Ok, here it is. The much anticipated crib post. First we have to talk about how giddy we are to have a mini-me mattress going on. Let me explain. Remember back when John and I talked about saving our pennies for an organic mattress (after sleeping on a sketchy old hand me down for far to long) back in June of last year? Yeah, we actually had a “mattress fund” going until we could take that baby home. And pretty much ever since the day that we sprung for our own Organic Serenity Natural Dunlop Latex Mattress By Savvy Rest we dreamed of someday getting a mini version for our offspring in the form of a totally organic crib mattress (p.s. don’t you like my mattress pageantry below?).
After all, if John and I didn’t want to go to bed with just anything (my obsession with all things eco made me yearn for a pure and organic mattress free of fireproofing chemicals and made from 100% natural materials that are just as good for the planet as they are for people) we certainly wanted the same thing for the beanette. So imagine our sheer delight and amazement when the thoughtful and generous people at Savvy Rest contacted us and offered to send over an organic crib mattresses for our big nursery makeover. Yeah, it was enough excitement to make my bladder almost burst (this reaction might also have something to do with all the kicks I’ve been getting lately- we have a little can-can dancer in there
What makes it so covetable? Well it’s totally free of any chemicals and made from five inches of firm all-natural latex. The top and bottom of the mattress are also covered with flame-retardant quilting made of organic wool fiber and organic cotton fabric (it meets all the fire-proofing standards here in the US without being sprayed or dipped in any chemicals). Plus wool is naturally repellent to dust mites and keeps the mattress’s inner environment dry so baby P will sleep cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Doesn’t it sound like the Ferrari of crib comfort? Seriously we were thrilled and we can’t thank the sweet folks at Savvy Rest enough for their amazing gift. Of course we haven’t taken it for a spin since it’s a bit too short for us, but we can definitely vouch for the comfort-factor and durability of our own personal Savvy Rest mattress which we’ve enjoyed for almost a year now (check out an update on how we like it right here). And we haven’t mentioned that Savvy Rest is based right here in Virginia so it’s sort of a “local” company too. Gotta love that it didn’t need to travel far to arrive right at our door.
So that’s the rainbows and unicorns (read: happy-go-lucky) part of the story. Then it was time to figure out where we’d be putting our lovely new mattress… as in, locate a crib. This is easier said than done my friends. It was a major challenge to straddle the line between “we’d like it to be reasonably green and non-toxic since that’s the way we live” (we compost, have a rain barrel, use non-toxic cleaning products, etc) and “our budget isn’t in the $700-1500 range so all those entirely eco crib options sadly aren’t within reach for us” (with things like strollers, car seats, cloth diapers and other big ticket items still on our must-buy list we unfortunately had to set a crib budget and stick to it).
We quickly realized that we’d be happy to find a crib that was somewhat of a compromise (a bit more eco than most super cheap cribs with a few great non-toxic features but obviously nothing in the sadly-unattainable-for-us $700+ price range of those amazing industry leading green crib makers like Oeuf, Cariboo, Pacific Rim, DucDuc, Spot on Square, Argington, and Q Collection Junior). So after a bit of research and soul searching we arrived at a decent little “must-have list” that we thought would work best for us in order to narrow down all the contenders and hopefully leave us with something perfect for Baby P. Here was our required criteria:
- A crib that was constructed entirely out of solid wood (since pressed wood and MDF can be held together with off-gassing glue and formaldehyde)
- Something with a non-toxic finish (since babies are known to inexplicably gnaw on their cribs)
- A price tag under $400 if at all heavenly possibly (our initial budget was actually in the $200 range but we scored such a good deal on a secondhand nursery chair that we had a bit more to put towards the crib).
- A crib that meets or exceeds all of the established US safety standards
- Something modern-ish with clean lines and a white finish (to work with the rest of the room and feel gender neutral enough to reuse for future bambinos)
- A solid well rated stationary crib (we wanted to avoid anything with a drop side since there have been so many recent recalls)
We also had a bonus list of “it would be nice” characteristics that weren’t necessary but were definitely welcome:
- A crib with some sort of pull out storage underneath it (we’re all about maximizing our stash-it space)
- Something that can be converted to a toddler bed or daybed (we’d like to work with what we have for as long as possible)
- A splash of darker wood to balance the clean bright white finish on the rest of the crib (we actually found ourselves loving the dual-toned look but it wasn’t that easy to hunt down)
- Free shipping (because that’s always a nice bonus when purchasing such a big ticket item)
Our minds swirled with a ton of possibilities that we carefully considered as we went…
Idea #1: Could we make our own crib to meet every prerequisite? After a bit of deliberation we realized that with all the safety features, testing and industry standards we’d better leave crib-making to the experts.
