Da Crib

I always knew that I would be super picky when it came to choosing the decor for my baby's nursery. Before I got pregnant, I was already scouring the Pottery Barn Kids, Serena & Lily, & Posh Tots websites for ideas on bedding, color schemes, etc. What I found was a revelation: baby stuff is freaking expensive, expansive, and confusing. Some of the websites feature ornate furniture for amazing amounts of money...amazing meaning, oh my gosh, people can actually afford that??? I received a Posh Tots "design inspiration catalog" and it was full of beautiful children in beautiful rooms that were nicer than anything I could ever imagine. Like the hand crafted Cinderella coach carriage bed. Or the pirate ship play house. Or the hand painted crib and dresser sets. Or the $1000 chandeliers.

My husband and I don't even have a "real" bedroom suite. What we have is a dresser and nightstand that was mine when I was 19 and another nightstand that doesn't match exactly, but works, which was purchased (on clearance) at the Bombay Company before it went out of business. We also have several lamps. And no headboard. But our bedding is from Pottery Barn and is beautiful, so that makes me feel better about the whole situation.

Anyway, back to the nursery. I bought a book called "Baby Bargains 2011" the week after I found out I was pregnant. I love this book and would recommend it to any and all mamas to be out there. (It's also been featured on Oprah, that probably makes it more legit.) Among other things, the book lists furniture manufactuers with ratings, where the furniture is made, etc. It's really helpful, but it makes a decision filled with choices even more confusing.

My mom wanted me to go ahead and pick out a set for a boy and a girl so we went to Kids Furniture Plus because they have some of the best brands available (Young America, Romina, etc). However, unless you are prepared to spend about $2500 on baby furniture, you should probably look elsewhere. In my case (and at the request of Mama), elsewhere turned out to be a furniture wholesale store. I found two sets that both Chad and I like, that are made in the U.S.A. and are good quality by a manufacturer called Legacy Classic. It's not exactly cheap, but it's cheap-ER than buying from a baby boutique. My decision was sealed when I saw the EXACT furniture set on the Posh Tots website. The crib was retailing for around $900. Yeah, SOOOO not paying that! Price quote from the furniture store? $499. Oh another discovered secret - those fabulous overstuffed fabric gliders and matching ottomans that are prominently on display at places like Buy Buy Baby? They look like they are from Pottery Barn (which, by the way, got a very poor rating in the Baby Bargains book on their furniture) and have a price tag of about $500-600 for just the chair? Those chairs are made by Best Home Furnishings and you can get them at furniture wholesalers for $200-300 cheaper (and you can still choose your own fabric). You can't beat me baby furniture mercenaries!

So anyway...the point of this post is this: don't let the baby superstores and boutiques fool you. Do your homework, do some research, and listen to your mama. You can find exactly what you want at a price that won't hinder your baby from going to college one day. I'm excited to know which set I get to order - boy or girl!