Posted by Giulia Guerrero on Fri, Dec 23, 2011
The first few years of your baby’s life are critical. Thus, it makes sense that the crib you choose for your baby is one of the most important choices you have to make. With so many styles and options available on baby cribs today, purchasing the perfect baby crib can be a daunting task. Don’t be overwhelmed! There are several factors to consider that will make the task much easier.
Get familiar with crib styles.
There are many styles to choose from, including convertible cribs, sleigh-style cribs, solid back panel cribs, round cribs, traditional cribs and even canopy cribs.
In today’s society, convertible cribs are of popular choice. Convertible cribs convert to a toddler’s bed and can be converted into a full-sized bed and some can even convert into a queen bed. Although convertible cribs maybe more expensive than the traditional cribs, they save you money in the long run. These are the perfect cribs for parents who wish to make their baby’s bed a worthwhile investment.
Most sleigh-style cribs fall into the category of convertible cribs. These cribs are designed to look like a sleigh and have a quaint appeal. Most sleigh cribs convert to a toddler’s bed or full sized bed. They are also very popular in today’s traditional nursery.
One topic many parents might argue is that many convertible cribs in the market usually end up looking like cheap or non-stylish toddler’s and full-size beds once transformed. However, it is not true for all cribs. It is a matter of researching the right company and cribs. Solid black panel cribs, for example, are very charming with intricate details and carvings. Some of these cribs also fall into the convertible cribs category and are of high-quality. Once transformed, these types of cribs add soothing charm and warmth to any room.
Choosing the correct convertible crib, actually any crib in general, is a difficult task but the main things to consider apart from style and finish are the materials used and the size of the other furnishings. Making sure excellent quality materials are used for the construction of the crib is essential, especially in a convertible crib that will grow with the baby. The size of the accompanying pieces, such as dressers or bookcases, is important too. Parents should make sure the pieces have enough room for storage and are adult sized pieces, such as those carried by Baby’s Dream Furniture. By making sure the size of the complementary furniture is adult sized, parents will be saving money for there will be no need to buy furnishings later on.
Deciding what style of crib is best is a matter of personal choice, just remember the details. What will you use your crib for? Do you prefer a basic crib to start off? Or do you want to save money in the long run and buy a piece of furniture that will grow with your child, such as a convertible crib? Do the case pieces, such as dressers, have enough storage? No matter the style of the crib, make sure it fits your needs and the baby’s needs.
Decide on the look and finish.
With the ability to make custom cribs, you can find cribs in almost any finish. These can range from traditional finishes, such as espresso, to modern finishes, such as glacier white. Do you prefer dark woods and simple lines? Look for a traditional-style crib in an espresso finish. If it's light woods and carved details you crave, then look to modern baby furniture for your nursery in a light contemporary finish. Once you choose the style and finish, it is time to focus on the features.
Safety as a priority.
A baby’s crib is about the only place you’d think of leaving your baby unattended. Therefore, safety is of upmost importance. For safety's sake the slats on a crib should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart; this is required by law on new cribs made in the United States and Canada. You will also want to avoid drop-side cribs because they pose a serious threat to your baby and were banned by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Instead, parents have the option of using safety-gate cribs. These cribs are revolutionary as they allow the parent to reach the baby with the same easiness of a drop-down crib, but the baby is in a safer environment.
Nevertheless, the gold standard for safety measures is a certification from the Juvenile Products Manufacturer’s Association (JPMA). The JPMA Certification Seal on a product tells consumers this product has been verified as conforming to the requirements established by ASTM, through independent laboratory testing and follow-up on-site inspection of the manufacturer's production line. These standards are stricter and safer than the mandatory safety standards promulgated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Federal law mandates that all baby cribs sold in the United States must conform to the less stringent CPSC standards.
The JPMA symbol of certification is a symbol of confidence that the juvenile products have met these performance standards, surpassing those less demanding of the CPSC. The best juvenile products are JPMA Certified!
For more information, please check out the JPMA Website.
Posted by Michelle Kersey on Fri, Aug 19, 2011
Moving on up!
The day has come… my son is no longer a toddler. {insert sad face here} When my husband and I bought our first home, our son was 6 months old. We decided since he never got a nursery designed for him, we’d wait until he was a bit older to “help” pick out the paint colors and have some say in the design of his room. I can’t believe time has flown so quickly by that we have reached that day.
At 21 months old, we transformed my sons Baby’s Dream Kathryn crib to a toddler bed. That was an interesting experience and actually made me dread transitioning again to his “big boy” bed. I finally decided it was time when my son was choosing to sleep on the floor instead of in his toddler bed. I guess the mattress had finally worn out its welcome after 3 ½ years.