Idea #2: Could we grab an unfinished solid wood one (made from birch, maple, oak?) and use a no-VOC stain or paint to finish it ourselves? Well, after hunting down very few totally unfinished solid wood options (many were already stained or sealed so we wouldn’t be able to easily alter the finish) we realized that unfinished cribs were generally in the $500-1200 range (a bit to a lot out of our budget) and usually had country-ish lines due to their raw and unfinished nature (we were interested in something a bit sleeker and more clean-lined).
Idea #3: Could we hunt down a used one? After all, that would be the greenest thing to do. But a bit more consideration had us thinking about those ever-changing safety standards and a slew of recent recalls so it seemed like getting something new that meets all the current safety standards was the right choice for fearful first time parents like us. Especially since my mother generously offered to foot the bill and kept mentioning that we should get something new that we could use again and again and again (somehow she thinks we’ll end up with seven babies since she herself is one of seven). The good news is that we’ve actually purchased an awesome thrift store nursery chair so we were as green as it gets in that category… stay tuned for those details.
Anyway, with all of that pre-hunt brainstorming out of the way, we dove headfirst into active “crib shopping” mode armed with our handy little list of boxes to check off and all the confidence of a nervous eight pound chihuahua (we have to be honest, it was quite intimidating and we were super worried that we wouldn’t find anything at all). But we did manage to dig up this good-looking crib made with solid wood and non-toxic finishes. The only downside: it doesn’t outright say there’s no MDF or pressed wood so there probably is. Plus the $379 price is very close to the top of our range (as in scraping right up against it) so we were hoping to find something that checked off all of our boxes and not just most of them for that price point. Back to the drawing board.
Then we came across this chic looking $419 crib, which was also made with solid wood and non-toxic finishes. But again it doesn’t outright say that there’s no MDF or pressed wood (something that cribs with this feature like to shout from the rooftops) so it also fell a bit short of checking off that last box (and was also a bit over our max budget). That’s ok… maybe the third time is the charm?
Spoiler alert: nope. We then stumbled upon this crib by DaVinci. We actually heard through a few online reviews that DaVinci cribs were usually made from solid wood, finished with non-toxic paint/stain and even came with BPA free crib guards- but there was hardly any information for this particular model except for the super vague “made from Asian hardwood” line (which could also be true if the thing was riddled with MDF) so we’re not really sure it met much of our criteria at all. The styling was also a bit less clean-lined than we wanted, although there was definitely something charming and undeniably “classic” looking about it. On the upside, it did come in white (our desired color) and was priced extremely well at $267… but it just didn’t do everything we hoped that our future crib would do. Moving on.
We began to wonder if we were (pardon my language) being hard-asses. Was our wish list akin to J-Lo asking for nothing but white candles in her dressing room? Were we tirelessly trolling for something that just didn’t exist? We allowed ourselves just two minutes to wallow in self pity before deciding that we had work to do. Back to the search.
Next we came across two potential Ikea cribs, but the first one wasn’t the white color that we hoped for (although it did seem to be made mostly from sustainable solid wood). Sadly it also didn’t boast keywords like “non-toxic” or “low-VOC” when it came to the clear acrylic lacquer finish, and we learned along our little researching tirade that any crib with these features likes to highlight them in bold (so we always assume that if it doesn’t say something is: no-VOC, non-toxic, sustainable, completely comprised of solid wood and nothing else, etc- then it probably isn’t). Too bad because the price was pretty fantastic at $159. But that’s ok, there was another affordable Ikea option to evaluate.
Our second Swedish find (priced at just $99) also mentioned some nice solid wood & plywood materials (no word of pressed wood or MDF) but again neglected to describe that the “tinted clear amino resin lacquer” finish was anything especially non-toxic or low-VOC. (Insert the womp-womp sound effect here).
Admittedly they were both amazingly priced and we actually know of at least three happy babies with these affordable and stylish Ikea cribs so by no means are we saying there’s a thing wrong with them (or the other cribs that we found along the way)! They just didn’t quite check off all the little boxes that we established going into our big crib hunt. We quickly learned that selecting a crib is definitely a subjective and surprisingly personal decision. What’s right for one person might not be right for the next mom and dad to come along so we definitely believe that ironing out what’s most important to you (and acknowledging that it won’t always be as important to the next person) will help you locate something perfect for your family. To each his own, right? But back to our search…
Next we found this crib. At $490 the maple finish was the only one that we could *almost* afford (it was still nearly $100 over budget). Since the tone of the maple is a bit shy of the deep chocolate color that we lean towards, the white finish would have been our preference… but at $700 that option was out of our price range. And although the maple coloring didn’t really work with our ever-evolving nursery scheme, there was something intensely charming about this guy. He’s actually the cream of the eco crop (Argington is one of those fancy top-of-the-line green companies) and is made entirely of solid wood, touted as one of the most eco-friendly options out there, and constructed with all materials (glues, stains, and finishes) that are 100% non-toxic. Too bad it wasn’t the color we were looking for and the price was ultimately still a bit cost prohibitive for two savers like us. Oh well, back to the drawing board.
