Need Baby Room Furniture Advice

We got great quality stuff off of craigslist. Yes, it's not a beautiful matched set (we didn't care), but we also spent all of $200 and it's held up wonderfully. If you're willing to do a little painting to make the colors match, you could probably do something similar and be very happy. We're about to break out the crib for kid #2, and the glider/rocker is still going strong.

A.,

Mondi baby furniture has an outlet in Lombard that is worth the drive. I bought my son's furniture there 3 years ago. The crib is cherry wood from Italy - beautiful and the price was about 35% less than the baby stores. It is convertable so he used it as a toddler bed and as a full size bed. I would recommend buying furniture to grow with your child so you don't have to replace it every few years. I bought the dresser/hutch and used the dresser as a changing table (actually it is made for that) and then when he got to big to use the changing table my husband put the hutch on. This furniture will last and get him through college age. Good luck and Congratulations on the best gift in life a child!!

We bought the "Baby Bargain" book on the advice of a friend and loved it -- found it so helpful in evaluating products and companies. We picked our up at Borders -- it's in fairly wide distribution. We wanted to be frugal, but smart and get some nice things for our daughter... and we carted that book around for months as we shopped.

We bought both a changing table/dresser (convertible) and a crib (that will eventually convert to a bed) from BRU and, so far, are really pleased. Our daughter is now 10 months old and the furniture looks good, works great and was easy to assemble. I would really recommend reading the reviews online at BRU before you buy - they tend to be pretty right on target (i.e. - AVOID their rockers/recliners!!!).

We bought my son's furniture at Babies R Us and are very happy. We bought the Baby Bassett furniture and it is solid oak. It works nicely because we have a boy. A lot of their furniture scratched with my nail and I know would never have held up with a toddler/boy. The oak is great and very sturdy. I think that it depends on the individual brand that you get there. Just because it is at Babies R Us doesn't mean they make. You can also look at JC Penny. Good luck.

http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/X3.aspx?DeptID=57087&Cat...
http://www.bassettbaby.com/?act=catalog.product.detail&am...

We also ran into that problem. My husband refused to buy anything from Babies R Us and although Lazars had beautiful furniture, they were extremely expensive. We have twins and needed double cribs and dressers so Lazars was out of the question for us. We stumbled upon Baby Depot at Burlington and found a set that is absolutely gorgeous. Plus, they gave us 20% off the second set. I have to admit it was much better quality than the furniture at Babies R Us. Hope this helps. Good luck.

You have to go and check out Roomz for Kidz and Teenz in Rolling Meadows, they are comparable to babies r us and have beautiful stuff

I think the quality of furniture varies at Babies R'Us. I would check into the brand and model # that you're interested in and check out other reviews online.

I hope this helps!

Just to add to the advice, for a changing table, we bought a pack & play with a changing table attached. Saved the $$ on the changing table. And when our spirited daughter started flipping over and wanting nothing to do with the changing table by 8 months, I didn't feel like I wasted money.

We bought this large wall unit type thing from Babies R Us with a changing table in the middle. It had a couple drawers and many spaces for baskets. It looked almost IDENTICAL to one Pottery Barn carried but was literally half the price. Well this is a case of "you get what you pay for" because although it looks ok, the drawers can barely open and close...totally cheap.

Hi A.! We've finally finished most of our furniture buying, and I empathize completely! One main thing comes into play: will you be having more than one child eventually? If yes, then spending some more money is worth it as you'll be getting your money's worth. There isn't much anywhere that's priced reasonably unless you look for bargains (we got a crib at PotteryBarn kids for 200$ off because they were having a sale and the color was a discontinued one).

We got the most help from a book called Baby Bargains--it gives reviews and is very up-to-date, and also tells you what not to waste your money on. Since we are only having one, we bought a changing table at Ikea for 145$--when we're done needing it for changing it'll be turned into a storage cabinet and it will probably have made it's money back (i.e., it'll last for about 2 years, look okay while it's doing that duty--then go on a porch or in a pantry to store towels and cleaning supplies, etc.).

If you're planning on more than one child, I would look at places like Pottery Barn Kids, Land of Nod--especially if you're trying not to overspend but still want furniture that will last. Whatever you do, skip the changing table and go for a dresser with a changing top--that way you have a nice dresser when all is said and done!
S.

I also would try Lazar's in Lincolnwood. They had very helpful, low pressure salespeople, great service and a wide selection (plus more in catalogs). We even went back and got our kids' beds from there.

