Baby Crib

[AboutToDeliver]

May I have some opinions regarding baby cribs/cots?
I've been to a few stores in Paragon, Tanglin and Great World City and am shocked at the prices of some of the nicer cribs.  $1700 for a baby's crib? 

Is it worth paying this much for a crib?  I have heard that the crib is not as important as the mattress.  Where can I purchase a good mattress for the baby?
 
Any good brands that are not as expensive as Boori?  Or is Boori worth paying for (the salesperson said something about non-toxic paint - does that mean the others are painted with toxic paint?)

First time mom-to-be here - sorry for the ignorance.  My head is spinning with all the things we have to purchase before we become parents!

[Scummy Mummy]

I bought a Newbury Cot Bed from Mothercare. Perfectly nice, goes well with other white funiture, will last till mini-S is about 5, plus a good mattress, and I think it was about $450?

Just make sure you get a cot with a drop leaf side and a base that can be lowered as the baby grows.

All reputable brands will be unleaded paint.

There's a nice, new, big Mothercare at Harbourfront Centre (not Vivo) with big selection of stuff. If you spend over a certain amount in one go you get a VIP card which gives discounts forever.

(When baby is older you can aso buy the $40 IKEA highchair rather than the $600 Stokke, but don't tell anyone I told you  )

I spent ages browsing the Mothercare catalogue which was handy as we had very little notice of mini-S's arrival and I knew just what I wanted.

[sahm_08]

Congrats and welcome to Motherhood

If you are breastfeeding, your baby will end up sleeping on yr bed most of the time so I won't recommend paying such a hefty sum for it. But it is tempting as new 1st time parent to get THE BEST stuff for our little ones, especially when budget is not a concern.

There's also a warehouse outlet called Baby Hypermart located at Kaki Bt for all yr baby needs.

Enjoy yr shopping.

[misslondon]

It's tempting to get the best for our child, especially the first one. We've been there  I was all excited about the cot but the baby had other ideas. She absolutely hates the feeling of emptiness around her.

Honestly, there is no need to splurge that amount on a crib. What you need is a simple sturdy one with a good mattress and most importantly, one with a side that can be dropped, just as Scummy Mummy said.  All that bending over the cot will wreck havoc on your back, if your cot doesn't have a dropping side.

Pop round to Ikea and take a look.  Also there is Kiddy Palace.  The branches in Compasspoint and Century Square, Tampines are much better than the one at Parkway Parade.

[hyperstore]

We ended up at the baby store in K Bukit as well. Brought a European standard cot which turned into a todler bed but upgraded to a sprung mattress and it has been fantastic. Well under $400 3 years ago.

Really can you remember your cot? Do you think it was worth $1700??

By the way the Ikea highchair rocks!! The Stoke only lasted two months in our house till it was replaced by the ikea job. Lovely gift but oh so impractical

[Coriander]

Hi and congrats!
Im a first time mom as well and yes, I went a little crazy trying to decide what and from where I wanted to buy all the stuff for baby!
I finally ended up buying an Italian brand called Aldo from the Kids Mall at IMM in Jurong.
I looked for a few things after speaking to some friends, reading up books and websites and visiting most of the stores here  , (yes, I was crazy!)

- The drop side function as mentioned in previous posts
- The gaps between the wood planks on the sides should not be too far apart, so baby cant put his/her hands thru and get stuck.
- I wanted one that could be converted to a toddler bed later, so looked for the lowering of the bottom option.
- I looked for one with wheels, so you can move it from room to room to closer to your bed (if baby sleeping in the same room) if you want to
- I was very particular about the stamp of the 'Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association', which automatically ensures some of the above things as well as the non toxic paint etc.
- Looked a spring mattress, instead of the foam one that most cots seem to come with and bought that separately. No more than 1 finger gap between the mattress and the crib, so it fits snugly.

Mine costed about 450-500$, bought Dec last year.

Happy shopping!!
-

[Señora Sensible]

Something of good quality is necessary.  Safety and durability (especially if planning to reuse for other children).

Something to think about Ikea ones.  Our hefty babies at standing up phase - there might be periods where there is some crying and trying to climb out.  Well at 10 months one of my kids broke an ikea type cot in a hotel we were staying just from standing and rocking against the sides.  Not sure how old cot was, but just to remember that sweet little newborn is going to get really strong and mighty.  Plus you want the height of the sides so they can't climb out for as long as possible.

You may want to look around for a good brand one second hand and buy yourself a new mattress.  Can't give you the details on here but there's a site that advertises lots of used baby stuff.

In fact we bought our cot for first child, from a friend 2nd hand and bought a new mattress.  It was a top brand and I'd still do that - rather have a used good brand than a new flimsy brand.

[Señora Sensible]

sorry forgot to add.

Personally I don't think a cot that converts to a toddler bed is neccessary (usually you pay extra for this).  My kids (all very tall) slept happily in their cot until 3+ and then moved straight to single bed.