Funny story: Last Friday during lunch I decided to roam around on Craig's List to see what sort of baby goodies I might find. We have decided not to get anything until we find out what the gender is, however when I found this Orange Bumbo I thought... but orange can go either way :) Anyways I just emailed the seller to see if they still had it or not because I knew that we had seen these seats that were all the new rage all over the place, however I had never seen an orange one. So I get a phone call about 15 minutes later and it was Christina. We talk all the time so I didn't think anything of it until she said, "hey are you looking for a Bumbo seat?" I laughed and said yes, but still didn't catch on that SHE was the seller. This was Isaac's seat that she received from her friend and he never quite got into sitting in it... so NOW its Baby Isham's. Thank you Todd family.. we are so excited :)Okay all of you mom's out there.. I know of Craig's list, ebay and such, but where are some other places to find good deals on baby items?
We are also in the midst of thinking about a crib and nursery furniture and are in limbo as to whether we should try and find a used one that we can afford, or if we should go all out and buy a really nice one that can make it through all of the Isham children. I am all about being realistic so I am asking you for the truth... can you really re-use the crib with each child? Also where is the best place to find the most reliable, nice and good quality furniture? Have any suggestions on where to look that you have already found?
12 comments:
Hey lindsey,
I love my crib and i got it at target, but i wish now that i would have bought one that converts into a full bed not a toddler bed but they make them that converts into a full size bed and i have seen them and they are so neat and in the long run it will save you money because they can sleep in it for however long they are in your house. also just curious what is craigs list??
Lindsey-
I think you are on the right track if you are wanting to buy used furniture. Craig's List is an excellent source, but you could also try Freecycle (which is actually people GIVING things away), or some of the large consignment sales in the area (the WF one is the first weekend in October).
Some things, though, to think about with used furniture:
Kids furniture is recalled frequently--in fact, Georgia's crib is under a voluntary recall--so you would want to fully research the make and model of the crib you buy. If you buy a new crib yourself, you would have better knowledge of any potential problems/recalls. Also, generally you would not want to buy a used mattress, so you would need to incorporate the cost of new mattress into your budget. I recommend asking someone at Babies R Us to explain the difference in mattresses to you, because baby mattresses are completely different than "grown up" mattresses.
One last 'comment'--convertible cribs are very popular, and it is hard right now to find cribs that don't convert. My issues with a convertible crib is this: yes, the crib can grow with the child, and can be the bed they have for their entire life. But what about your next child? Do you buy another convertible crib for that child? (Convertible cribs are more expensive than 'plain cribs') We opted to buy a new, regular crib that does not convert because we want several children. They will each use the crib, and then we will get their bigger beds as needed (those aren't hard to come by, especially from family members who are giving away furniture). We already have G's big girl bed--it was my bed--and the crib is fine for B.
Okay, sorry this is so long! Hope you have a great weekend. Too funny about the Bumbo seat, but I am so glad you got one! Georgia loved hers:-)
Lindsey,
I have gone to both ends of the spectrum. We bought Caleb's at Babies R Us. It is one that converts to a toddler/day bed and with the purchase of rails, into a full bed. It was quite exspensive. When he started teething, he ended up scratching the rails with his teeth. We bought one of those teething bumpers but he just pulled it off (as well as the finish on the crib).
For Georgia Kate, we looked everywhere because we were on a pretty tight budget. We found one we love at Wal-mart that converts, also. It was really reasonably priced and has held up really well so far. Caleb climbs up in it all the time and bounces around.
Target sells a couple of the same cribs Babies R Us sells for a much better price.
I bought a lot of our kids clothes at consignment sales from churches... also a great place to find used walkers, strollers and exersaucers for awesome prices!
Hope this helped!
I agree strongly with Leah. I received a crib that converts for a baby gift.(Side note-you will receive more than you ever thought you would from baby showers)Register for everything you want and wait till the last month before you actually go and buy something. You are in the very beginning stage and even though you don't feel like it you do have time to wait. (Another Side note- if you end up with a lot of baby showers, ask the hostess (hint,hint UVB)for the guest to give a combination gift such as the stroller, crib, bassinet, swing, highchair, etc.) It is a great way for you to get the larger items and no one person break the bank.
I only used my crib for a very short time with Allison because we always had another child that needed it. I feel at this time it was a waste of money. I do suggest buying on with drawers under it though. (Huge space saver.)
Sorry, I have no suggestion on the bumbo. I never had one. They were not in style until Katherine was born and by then I figured the other two did just fine without it that the last two would be the same.