We decided to “surprise” him with a new room instead of doing it a little bit at a time and picked a weekend that he would be able to stay at grandmas and then come home for the big reveal. We were a little backwards during preparation as our first stop was to Lowe’s to pick out paint instead of bedding. He had a great time looking through the paint colors, and with a little guidance we ended on a gallon of a fun blue color in Olympics No VOC paint instead of purple. While I was there, I picked up some Magnetic paint to make him a spot on his wall to play with letters, as I saw Young House Love do in their office.
I spent a few days looking through bedding sets online. I didn’t want to buy an expensive one in case of stains, so Walmart, Target, and Overstock were the places I checked out online. Once I narrowed down to 3 or 4 choices, we let our son pick which one he liked best. Don’t tell him, but that’s not the one we got… here’s where doing things backwards came into play… it didn’t go with the paint color. So, we picked his second favorite. Which, coincidentally, his stuff animal said he preferred.
It was all slowly coming together for design and the final little details fell into place. I found some bins at target and a free bookcase from my mom and decided to make him a storage unit for all his toys and books. We took the back off the bookcase to let the wall color show behind it and give it a more “built in” look. (BTW: both the bookcase and the dresser are firmly secured to the wall. Safety first!)
The final piece of the puzzle was to figure out curtains for his room. I couldn’t find anything that would go with his bedding, so I decided to make a “quilt” style curtain to go with the storage bins and bring in a few different colors so the room wasn’t all blue. I just bought a few yards of fabric from JoAnns and cut into squares and sewed them all together. Then I repurposed blackout curtains as the backing to the new curtains.
It just took an evening to put it all together, and we had GREAT paint coverage and only had to apply a coat and a half. It was a first for me.
The last thing we did was convert the bed from the toddler bed to the full sized bed. We only hit one hang up in the process... we attached the rails upside down and didn’t discover that until we tried to put the mattress on and it didn’t fit. After looking at the directions again (which, I’ll admit, we only briefly skimmed) we figured it out and a few screws later it was put together, the mattress fit perfectly and the room was done! (For Baby's Dream conversion directions click here)
I was pretty excited (and nervous) about my son transitioning to the new room and bed. But, as soon as he saw it he was so excited! He talked about his “big bed!” and loved the bookcase and storage bins. The magnetic wall was a big hit too! I was worried about his first night in the room because he I didn’t buy a guardrail or anything to prevent him from falling off. Thankfully, we haven’t had an issue with him rolling off the bed in the few months that we’ve had the room together.
The transition process was pretty simple for us, not much to really report. I was worried for no reason! My son did great, and jumped right into the bed and has really enjoyed his new room.
>>checkout Michelle's awesome photography at http://www.michellekphoto.com/
>>If you are interested in being a Baby's Dream mom blogger email kelly@babysdream.com
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Posted by Kelly Kuch on Mon, Jun 13, 2011
Here is a helpful article on the latest in crib standards written by the CPSC.
http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2011/03/the-new-crib-standard-questions-and-answers/
And a downloadable document illustrating the 5 new federal requirements for cribs: HERE.
As always, contact us if you have any questions: 800-Tel-Crib
Posted by Kelly Kuch on Wed, Jun 08, 2011
As many of you know, recent government regulations have banned the production of drop-side cribs (cribs where the entire front would slide up and down, commonly pushed in with your knee or hip). Prior to the government ban, many of these cribs were recalled from the marketplace.
Even though Baby's Dream cribs have never been part of any of these recalls we wanted to provide you with an update on where we stand regarding this topic.
All Baby's Dream crib owners can rest assured that safety is our top concern when we manufacturer any of our products, we go through stringent product testing and all of our voluntarily sent for testing by 3rd party testing labs and are JPMA certified. We are also known in the industry for our patented Safety-Gate cribs.
We have produced drop-side cribs in the past, and as a company elected to stop production of our drop-side designsin 2006. Commonly most drop-sides will only convert to a toddler bed, and as the company that developed the 1st truely convertible crib we wanted to stay true to our founding principles and at that time decided to only produce cribs that would later convert to Twin or Full-size beds as well.
Even though all of our drop-side cribs that were produced are completely safe and useable the recent government regulations refrain us from selling any replacement parts for these type of cribs. As the industry is continuously updating and improving safety standards, we respect all government standards and any movements to make the sleeping environment for babies safer.
We do appologize to any customers that this might inconvenience, which we are not able to ship parts to for the drop-side crib stage. However, if you plan on converting any of these to a toddler bed we can certainly assist you with the conversion and provide any instruction on how to do so.
