Recommend: Baby Cache Nursery Furniture

Crib Price: $449.99
Dresser Price:$549.99

This is pretty much a repeat from a blog I posted previously in my OWN blog, but I'll highlight most of it here.

I saw this set one day while just walking through BRU. At the time I was not looking for a bed room set, but upon seeing this set I knew exactly what I wanted in my little man's room! Not only did this fit my visual requirements, but it also fit the other requirements I had for a bed room set in my mind (as highlighted below).

Pros:
- sturdy/well made
- drawers on dresser glide in and out easily
- attractive
- able to convert crib into a full size bed (with the purchase of bed rails)
- has two dresser options - we got the lower dresser because we wanted to use the top of the dresser as a changing station
- drawers are deep and hold quite a bit
- depending on your budget, I thought this was a reasonably priced set (last year Ryan and I had priced furniture for ourselves and a full bed was considerably higher than the price of this crib+ the running boards)
- the storage cabinet on the side of the dresser is convenient for bath supplies, first aide type items, wipes, etc and large enough to fit some canvas totes for organized storage.

Cons:
- drawers glide so smoothly that they some times bang when closing - I put some of Judes clothes away while he's asleep so can be bad!
- as I'm sure is typical with most cribs, it's a pain to change the crib sheet.
- because of the way the bars/panels are on the crib, some of your standard crib decor doesn't fit quite right (bumpers, mobiles, etc) - just make sure you check out the crib before buying any of these items!
- I remember when putting the crib together Ryan had a difficult time putting the metal mattress support portion together. I'm not sure if this is normal, but I remember my dad saying "make sure you read the instructions!" about the crib, so maybe it's no more difficult than any others.

Would I Recommend: Yes! So far I've loved this set! Part of my wishes I had purchased the second dresser as well, but really, we hardly fill the drawers we have so why bother? When/if there's a baby #2 I would without a doubt purchase another baby cache nursery set!

Recommend: Trent's Nursery (part 2)

Glider
Shermag White Glider w/ ottoman= $299.99
(im 85% sure this is the price we paid)
(from BRU)

My glider was an item I didn't jump right in to. Literally. When I was in the hospital first learning how to get Trent to latch on properly I was always sitting up in the bed with pillows propped around us. When I first got home I did much of the same. I would sit up on the couch or bed and prop pillows around me. It took me a few weeks to even sit in my brand new glider. The first few times I used the glider I didn't even like it. I felt like the baby was too high up when sitting on the boppy pillow. After just a couple days it was like a light switched was turned on. All of a sudden I was addicted to my glider. I didn't want to nurse him anyplace else. It was just so comfortable. We kept the glider in the living room while I was on maternity leave for convenience sake. When I returned to work we put the glider in the nursery. To this day I use the glider at least once a day....and it's not uncommon to see Kevin rocking Trent in the glider too. My biggest complaint (and it's a pretty big one) is that the locking mechanism on the side will lock on its own VERY OFTEN. Be it mid rock, or as I'm getting up. It wouldn't be TOO big a deal if it wasn't loud when it locked! I always worry it will wake the baby. It's very annoying!!! Perhaps an upholstered chair would have been a better choice. Or maybe we should look into fixing/removing the lock all together. Another thing I should note - these gliders are not designed for big people. They are just too narrow for a wide person to sit in. I don't know what Shermag was thinking.


Would I recommend: I don't know if the locking issue we're having is a defect on our chair in particular or not, so it's very hard for me to say. If I were you, I'd go to a few stores and try a few out.

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Cordless Blinds

(from JCPenney.com)
Price= I got it on sale for $37.99. They are originally $70.00

A cousin of mine (also a mother) recommended I get cordless blinds for the nursery. Cordless blinds are just that, cordless. By going cordless you don't have to worry about a child choking on, or hanging from, the cord that often dangles from traditional blinds. You can get cordless blinds in several different styles, from several different stores. I went with a roman shade simply because I like the look. I ordered the shade from the internet, and I've never played with cordless blinds before, so I really didn't know what to expect. Kevin and I (probably more Kevin) hung the shade and were both very impressed by the functionality of it (for that price we better be impressed, right?). There is a little plastic clip in the center of the blind at the bottom that you hold and either push up or pull down. It's super easy. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone.

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Closet Organizer
(from lowes)

No idea how much we spent but I'd guess it was between $50-$100

Lowes has a whole aisle dedicated to closet organization. From the cheaper stuff (pictured) to fancy wood systems. You can purchase something like I have pictured in either a kit or individual pieces. We went with a kit. It comes with everything you need except a few tools. I can remember using a measuring tape, pencil, drill, saw, and marker. You have to cut all the shelf pieces, allowing you to semi-customize the closet to fit your own needs. Of course I did some math wrong and ruined a few pieces, so we had to go back to Lowes. Like I said, they sell many of the piece individually, so it was very nice to only buy what we needed and not have to purchase a second kit. There are a few different styles and designs to choose one so make sure you look at all of the options. And make sure you measure your closet beforehand, just so you can be 100% sure you are buying the right material for your space. I love that we re-did this closet - it's so much more practical than what we had before!