We bought all of my daughter's furniture at a place called Beautiful Beginnings in Western Springs. It is a little bit of a drive from the city (where we live) but totally worth it. They have a number of different brands set up and on display. All are great quality. Some, of course, are pricier than others, but there is something there for everyone. The label we bought for my girl is by EG Furniture. They also carry other nursery furniture - I bought my glider there as well. And they have strollers, car seats, the works - it is truly one-stop shopping.
Google them for their website and directions. It is the cutest little boutique you've ever seen. It is just so much fun to browse in there. And everyone who works there is super friendly. It was started by two sisters who have like 6 kids between them. They wanted a place where parents could shop and find everything that they need. I think they succeeded!
Hope this helps! Happy shopping!!

Check out Buy Buy Baby in Downers Grove. They have a good selection and the prices are ok.

I found a lot of good information about baby furniture in the "Baby Bargains" book by Denise Fields. That helped us out tremedously in our search for baby stuff.
We ended up purchasing the Jardine Enterprise - Cherry Berkely Lifetime Crib (and changing table)from Babies R Us and although our daughter is only 6 months old we really love it so far. I figure for the price if it doesn't last us for year and years I am ok with that.

We bought our baby's furniture at Lazars furniture (http://www.lazarsfurniture.com/). They have beautiful baby rooms from Pali (Italian Brand). I didn't see the room we got on the website so it would be worth checking out the store as I don't think they have all their models online. Hope this helps.

Hi A.,
I purchased a crib from Babies R Us 7 years ago for our first child. It has held up so well that we are now using it for our second child. It is from ChildCraft Industries. Hope this is helpful.
A. B

We bought a very pretty crib at Babies R Us that has lasted very well. We've had no problems with it. I've seriously regretted how much I spent on the more expensive items I purchased for the baby's room (like the bedding, which I went crazy with!).

If I were to do it all over again, I would definitely wait to spend money on the high quality furniture until I was purchasing furniture that I know will stay in the kids' rooms for a long time (dressers that will last through the teen years, beds, etc) and also good quality, convenient strollers.

Good luck with your decision.

Heather C. hit the nail on the head.

Buy and read Baby Bargains cover to cover. They give you the low-down on everything baby, including the furniture. You'll love it!

I HIGHLY recommend Lazar's in Lincolnwood, just north of the city limits. I have sent all of my friends there. The salespeople are very helpful and fully informed.

http://www.lazarsfurniture.com/

The baby bargains book (recommended in other postings) helped me narrow down the brand i wanted. Lazar's also has the best selection of strollers and car seats as well. They are all experts! Even if you go on a knowledge seeking trip and buy someplace else.

Hi A.- my recommendation is to not spend a fortune on baby furniture because it's only used for what seems like a split-second. Buy the basics (i.e. crib & changing table) that are made well but not expensive- we actually purchased ours at Babies R Us. A friend gave me great advice by telling me to avoid convertable crib/beds because I may want to decorate my son's room in a totally different way depending on his personality when he got a bit older-- she was right!

Invest the extra money in a college fund! :)

Good luck!

Can't echo often enough the advice to read "Baby Bargains". I have two boys, ages 5 and 3. I bought all my furniture at Babies R Us for my older son, following the advice in the Baby Bargains book to look for good brands like Babi Italia. I did buy a crib that converts to a toddler bed (just by taking the side off) and I am so glad I did--it made "moving" to a "big boy bed" a complete non-issue-- one night we just pulled the side off the bed and that was that-- same bedding, no issues. The furniture held up through two boys beautifully. But now, only 5 years later, both boys are in regular sized beds-- they grow so fast. So beware about spending too much-- as one mom mentioned, it goes by in a blink. Good luck.

I purchased my crib from Babies R Us and it has lasted 6 years going through 2 boys. I thought that the quality was great, held up well and would use it again if I was having another child.

Good luck with your first child!

J.

We got a book called "Baby Bargains" that was a lifesaver! It compiles information about everything from furniture to carseats to strollers to maternity clothes and their ratings are based not only on safety (like Consumer Reports), but on parent feedback as to weather it's worth the money, etc. We continue to use it as our daughter (now 16 months) gets older to decide on things like a travel stroller and second carseat for my husband's car.

Get the book "Baby Bargains". You will love it, and they have a whole section about this. No, you do not have to spend a lot of money. I think we spent a total of $500-$600 for a crib and dresser. You do NOT need to spend thousands of dollars!!

Also keep in mind that this is probably furniture you will only use for a few years, before you upgrade to the furniture they'll use until their teens.