As always, we stand behind our product and our customers, if you need anything please feel free to contact us at 800-Tel-Crib or
service@babysdream.com.
Posted by Kelly Kuch on Mon, Jun 06, 2011
Last month we introduced an assortment of new items to our retailers at an annual spring trade show held in Dallas. We are excited to give you a sneak peak at the new collections that are in production and will be making their way to a Baby's Dream retailer near you late summer/early fall.
New Collections Coming Soon:
Uptown Collection
A versatile new collection featuring 3 crib styles to choose from(Chelsea, Manhattan, and Brooklyn). All cribs coordinate with the same dresser options. Uptown is available in 3 colors (Cherry, Espresso, and Snowdrift).
1. The Chelsea:
Chelsea features a detailed hand carved scroll headboard (reminiscent of our Enchanted crib), and converts to a Toddler bed and Full-size adult bed. Perfect for a little girl. MSRP: $399
2. The Manhattan:
Manhattan is the second convertible crib option within the Uptown collection, it features a slight sleigh design with routed crib posts. This universal design will go well with any theme or nursery design. MSRP: $399
3. The Brooklyn:
The Brooklyn crib features large solid panels on the headboard and footboard of the crib with straight lines throughout. This crib will also convert to a Toddler bed and a Full-size bed. MSRP: $399
The Uptown case pieces offer substantial storage. Dresser options are the 5-Drawer Chest and Single Dresser with add-on Hutch option.
Check out this Hutch—It Converts into a Bookcase!
Simply remove the Hutch from the Single Dresser and it can stand alone on the ground for a convenient Bookcase, perfectly sized for toddlers to reach all their books and baskets of toys.
Our final introduction was a new crib to join the Enchanted group. This crib is called Camelot, and is a unisex design that will work perfectly for a boy or girl.
Introducing the NEW Enchanted Crib—Camelot
Camelot crib
Camelot is the new crib to the Enchanted collection. Same 4-leaf clover posts, and solid Reversible headboard, but features a straight back instead of the scrolled arch back of the original Enchanted.
Tell us what you think of our new products.
Posted by Kelly Kuch on Wed, May 25, 2011
Visit your local Baby's Dream retailer now through Memorial Day to find great Memorial Day discounts on top-selling collections.
Great discounts are available on the Legendary collection in three colors: Snowdrift, Cinnamon, and Espresso including the Legendary crib that features Baby's Dream easy-to-access Safety-Gate crib, and the popular Solid Back Panel crib, which makes into a very stately full-size bed later on. Ask your local Baby's Dream retailer what their in-store specials are this weekend.
Posted by Kelly Kuch on Wed, Feb 02, 2011
If you're looking for a Solid Back Panel Crib, there are a lot of options to choose from. We have seen a big trend of consumer's leaning for a solid back when shopping for a convertible crib, and many like this look because when you convert it to a grown-up bed, you have a nice solid headboard, and isn't an obvious crib headboard with the typical slat design.
Here are some of our solid back panel cribs:
We currently have 4 collections that feature Solid Back Panel options.
1. Legendary: several versions are available from this collection, including one with our Safety-Gate or without. Both will feature the flat-top design and are available in three finishes: Cinnamon, Espresso, or Snowdrift. For safety you will notice small slits in the middle of the solid back panel so parents can securely tie the crib bumper. These new cribs are estimated to arrive in stores in the next 2-6 weeks.
2. Renaissance: The solid back panel cribs from this collection feature the sleigh design this collection is known for and have small slits to securely tie your crib bumper. Available in three colors: Espresso, Cherry, and Snowdrift. These new cribs will be arriving at the end of Spring 2011.
3. Enchanted: This new collection features a very beautiful and unique solid back panel. It has been uniquely designed so that it is reversible. When the time comes to transform this crib to a full-size bed, you simply turn it around and use the other side so you don't see any unused holes from the crib stage! Great concept that truely helps to make this crib one that will last for years in your home. It also features bumper cutouts to safely secure your crib bumper. Available in hardwood poplar and three finish options: Cherry, Espresso, and Snowdrift. This collection is shipping to stores now.
4. 7000 Series: This crib has a raised back panel, where three pieces on the back panel are raised to create some interest and dimension. Constructed from hardwood poplar, this collection has been a top-seller and is In Stock and shipping. Available in Mahogony or Vanilla.
If you are interested in any of these cribs Visit your local Baby's Dream retailer or call us at 800-Tel-Crib.
Posted by Michelle Kersey on Mon, Nov 29, 2010
The Holiday’s are a time for family and travel. Sometimes, those two don’t make the best combination! However, there are a few things that you can do to make the holiday’s a more enjoyable time.
