To Buy or Not To Buy?

[mommy2be2011]

I've been searching for a crib to purchase. The one's that have been getting my attention are the ones with the changing table attached. And i was wondering, if anyone out there has used one, would you recommended those or just a regular crib? This will be my first child, so I'm somewhat at a loss for which type of crib is best to use?

[Abraisme]

My personal opinion is to skip the crib altogether and get a co-sleeper.

[Beauchamp]

I went with the Gulliver crib from Ikea. It was only $99, and gave us the option of taking off one of the long sides. (It's meant to be a toddler bed, we used it to side car.) For us, this option was inexpensive, and it looks modern. It's slim and doesn't take up as much physical space as the larger cribs you see in stores like Babies R Us, for example. The Gulliver does hold a standard crib mattress perfectly (i.e. we didn't buy the thinner Ikea foam crib mattress.)

I ended up getting a second hand changing table off Craigs List for $35, and I've used it a LOT. (I have a bad back, and still use it, although not all the time, at 22 mo old.) For us, having two separate pieces fit better in our space. It's personal choice, of course. We went with the least expensive option, because we did co-sleep for some time, but we also side-carred when we needed to, and now DD naps in the crib in her own room quite well. So the crib gave us flexibility, without a lot of cost up front.

[lifeguard]

It sounds practical to me especially if you're tight on space. Lots of people will say they never used either items - but that's a very personal thing. We did diaper changes at home exclusively on the change table. The crib we didn't use much but I still wouldn't get rid of it as the times he did sleep in it were a nice break for me & we also could use it as a safe place for a crawling (happy) baby when I needed to laundry or run to the bathroom.

[Jaimee]

I bought one of those for my first.  The changing table portion was too high for me to use comfortably and we ended up never using the crib.  It would be my recommendation to get something for baby to sleep in closer to you like a bassient, co-sleeper or even pack 'n play.  Then when baby is a little older you can decide if a crib is right for you and get one that makes sense.  Otherwise, you've saved a lot of money by not getting one!  We ended up just changing baby on a changing mat that we put on our bed in our room (next to the bathroom) and I have a little cloth diaper bin that I stuff with some diapers, wipes, wipe solution, etc.  So easy and doesn't require extra furniture!

[Bird Girl]

I also swear by the Ikea cribs--we'll be on number two for this baby, but only because I sold our last one, which lasted sturdily through two children and was on its way to sleep the third. They are a good size, don't have a dangerous drop-side, and turn into a darling toddler bed when the time comes.
 

In my view, even if you plan to co-sleep, you'll need somewhere safe to stash the baby when you need to use the bathroom, take a shower, or, later, if you want them to nap by themselves. We had our babies in our room, but not in our bed, so the crib was invaluable.

As far as a changing table goes, I recommend that you attach a pad to the top of your dresser. You will probably need somewere to put the baby's clothes and diapers, right? So a dresser is a natural storage piece that can be used indefinitely. And there's no need to have it in the bedroom--you can put it in your living room or anywhere that you have space.

[StephandOwen]

One thing to keep in mind with the crib/changing table combos is that the changing table on those is fairly small so baby will "outgrow" it very quickly (they'll get too long to comfortably use it). I had also considered one this time, but changed my mind when I thought more about it. Now we are getting a crib and are using the top of a dresser for the changing area.

[bignerpie]

I have a crib/changing table combo that was given to me. My son never slept in it, but I still use the changing table part several times a day. I have always changed my son's diapers there when we're home. My house is fairly small, so I don't have to go far to get there, and I like having everything in one place. I also like the fact that the baby is vertical in front of you than horizontal like most changing tables. I find it a lot easier to change diapers that way. Even at 26 months, my son still fits comfortably enough to change him there. But, it does feel like a big waste of space sometimes, since we only use that part and not the crib. If I had to buy my own instead of receiving the crib as a gift, I probably would have just gotten a pack and play or something like that.