This crib was also super appealing thanks to the eco-advantages that it boasted (made entirely from sustainably grown wood with non toxic finishes). But the $700 price tag was just too steep for us, and the rounded corners wouldn’t fit our lovely new mattress. So we gave it one last look and clicked that window closed as a single tear slipped silently down my cheek (ok so I’m exaggerating, but this entire exercise was kind of an ooh-this-might-be-it-nope-keep-looking roller coaster ride).
Then we found this write-up which honestly helped A TON (update: we’ve since unlinked to the write-up because the site was hacked and then removed so it was a dead link). It reinforced that affordable eco cribs were few and far between (especially in the white coloring and clean-lined styling that we were looking for) but there were a few non-budget-breaking options that were still a bit “greener” than the average crib in that price range.
Ahhhhhhhhmmmmmmm.
Yes, that’s the sound of us breathing a long, deep sigh of relief. The affordable reasonably-green-crib-roundup that we had tracked down was insanely helpful! And the last crib they featured not only met all of our initial criteria but also checked off all of our bonus “would be nice” boxes too. And at $299 it was definitely within our budget. Were pigs flying? Could it really be? Oh sweet victory. It was described as “made from New Zealand pinewood with a non-toxic finish” and “the solid wood and wood veneer construction means no toxic VOCs or formaldehyde associated with pressed wood.” It also met or exceeded all US safety standards and received one of the highest user ratings we’d seen (over 85 people had weighed in after purchasing it and it earned almost five full stars out of five). Plus the $299 price tag even includes the rail to convert it to a toddler bed or daybed, there was free to-the-store shipping, it came in white and had a splash of darker wood, it was clean-lined and sleek looking and it even had a handy little storage drawer (talk about a few nice little bonuses).
It really was one of those miracle moments. Perhaps it’ll be up there with actually meeting our baby girl for the first time in May. Ok so that’s probably pushing it, but after hours (literally at least four solid ones) spent looking for something that consistently eluded us it seriously felt like a major coup to click the “buy” button and exchange a few nerdy high fives that we save for special occasions like these.
We could hardly wait to get it home, put it together, add our awesome new mattress, and test it all out with The Burgette. And about a week later we found ourselves doing just that. Nice, right?
Oh, maybe we should stop to explain who Burgette is. She got her name because she’s sort of a hybrid between Burger + The Beanette (we whipped her up thanks to this Burger zoonie and a recently gifted newborn sleeper… just so someone could take our new nursery addition for a spin). Look… she likes it!
And although we luckily were able to assemble things pretty quickly, we sped things up even more for your viewing pleasure (watch it below or over here on YouTube):
So there you have it. The mind-numbingly exhaustive play by play of how we ended up with an amazing organic mattress and a solid clean-lined white wood crib without any pressed wood or MDF and a non-toxic finish. Of course we realize that one comes from a small Virginia based company and the other comes from a giant big box store (and yes, that it could be even greener if we had twice to three times as much to spend on it). But one thing we’ve already learned about impending parenthood is that it’s all about balance. And we love that we were able to add a thrift store nursery chair to the mix (stay tuned for those details). Balance really feels like it’s the key. We won’t be able to keep our little one away from certain things (like boys for instance) or feed her a completely organic diet until she’s 25, so we did the best we could and set out with a few simple “goals” for the bean’s sleeping situation. And we lived to tell the tale. Whew. Now there are only 579,088,989 more dire decisions that we’ll have to make before she graduates college. This should be interesting…
Psst- Wanna see our nursery progress from the very beginning? Here’s our painting post and here are a bunch of accessory-hunting details.
D says
Sorry Burger, but you seem so cat-like sometimes!
Sarah @ Dream In Domestic says
Ooh Michael Buble – good music choice while you were showing off your belly!
Anyway, I loved reading about which cribs you looked at and why you ruled them out. I’m a long way from having a baby (or even getting married for that matter), but I definitely appreciate all the time you two put into explaining your decisions, especially when a new little family member will be on the receiving end of whatever you choose.
Kerri says
Wow, I adore this crib! I never, ever would have guessed it came from Walmart. We don’t have any kids (but hopefully will someday) and I already want to buy this for future use! :)
Dana says
Thanks for sharing (one of the many to come) experiences of making choices as a parent. Nobody does it the same…and nobody does it the same way twice! The crib looks amazing with that pear backdrop. Can’t wait to see the rest!
