normally $300).

It converts to a toddler/full sized bed, but based on all the ones all over craigslist I think you have to be prepared for the idea that baby could chew all over it or scribble on it or whatever and it won't be the beautiful big kid bed you were expecting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In terms of safety, they're all about the same. In terms of how much space they take up, Ikea's seems to be the smallest. I'm just not sure what you'd get for the extra $100-300 you want to spend on the crib when you can get a perfectly good one for $100-150.

Most cribs fit a standard size mattress, so there's not a lot of variation, although Ikea cribs have plain frames without a bunch of trim. We're very happy with our Ikea crib--can't remember the name--Gulliver? For about $120-140. It also converts to a toddler bed. Your kid doesn't need a big expensive headboard/footboard, so I don't think the expensive cribs that eventually convert into a full size bed are a good deal. All cribs have to meet the same safety standards.

I meant size in terms of how much space the frame take up, not the mattress. Our friends had really specific part of their wall between the bathroom and the closet they wanted to put the crib in and finding a crib without any frills coming out of the side was a hard find for them - but those extra inches of curvature bumped into the doorways they were trying to stay within. They ended up spending $400+ on the only crib that fit, but the exact same size mattress went inside as our $100 crib. We just had more room to accommodate the frilly decorations.

Anonymous wrote:For Baby 1 we spent 700$ at giggle. For Baby 2 we spent 100$ at Ikea.

We're also going the Ikea route for baby #2 after spending too much for DC1s crib

Anonymous wrote:We spent $900 or so? How is your budget otherwise? I wouldn't spend the college money on a crib, but if you can afford it and want it, get it.

$900 invested in a college fund when your baby is newborn is going to be a much better investment than a $900 crib.

For Baby 1 we spent 700$ at giggle. For Baby 2 we spent 100$ at Ikea.

Anonymous wrote:IMO $100 at Ikea.

That's our plan. We're spending the "saved"money on an organic mattress. We're not organic fanatics, but we agreed on this as a splurge.

Anonymous wrote:IMO $100 at Ikea.

+1.

IMO $100 at Ikea.

Anonymous wrote:In terms of safety, they're all about the same. In terms of how much space they take up, Ikea's seems to be the smallest. I'm just not sure what you'd get for the extra $100-300 you want to spend on the crib when you can get a perfectly good one for $100-150.

Most cribs fit a standard size mattress, so there's not a lot of variation, although Ikea cribs have plain frames without a bunch of trim. We're very happy with our Ikea crib--can't remember the name--Gulliver? For about $120-140. It also converts to a toddler bed. Your kid doesn't need a big expensive headboard/footboard, so I don't think the expensive cribs that eventually convert into a full size bed are a good deal. All cribs have to meet the same safety standards.

We spent more on a crib because we got one Amish made with a non-toxic finish. Figure out what is important to you and get the crib that meets those standards.

We spent $900 or so? How is your budget otherwise? I wouldn't spend the college money on a crib, but if you can afford it and want it, get it.

In terms of safety, they're all about the same. In terms of how much space they take up, Ikea's seems to be the smallest. I'm just not sure what you'd get for the extra $100-300 you want to spend on the crib when you can get a perfectly good one for $100-150.

I'm a mid-range kinda girl --- and love one recommended by the Baby Bargains Book that is about $500 at BabiesRUs. It's convertible so would also serve as a toddler bed and older child bed --- but I still feel like I should find something cheaper even though I know it's not that much in the grand scheme of things. Feel like I should be saving every cent these days, and like I could probably find something comparable for $200 bucks less.