Here is our "before"

Recommend: Trent's Nursery (part 1)

Crib

Carter's Casual Convertible Crib
(from Babies R Us)

Price: $309.88

I don't really know what to say other than I love it. It's a great shade of white - not bright white but not dingy - and it was easy to put together. Since it's a convertible crib we had to purchase the side rails separately (to be used when we convert the crib into a full sized bed). Cribs from Babies R Us either have coordinating metal rails (cheaper) or matching wood rails (more expensive). Since our rails were on the pricier end, we assumed they would be a nice matching white wood. Wrong. They are an ugly metal. Very disappointing.

Bookcase

Price: $119.99

(from JCPenney.com)

I wanted a bookcase for extra storage for books and stuffed animals. Since we didn't know the sex of the baby, and since we had already chosen white furniture, I needed a bookcase that wasn't too curvy or feminine. I felt that this bookcase was just what I wanted. I put it together all by myself, which was slightly challenging, but it could have been worse. The back board is very cheap in quality but the rest of the case seems very sturdy. Overall I'm very happy with it.

Changing Table

price: I can not find it online but the table was around $150

We decided to refinish Kevin's old bureau from his childhood instead of purchasing a new one for the nursery. I personally am not into the changing-table-pad-on-top-of-bureau look, so we needed something separate. There was a limited selection of white changing tables so we just chose the one we liked the most. I bought some canvas totes to line the shelves with and have since found the changing table to be great. We use it often and the added storage space is very helpful. The biggest downfall is that once we're out of the diaper phase we really won't have any use for the table.

Baby Trend Pack n Play vs. Graco Pack n Play (in Deco)

Baby Trend Pack n Play (Orange Oak)
Price: my playard came from BRU, however, it is no longer on the website and I do not remember the price. Walmart has this item on their website for $109.98

Once again I chose this item because I liked the way it looked.

Pros:
-lovely music box/night light/vibration device
-has wheels to make it easy to slide across the floor. also has locks on the wheels
-MP3 attachment option (i never used)
-once you fold it up it's easy to transport and takes up minimal space
-nice pattern (if you like orange)
-Great "parent organizer" tray
-great changing table feature. We used it well beyond the recommended weight (tsk tsk) and found that it held up nicely
-changing table has a buckle for baby
-fairly easy to clean
-a great height for me (im 5'-0")

Cons:
-plain mobile
-mobile only played music for a minute or two
-the sunshade kept unbuttoning so we took it off all together
-very difficult to fold up and unfold
-just too wide to fit through doorways

Would I Recommend: I'm torn. We used this product all the time (even on vacation), and we will use it again for baby #2, but I probably would not recommend it to others. I found it impossible to collapse by myself, and my husband really struggled as well. Again, you should play with all the playards prior to purchasing or registering for one. Looks should take a backseat to usability

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Graco Pack n Play (in Deco):
Price:$189.99



When picking out registry items, I had heard of Graco, I had heard good things about Graco, so I registered for Graco. In addition I found the Deco pattern and just about all the large baby-gear items I was registering for came in that pattern. It might be lame, but I liked the idea of everything matching (from bouncing seat to highchair).

Pros:
- The bassinet feature makes it nice to not have to bend to put baby all the way in the bottom of the play pen.
- changing table makes it convenient to change in the living room.
- nice/neutral pattern (a personal opinion of course)
- has wheels to make it easy to slide across the floor
- has a 'soothing vibrations' pack to put under the bassinet and MP3 player/soothing sounds player, etc.
- seemingly sturdy frame
-pretty easy to put together initially
- folds up fairly easy - and collapses for easy transportation
- fitted sheets available for the mattress/pad

Cons:
- the changing station folds up and down easily, but it'd be nice to have the release button on both sides (slightly difficult to put up/down with baby in hands) or on the bar/in the middle.
- canopy/sunshade is only held up by little pieces of velcro - and a pretty boring mobile (little hanging bears)
- Bassinet portion and changing station doesn't fit into the travel bag so you can't take it with you. This is poor planning on Graco's part because one would think if you're taking it on vacation it'd be nice to have the changing station.
- main support bars for the bassinet are a tight squeeze making it a little difficult to put together - but not impossible.
- has a handy changing station storage system, but not very practical for us (we use cloth diapers though, so it might work out better with disposables).
- Just SLIGHTLY too large to fit through door ways so you have to break it down if you're moving it from room to room (this involves removing the bassinet, unhinging the sides and pulling up the base - nothing too difficult, but annoying if you'll just be moving it back in a day or two).

Would I Recommend: Comparing the two reviews I feel like the main benefit is that it's easier to collapse (it's up to you whether that's worth 80 dollars). I'm pretty happy with my decision on this particular item and I'm sure it will get plenty of use out of it not just for Jude, but with baby number 2 - but I may have been just as pleased with any other brand. Really, they could have skipped the soothing vibrations pack and the music player though because I don't think batteries even made it in this particular item. It has served it's purpose as a pack n play without any major complaints though.