Superartsy says
Love your crib rundown. I knew Walmart carried some affordable cribs but didnt know they were green too.Also where did you find those details about ikea cribs? And if you hadn’t received the mattress which one would you buy? And lastly, what kind of hand drill is your DH using in the video. I am thinking I will get my DH one this v-day!! We have a electric one and it is not very handy.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Superartsy,
We just went to ikea.com and looked up each crib and clicked on it to read their “materials” list, which is displayed below the image on the same page. As for the mattress, since we sprung for our own adult Savvy Rest mattress we definitely would have saved up the money to get the crib one for our bambino so the fact that they offered it up was an amazing surprise but we definitely would have made a little “mattress fun” jar for it if they hadn’t. We’ve also heard great things about Naturepedic crib mattresses (which are sold in more mainstream shops like Babies R Us and Target) so that might be another option for you to explore. They also cost a bit less if you’re looking for something that’s eco but a tad less pricey. We know all about having a budget and sticking to it! As for the drill, it’s this one by Black & Decker. Hope it helps!
Alaina @ LiveCreatingYourself says
I can’t decide whether the word ‘adorable’ or ‘hysterical’ describes you better?!? Loved this post. Love the crib you decided on! And what a great plus about receiving that mattress!! Glad to see things are coming along.
Cheers,
Alaina
Caroline Porter says
Love the crib and especially the under-crib storage space! When my little brother was born we had all kinds of issues about where to store stuff (because, as I’m sure you guys relate to, we had very little closet space) and something like this would have been perfect. It’s funny, too, I’ve never thought about a crib having storage space underneath–it seems like such a “grown-up room” thing–but that is fabulous.
Also, the crib/rug/curtains look lovely together. It’s really starting to look like kind of a cute jungle playground that any young child would appreciate!
jbhat says
I was HOPING you’d get that crib. It is perfect. Nice work!
Oooh, and a sneak peak of the curtains. Lucky us!
amyks says
Beautiful crib…
Jaclyn says
I was watching the video you posted with my 4-year-old little girl and she said, “Mommy, why are they moving so fast? Oh! I know! They’re trying to get the crib built in a hurry before the baby comes, right?” I thought you might get a laugh out of that!
YoungHouseLove says
Hysterical. Seriously that made our day. Thanks so much for sharing!
xo,
s
Minda says
though I am not currently in the market for a crib (someday FAR away) i must say, i loved this post. you guys are hilarious (can-can dancer….still cracking up) and burger is going to be the best big brother ever (envisioning videos of crazy dog and hysterically giggling baby). just wanted to say thanks for sharing as i am a new homeowner who looks forward to every single post you all write!
Lynn says
Sherry, the nursery is looking amazing! I’m on pins and needles waiting for the big reveal. :)
In response to Jill’s comments above(and I obviously can’t speak for her), but the concerns about Walmart might have less to do with their environmental track record and more to do with the numerous Walmart-related human rights violations that have surfaced both domestically and abroad. I won’t go into the laundry list of concerns here, but you can find information at sites like walmartwatch.com and other places ’round the web quite easily.
I’m not trying to lecture or guilt-trip you guys or anything, I’m really not. But my personal belief is the way human beings are treated in the workplace is just as important as the way the environment is treated, and should be of equal concern when carefully selecting which company to give your hard-earned dinero to. That’s all. :)
Keep up the beautiful work!
YoungHouseLove says
We wholeheartedly agree! Thanks for the info Lynn.
xo,
s
Chrissy says
I sometimes feel really guilty reading this blog because of how eco-conscious and green you guys are! haha I will choose an enviro-option if it’s a good deal, but the environmentally friendly stuff is often either super expensive (as demonstrated by your crib search) or I’m bothered by the political/preachy-ness of the seller. I hope that there will be more companies truly offering good alternatives, and not just claiming “all natural” to jump on the bandwagon. I do eat a lot of organic/all natural food, and that industry has gotten a lot better so hopefully the furniture market will follow suit.
YoungHouseLove says
We hope so too Chrissy! We were honestly shocked at the lack of affordable eco options out there (in our budget) but we feel like the tides are turning so hopefully in just a few years all that will change. I even told John that by the time we have baby number two there will probably be tons of great affordable eco crib options. I guess only time will tell!
xo,
s
Katie B. says
I love the crib! We opted for white in our baby girl room too…(Ps: LOVE YOUR CURTAINS)…
But, can I ask a more personal question? hehe…are you ready?!