Lindsey, We actually got our crib at Kmart for like $90 and it has held up through 2 kids so far. It does not convert but it very sturdy and been fine. I would probably buy a crib and mattress new but other things used. I second the one that said register for everything because you will get a ton of stuff with your first child. I would suggest the big consignment sale in Raleigh. The next one will be in Jan and I will be glad for you to have one of my consigner passes to get in early. I don't usually shop, just sell. They have a huge selection of everything.
Wow, Lindsey us Moms have lots of advice... I am looking at all of the other comments and thinking you might not be up for one more BUT here it goes...
I can tell you that I sold furniture for 5 years and there is a lot to know. You can go either way- new/used but you have to know what to look for. You can certainly buy used, but it would need to be a good quality pc for it to last for a couple more children. Some things to look for- hardwood (not soft like pine), dovetail construction on dresser, changing table, drawers etc. I have seen some very nice ones at consignment stores and if you have any around there I would check them out. It never failed that when I would find one, it would inevitably be sold. SO, we bought a new set that did set us back a little, but like you I wanted to be able to use it for all of the Thompson children. We bought a convertible crib that will be a bed later, but we have another bedroom suite (mine from childhood) that we will use for Connor until we know the sex of the next baby (no we arent preggo yet Ha!) We bought a dresser to be used as a changing table with shelves on top that can be used as a "real dresser" later and not look babyish. We bought ours at USA Baby (a national chain that sells good quality childrens furn). The brand is Munire. However, it did have a recall but it was nothing major and from what I can tell most of them do. A MUST is the Baby Bargains book that you can buy at Borders/ Barnes Noble, etc. It was endorsed by Oprah, thus making it very popular. It was my baby bible (for lack of a better word) when I registered. It rates everything from real Moms that have used the stuff. They are not biased and will give you their opinion. Jessie bought this book and loves it too! Ok, I think that is it... Sorry so long, I should have emailed. By the way, good choice on the bumbo! Connor absolutely LOVED his and you will too! Good luck!
hey! we find stuff on craigslist all the time. we have found an almost new exersaucer and a jumperoo and we are very pleased with it and if you search enough, you can find some excellent prices! also on craigslist there is an area where people post notices about their upcoming garage sales in the area. if you check on friday night to see where the sales are they usually have lists of the items they sell, so if you're looking for something in particular then you can customize your garage saleing! (i know saleing isn't a word haha) we also have just swapped out some things with some friends that have had babies. like trey didn't like his swing, so we let our friend use it with their new baby, and i didn't have a bumbo seat, so my friend let me use hers till her baby is old enough to use it... by the way- garage sales in the area are so wonderful! my friend got her bumbo seat at one for $3 dollars!! thats a super good deal! good luck bargaining!
hey! we find stuff on craigslist all the time. we have found an almost new exersaucer and a jumperoo and we are very pleased with it and if you search enough, you can find some excellent prices! also on craigslist there is an area where people post notices about their upcoming garage sales in the area. if you check on friday night to see where the sales are they usually have lists of the items they sell, so if you're looking for something in particular then you can customize your garage saleing! (i know saleing isn't a word haha) we also have just swapped out some things with some friends that have had babies. like trey didn't like his swing, so we let our friend use it with their new baby, and i didn't have a bumbo seat, so my friend let me use hers till her baby is old enough to use it... by the way- garage sales in the area are so wonderful! my friend got her bumbo seat at one for $3 dollars!! thats a super good deal! good luck bargaining!
Well damom had to have new stuff for austin so we bought a convertor crib at wal-mart it was a graco I think for only like $125.00. Austin used it as a crib and toddler bed til he was 3 and then we found out I was pregnant so now adan uses it andit is still holding up strong.
Wow- lots of mommy advice! Here is my 2 cents worth! I wanted a big convertible crib for my boys, but they are a lot more expensive. I opted for 2 standard cribs that were still $250 each- however, I opted for these less expensive ones so I could register for them..and my inlaws were gracious enough to buy them for us! I'm SO glad I went for these now as my boys have used the rails for teething! The black paint is chipped everywhere . I can't imagine having to use these for years as they grow. As for the rest of the future Raymond children, I will touch up the cribs we have. You can by the teething protectors for cribs but my boys just pulled them off. I would definitely go less expensive on the crib- you will live and learn! Hope that helps!
Lindsey, from a grandmother, the friend of Suzanne, Chris, and Mason... Yes, it is possible to re-use a crib for each child. We still have our baby bed that was used by our first baby, our second baby, three grandchildren when they came to visit, and even little nieces and nephews. Anne Horner PS: Your planned trip sounds fantastic!
I forgot to mention IKEA! They have a lot of really cute baby things but they don't sell a lot of things online... you have to visit a store.
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