When my son was almost three months old, we drove over 900 miles to see our family for the holidays. While that was not the first time we had traveled during the holidays, it was the first time we had with a child. The first step to easing the travel during holidays is to drive when your child or baby would normally be sleeping. If you only have a couple hours to travel, during the day is possible. But, if you have to travel far, try to head out at your baby’s bedtime and drive through the night. Just make sure you have someone to keep you company and to take turns driving. Also, make sure you know when you are too tired to continue and stop at a rest stop.
If travel during the night isn’t an option for you, plan ahead. Make sure the gas tank is full and you leave when your baby has been awake for a little while, and fed. If you have older children, make sure you have plenty of entertainment and snacks at the ready. My personal favorite, Baby’s Einstein DVDs… they still entertain my 3 year old as well as distracting my 4 month old… and the music doesn’t drive me batty. You will never see Veggie Tales in my car. If you have to make a stop before the gas tank is empty to feed, potty, or change your child, go ahead and fill up your tank so that you won’t have to make a separate fuel stop. When you do make stops, let everyone out of the car for 10 minutes (including baby!) to stretch and get some energy out. Most of this applies to flying as well; planning, snacks, entertainment, and breaks are the key to any successful trip.
Once you’ve arrived, take some time to re-coup from the journey before embarking on the chaos of the holidays. Be warned, everyone might be a little bit tired and cranky the first day after traveling. Once you’re ready to visit family and friends, try not to overdo it. Too many places and too many people can be very exhausting. Instead of going to a few different parties or activities each day, try to attend one a day and schedule some downtime for everyone to unwind. It is tempting to go see everyone and cram as many visits in as possible. But, try to set up either a gathering at one house, or a day where everyone can stop in and visit you where you’re staying.
My Top Car Travel Items:
- Portable DVD player and DVDs
- Cooler of drinks
- Bag of Snacks: Goldfish, Gerber Puffs, fruit snacks, pretzels
- CDs or an MP3 player
- Travel bottle warmer or thermos of hot water
- Magnadoodle (the big ones also create a large play surface as well as a place to eat)
My Top Airplane Travel Items:
- Backpack filled with most of the following (I try to travel with 1 carry-on, even though I could have more with ticketed kids.)
- Portable DVD player or Laptop
- DVDs
- A few snacks
- Small toys (Lego Duplos or Krinkles are GREAT!)
- Empty water canteen
- 1 change of clothes for me and kiddos
- Bottles of breastmilk for baby… flight attendants will help get it to temperature if necessary
- Diapers, wipes, and a changing pad
Important note: when flying the typical 3oz rule does not apply towards baby food or bottles. Reasonable quantities are allowed; just make sure you declare them at security.
Posted by Michelle Kersey on Mon, Nov 22, 2010
The first few weeks after having a baby, there is no routine, no schedule, and hardly a plan to go by. What once was a very organized schedule, has turned to chaos. You do not wake up at the same time anymore. You do not eat at the same time anymore. Your life starts revolving around this little person that has joyously entered your world.
How do you get back to a normal life? Everyone says “Sleep when the baby sleeps”, I only believe that to an extent. Your sleeping pattern is what you should first work on when you want to feel normal again. You can sleep when the baby sleeps, but, only do this at night. Then, take one nap during the day when your baby naps. If you sleep every time the baby sleeps, your body will never get back on track. This is something no one tells first time moms. But, I found out how profitable it is after having my second child. I had no choice but to be awake during the day so I could care for my older son, so I had to find something that worked for me.
Once my newborn would fall asleep towards a normal hour, say 9pm, I would get ready for bed and start my sleeping cycle. Then, every time my newborn would wake up, I’d feed her, put her back to bed, and go back to sleep myself. I would keep this routine until my son woke up for the morning, usually around 9am. Then go about our day. Around 2pm, my 2year old son would be tired enough to take a nap. I would wait until I had fed my daughter and she had fallen asleep before I put my son down. No point in only having one sleeping child. Once they were both asleep, I would get at least an hour nap and feel very refreshed afterwards. A sleeping routine is the hardest to get straight. Sometimes, babies just don’t cooperate. I found that giving my daughter a bath, then feeding her after would get her sleepy enough to be out cold for 5hrs.
The next step to regaining normalcy is to get onto a food routine. I started ignoring the clock and started looking at my baby for cues. So, instead of feeding my newborn every 2 or 3 hours, I would wait until she showed signs of hunger. If she started to root or try to suck on anything near her face, I would glance at the clock to make sure it hadn’t been 30minutes, and then feed her. Sometimes it would be every 2hours, more or less. But, by waiting for her cues instead of a clock, she’d be hungry enough and calm enough to eat well. Typically, when your newborn is crying out of hunger, you’ve missed other cues and could have a more difficult feed.