Where are your jeans from?!? THEY ARE REALLY CUTE. I’m not gonna lie…I love maternity jeans…and I need more. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Old Navy! I love them. Got them right when I started to pop at around 14 weeks and have been wearing the same pair since. They’re great! I don’t know the name of them other than they’re the ones with the full belly panel and not just the low-slung waistband. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lauren says
THAT’S OUR CRIB!! Well, my son’s crib! Great choice…we LOVE ours. It looks great, and you cannot beat that price. When I tell people it came from Walmart they are SHOCKED. Wishing your little one lots of sleepy nights!
Beth says
That’s the crib we chose for Ezra’s nursery! We love it – modern, green & affordable! The only problem that we’ve had is that it chips and dents easily (which we discovered when Ezra started gnawing on it while teething). We put packing tape along the top of it to keep him from damaging the crib further (or ingesting any more paint for that matter). It helped, but I’m sure there is better solution out there. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Beth,
Perhaps you can google around for BPA-free crib guards? They’re non-toxic plastic covers that you slide over the tops of each crib railing so kids can’t gnaw on ’em. We’re not sure if they’re one-size-fits-all or anything like that, but maybe they could help?
xo,
s
becca7903 says
we have this crib too! although it is the darker version. we love it for sure, as does our son (who now chews on it almost daily). it’s perfect for us… and it seems a little bit shorter than standard cribs (which is good since we’re both 5’6″). i’m sure baby p will love it too!
Katie B. says
ohh good to know! I actually own ZERO Old Navy pants! I am a fan only of the full panel too, actually, bc the lower bands that are thicker kind of hurt my bump…haha.
Thanks again! Cant wait to see the nursery all done!
Carmen says
Love, love, love the crib choice! You will love that drawer. Our crib had one as well and it was the perfect place for all of the eleventy million recieving blankets we got as gifts. The nursery is coming together so beautifully great job!
And as for allowing Burger on the matress, this isn’t something that would sweat me at all. Wait until your baby sticks some part of the dog in it’s mouth for the first time, LOL! They will survive.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that will totally happen. We’re waiting to look up and see the baby and the dog french kissing. He likes to lick mouths when he sees an opportunity. We’re in for a wild ride!
xo,
s
Keeley says
I love your crib choice! And the price? Wow! I must add that burger is very cute. His mannerisms remind me of my papillon, Zelda. Little dogs are the best! I hope Burger is nice to the Beanette when she arrives!
I can’t believe there’s another Keeley who reads your blog! I thought I was the only Keeley out there!
Barbara says
You really should consider (unless I missed it somewhere) posting about how you two budget and save for your purchases and DIY. I’m constantly amazed at how you seem to never charge anything and how you consistently mention saving up for things.
Now just tell us how you do it!!
As for a personal aside: I think WalMart work experiences are subjective – my brother just retired from WalMart and they did nothing but treat him well.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so good to hear Barbara. Congrats to your brother. Oh to be retired!
And as for your budget question, John and I are super lucky to each come from families with famously frugal dads. So we both learned all about saving up for things and paying off your whole credit card balance and never buying anything that you can’t pay for on the day that you buy it. Of course it takes a decent amount of discipline (and means that we’re constantly walking away from great deals and lovely things). But if we can’t afford them they’re not such good deals after all, right?
It’s funny because a lot of our stuff falls into the “cheap” category (our dining table was around $150 from Target, we have a $25 thrift store chair in our den) so that really helps us keep money in the bank. But every once in a while we think of something pricey and save for it like crazy (like in the case of the new mattress or the car that we’ve been saving up for over the course of the past few years). It really is a balance of lots of affordable items and a sliver of spendy stuff here or there so you don’t feel totally deprived but you don’t drain all that money that you saved up overnight. Oh and living in Richmond helps! The cost of living is waaaay lower than it was in NYC, so after years of dealing with those expenses it makes it seem a lot easier to cut costs and save money here (since our mortgage is half of what we used to pay to rent two tiny Manhattan apartments). We also try to be frugal in other ways like by sharing one car and DIYing whatever we can instead of paying for labor. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
jamie says
I’m so excited!!! We picked out the non-drawer version (the Olivia) of that crib for out little man, who is now almost 18 months. It has held up great and we love it! Now I’m trying to decide when to convert it to a toddler bed. You will love it!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Baby-Mod-Olivia-3-in-1-Crib-Amber-and-White/8810319
Rachael Ensom says
LOVE the crib!
Kristen says
I loved this post! I am expecting as well, and my husband and I are currently crib-shopping. Your video of the two of you putting that perfect crib together actually brought tears to my eyes! Crying at a DIY home makeover blog … sounds like pregnancy hormones to me. :) I adore your blog!!
Emily says
I’m wondering if it bothered you at all that it came from Wal Mart? I feel like that somehow cancels out some of the earth friendly benefits of the crib?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
As we mentioned, it’s definitely all about balance for us. And what works for our family might not be right for yours. We just had an incredibly hard time finding any cribs that met our criteria and fit within our budget so we were frankly very thankful to discover the one we purchased after such an exhaustive search. Plus if you scroll up and read Vicki Jane and Lindsay’s comments (along with our response to Chelsea about this new groundbreakingly eco initiative) you might feel better about Walmart (and you may not- again this is a very personal subject).
But speaking of personal, in the “personal experience” category, I actually did some commercial work with them back in my advertising days and they’re one of the only companies that has a recycling bin in use on every photoshoot. Many other huge corporations (even the ones that are much more publicly viewed as “green”) throw away tons of plastic bottles and the Walmart folks insist on recycling everything that they can. Once I was even at a shoot in a home that had a leaky faucet and one of the Walmart execs took money out of the commercial’s budget to fix the leak because the waste of water was so bothersome to her. Pretty nice right? I think it’s a great sign that giant big box stores are doing their part to be kind to the planet and I hope the trend continues! Of course in the interest of balance we will still do as much secondhand and local shopping as we can to help encourage the small businesses and keep things out of landfills as well!
xo,
s
Ellen K. says
We purchased that crib as well for our little guy who is due any day now! I also love the clean straight lines and all of the eco-friendly aspects. I’d seen it featured on several design blogs and was stoked to learn that it was so affordable!
I’m excited to hear about your nursery chair purchase as well…I’m still looking for something stylish, comfortable and affordable that will be able to transition into another room in the future. I’m in LOVE with the Monte Luca Glider but the price tag is so steep!
http://www.montedesign.net/modern_nursery_glider.html
ali says
I have the same crib for my 10 month old son and love it. Like you, I had to do a ton of research to find something eco friendly, attractive and modern and this definitely fits the bill. He slept in a co-sleeper next to our bed for the first 4 months, but he sleeps a lot more soundly now that he’s in his own room.
Anna, Sydney says
Had to stop mid-post and let you know that regarding the Ikea options, depending on your warehouse, you can ask them for non-treated furniture. It’ll be longer delivery time and they may even charge extra but I’ve heard people do it before, ask for a non-lacquered piece of furniture to paint it themselves.
Now I must return to the post and see if this comment was redundant because you found your crib…
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s so interesting Anna! I hope they do that here in the states as well as in Sydney. It’s really an amazing customization option!
xo,
s
Britta says
Hey Sherry! Love the crib, but going to ask you something completely unrelated — I saw your post (a long time ago) about the different magazines you draw inspiration from and the way to keep your clips organized, but can you possibly tell us your go-to websites for inspiration? I surf a TON of them, but sometimes i just want pictures organized by tags, instead of blog posts. You know? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Britta,
Look no further than our Link Love section on our sidebar. We list all of our favorite daily reads there, and beyond those mostly-personal blogs we also love sites like http://www.pointclickhome.com, http://www.houseandhome.com, and http://www.sarahrichardsondesign.com for lots of limitless eye candy. As for keeping things organized, we usually use Google Reader to peruse everything (plus we can “star” things that we love while we’re in our Reader, or drag them to the desktop and save them in a simple folder labeled as “inspiration”). And if you’re jonesing for more organization than that, you can always make a bunch of sub folders (like “living rooms”, “bathrooms” or even “holiday ideas” for storing all of your favorite online images). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jillian says
Reading your baby posts is making me want to have one of my own! We’re not quite there yet- still planning the wedding and tackling our own renovation- but it’s good to know that I have all of this great advice waiting for me when we finally get there! Thanks and best of luck!
http://pemberwick.blogspot.com
elizabeth says
yay! i’m so glad you found a crib that met all of your criteria. after finding a barely used Stokke crib on craigslist, i’ve been searching high and low for organic mattresses to fit the bassinet and crib configurations. wish your friends at savvy rest would make some oval mattress options!
Letty says
Burger cracks me up! And thanks so much for sharing your crib hunt– I love your choice!
Anna says
For all the talk about being eco friendly, you ended up going with Walmart?! I’m pretty disappointed.
It’s a cute crib and all, but I personally won’t spend my money there.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Anna,
Wow, we’re very sorry to hear that you’re disappointed in our personal decision when it came to carefully selecting a crib for our baby. As we mentioned in the post, it’s definitely a subjective thing- and what works for one family might not be right for the next. We just had an incredibly hard time finding any cribs that met our criteria and fit within our budget so we were frankly very thankful to discover the one we purchased after such an exhaustive search. Especially after seeing that a few extremely eco-friendly blogs recommended it (which was a total shocker to us, believe me). In the end we were pleasantly surprised that a big box store like Walmart was providing such an eco-conscious offering for the price, and we didn’t look at it as a bad thing but as a great progressive option that they were bringing to the masses when no one else was.