After a couple weeks, you should have a sleeping and feeding routine down. Once that happens, fitting in showers and meals for yourself should become easier. In the meantime, bring your baby into the bathroom with you, she’ll enjoy the sound of the running water and you’ll get a shower in. Also, wait to eat until your baby is fed. Otherwise, you will end up staring at a plate of food while you feed your baby.
My life became more about a routine instead of a timed schedule. If I needed to go to the store, I wouldn’t leave at the exact time I wanted, but at the right moment close to the time I desired. Sometimes, we were a little late, or a little early, to dinner with family. But, I would rather not be on-time and have a happy baby than the reverse. What works for one, may not work for another. The best advice I could give a new mom is to try out a schedule or routine for a week and if it isn’t working, try something different. Life will be a constant learning experience from here on out. Take time in between your sleep deprivation and hunger to enjoy the little person before you.
Posted by Michelle Kersey on Thu, Nov 11, 2010
After having a baby, your funds may be tighter than normal. With maternity leave, daycare, becoming a stay at home mom, and hospital bills you look for ways to cut costs. With that in mind, my husband and I have been making homemade holiday gifts for the past couple of years. I became a stay-at-home mom with our first child, so I had to start getting very crafty for gifts. Not only has it saved us a ton of money, it is something very special that I enjoy doing. While I would love to tell you what I’m doing this year, my family might actually read this blog for ideas too!
So, here are some ideas that I have done or that I might do in the future… and a couple that are just too neat of an idea not to share. From siblings to parents, neighbors to friends these ideas could work for so many people!
- Homemade Candles – if you make the gel kind, you can put trinkets in it specific for each person. You can also get pillar candles and decorate the outsides with pressed flowers, cartoons, or just pretty paper.
- Personalized Stationary – Buy a box of blank thank you cards, letterhead, or mailing labels and get creative! Print at home and you have a very inexpensive, yet extremely personal, gift!
- Fleece no-sew blanket – I’m sure you’ve seen these, I have quite a few of them that I have been given as gifts and they’re great! Just check your local ads for coupons or sales on fleece!
- Coasters – Have fun picking out a paper to use (such as maps, book pages, or photos) and cut to the size of round cork coasters found at craft stores. Then Mod Podge paper onto coaster and seal over it with a couple layers of Mod Podge. You could also use tiles instead of cork: http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/03/30/diy-coasters/
- Knitted Scarves, Hats, or Blankets – Lion Brand Yarn has great videos and instructions on how to knit or crochet.
- Homemade Ornaments – A couple years ago, we made “snowglobe” ornaments for our parents and got clear glass ornaments, cut a picture to fit inside it, and added some “snow”. I’ve also seen a Reindeer ornament made out of fabric or felt where your baby’s hands are the antlers and the head is his/her foot.
- Cookie Jar – This is where you take a mason jar and fill it with all the dry ingredients needed to make a batch of cookies. Print out the recipe and tie it with a ribbon around the top and you’re done! If you layer the ingredients, it looks really neat. You can also do this with drinks, like peppermint hot chocolate. http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001011199
- Photo Calendar – With social networking what it is, you have tons of pictures at your disposal. Grab some from the receivers’ online albums and create a personalized photo calendar!
- Fridge Magnets – Using the same theory above, use photos to create personalized photo magnets for their fridge!
- Bottle cap Necklace – With a little leather string, a magnet and bottle caps, you can create a modern locket! Glue pictures or decorative paper inside of bottle caps for fun and funky swap-able charms.
- Rice Heat Therapy – create homemade heat or cold therapy packs that look great! http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=280
- Monogrammed hand towels – I did this last year, but I embroidered them with my sewing machine. You can embroider by hand, or you can follow Martha Stewarts instructions for a painted hand towel! http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/monogrammed-hand-towel?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/gifts-for-her#slide_8
- Tote Bag – Keep it green and gorgeous with a reusable tote bag! No-sew instructions using a stapler and duck tape: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/no-sew-tote-bags?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/gifts-for-her#slide_45
- Etched Wine Glasses – With just a stencil, brush and etching cream, you can personalize a set of wine glasses! For a more colorful glass, you could use paint instead. Use dollar-store or flea-market glasses for an inexpensive, yet beautiful gift. http://www.ehow.com/how_5323175_make-etched-wine-glasses.html
- Book Safe – Your spouse may enjoy this one. Find a thick hardback book and cut out pages to create a “safe” where things can be stored and hidden! Very fun! http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Hollow-Book
Enjoy and happy crafting!!!