Plus if you scroll up and read Vicki Jane and Lindsay’s comments (along with our response to Chelsea about these groundbreaking eco efforts) you might feel better about them (and you may not- again this is a very personal subject).
Speaking of personal, I actually did some commercial work with Walmart back in my advertising days and they’re one of the only companies that has a recycling bin at every photoshoot. Many other brands (even the ones that are much more publicly viewed as “green”) throw away tons of plastic bottles and the Walmart folks insist on recycling everything. Once I was even at a shoot in a home that had a leaky faucet and one of the Walmart execs took money out of the commercial’s budget to fix the leak because the waste was so bothersome to her. Plus they donate every single outfit that the wardrobe consultants pull (even those that aren’t worn and can easily be returned) to charity. I think it’s a great sign that giant big box stores are doing their part to be kind to the planet and to people in need- and I hope the trend continues! Of course in the interest of balance we will still do as much secondhand and local shopping as we can to help encourage the small businesses and keep things out of landfills as well!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
Congrats on finding a great crib at a great price! They grow out of them so fast it seems kind of wasteful to spend more than a couple hundred bucks on a crib.
Can’t wait to see the final pics of the room – you’re teasing us with that one photo….I can kind of see curtains in the background…arghh!! Too cruel!
xoxo,
Lindsay
Katie says
As far as Burger on the bed goes, it’s been well-documented that exposure to allergens helps strengthen immune systems (a la vaccines). Personally, I grew up in a home with several dogs, cats, hamsters, and birds, and I have zero allergies. I know that’s anecdotal, but I’m really just agreeing with you that only you two can make the right decisions for your family- obviously, nobody takes that can-can dancer’s best interests to heart more than you do! Here’s just one article about the benefits of kids and dirt: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katie,
Hooray for kids and dirt! We know it’ll just be a matter of time before our little beanette is out in the yard wrestling Burger and trying to eat worms! But I ate a lot of mud pies and I think I turned out ok…
xo,
s
Kimberly says
Great choice!
Jessica @ How Sweet says
Wow I am LOVING that crib! Can’t wait to see the whole thing. ;)
susan says
what a journey! but just look at the outcome! a bed that screams ‘young house love’ in every sense! yay! i LOVE it!
kim says
I love how determined you were to find the perfect crib for your family! I’m in LOVE with the crib (and the curtains, and the rug!)….I can’t wait to see all the other tidbits you get for the nursery. I hope to see more soon!!
Sarah says
Absolutely adorable crib! I love it! I like the storage underneath, I wish our crib had that! After reading your post, which mentioned DiVinci cribs, you made me wonder if our crib, the DiVinci Emily convertable crib, had any “green” specs… we didn’t really consider that when looking… Our price range was under $200, and my main thing was safety standards, convertable (3-in-1) for multi use, and solid wood… but in looking I see that the finish is non-toxic, which is great to know! Our matress on the other hand is just a standard crib mattress, however it is covered with a special plastic cover that came from New Zealand that was designed w/ the idea of preventing SIDS in mind, so it keeps harmful things out, and keeps the baby from breathing in anyharmful chemicals as well… but we found the Emily on Target for $279, 2 years ago… a little more hunting and we found the same crib at Amazon.com for $179- and both places shipping was around $80, so the lower price helped. My dad ended up getting us the crib off amazon for our baby gift. :)
Sarah P says
I was worrying about the danger of fire the entire time I was reading about the mattress until I got to the “flame-retardant quilting” part. Definitely going to keep this in mind for the future when we have babies!
Love the crib also! My taste is more on the traditional side than modern. Did you guys run across any good write ups for eco friendly cribs in other styles? It’s going to be about a year before we are ready for a baby, but it’s never to early to think about nursery decorating! Hopefully by then there will be even more options.
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely agree with you there Sarah! In fact during a lot of our research we kept saying “we feel like we’re on the cusp of something” so we wouldn’t be surprised if even six months from now there are affordable and fabulous eco crib options everywhere from Target to Ikea and beyond. It would be great if local stores would jump on the bandwagon too (so we wouldn’t have to rely so much on the big box ones) but of course the big ones set the pace so we’d love to see them embracing the eco thing asap. We haven’t run into any specific eco crib roundups when it comes to a more traditional style but we have our fingers crossed that there will be an ever-growing pool of options in all styles and shapes very soon!
xo,
s
Sarah McGuire says
What a timely post for us, thank you! I was just shopping for a crib online this morning for our little boy who’s due in April. I had it narrowed down to a few manufacturers, and your post has really helped. I do believe that your crib is made by the same company that makes DaVinci and Babyletto. I decided to go with the same company (Million Dollar Baby) after hearing that they’ve never had a recall.
Oh, and as far as the Walmart thing goes, I always say that when it comes to being eco-friendly, it’s a personal choice as to how much one person (or 2.5!) can do, as long as you do your best!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow that’s great! Those recalls can be scary things so we’re so glad to hear that Sarah!
xo,
s
Amber says
I noticed that you mentioned ” (we compost, have a rain barrel, use non-toxic cleaning products, etc)”. I remember reading about your compost and I think it was Martha Stweart cleaning products, but I can’t seem to remember anything about a rain barrel. If you’ve already done a post like this and I just don’t remember it I would be glad to go look, but I was hoping that you could do a post in the not to distant future about all the Eco Friendly/Green things that you do. Well… maybe not ALL of them, but at least some of the bigger ones. Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amber,
Here’s our DIY rain-barrel post: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/03/how-to-make-a-rain-barrel/
And as for seeing all the eco things that we do en masse, we actually have a category called “Healthy & Green Living” on our How-To page (which is a tab located right under our header). So if you click it (or use this shortcut link) and scroll down to that section you can see a slew of the eco lifestyle changes that we’ve embraced here at Casa Petersik. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Monica says
Wonderful vid of Burger…I’ve always been a big-dog kinda girl, but Burger is making me reconsider! Such a cutie.
Great crib…and how wonderful about the Savvy Baby mattress…too cool of them.
And on a TOTALLY off-topic note, one of my local TV stations is having a “cutest local couple” contest and my first thought was, “Well, that’s GOT to be Sherry and John,” and then it dawned on me that you’re not ACTUALLY one of my neighbors! Oh well. No way they’ll find another couple as cute as you too!
YoungHouseLove says
We always beam like proud parents when we hear big dog people say that they’re charmed by Burger. He definitely has a big personality- that’s for sure! As for the cutest local couple award, that’s too funny! We love that you think of us as your virtual neighbors. Just picture us waving over the imaginary online fence to you in the morning when you get your paper (although I don’t know how cute this monster-belly is)…
xo,
s
Corrie says
Just wanted to say….LOVE the crib, love the curtain fabric, and not disappointed at all that you went with Wal-Mart. Just wanted to balance out those few “downer” comments:).
Congrats on it all….it will be precious and perfect for your sweet family!
Katie says
You gave away “the look” with the curtain up in one picture! hahahaha. I must admit, that little sneak peak looks great. Can’t wait to see it all put together!
And I’ll just chime in to agree with others about the Walmart thing. Even if they are the most wonderful, eco-friendly company in the world; they treat their employees horribly, and workers rights are more important to me than the environment.
But I love what you said about the personal nature of decisions and how everyone prioritizes differently. Well said!
skinnythighs says
Wow. People can be so obnoxious when they criticize. The crib is gorgeous and I’m envious of that bottom drawer. It will be a great place to stash a few extra blankets when you receive eleventy billion of them, or some middle-of-the-night burp cloths.
Excellent choice.
Nathalie says
Yay! you guys picked the same crib we have for our (now 2 year-old) son. One word of advice if someone hasn’t mentioned it here yet though: find some gaurds for the top of the rails once the beanette starts standing up in her crib. Our boy was a chewer and ended up scraping the paint off with his teeth!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the advice Nathalie! We’ll definitely keep an eye out for some guards for the top of the rails. If this baby is anything like I was as a child (I was actually diagnosed as “orally fixated” and swallowed pennies, rocks, and buttons on separate occasions) we’re in for quite the adventure!
xo,
s
LauraC says
Looks so beautiful! Just had to laugh at the crib chewing comment. My father-in-law got us our crib for our daughter (who’s 2.5) and I was so determined to keep it “perfect”. Well, I got those teeth chewing guards – two packs to cover both rails. She never, that I could tell, chewed, and I was pleased with myself. Well past the teething, chewing stage, I took them off. So one morning I go in to get her (she’s almost two at this stage) and what do I find? Lovely teeth marks – not on the rails, but on the nice end of the cib!!! So, the guards wouldn’t have done any good anyway!! So the crib’s not perfect anymore. But, we’re looking forward to putting it to use again with her baby brother – due just a month before the beanette. :)
Jen Z. says
OMG what a great looking crib. Who would have thought that Walmart would have eco things like a crib. Good to know for future. Great price too. Love it. Can’t wait to see the final reveal. I hope it’s real soon. ;-)