Jenny Lind Changing Table: a secure baby station that's easy on both your back sides
Written: Jan 02 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: spacious shelves, sturdy changing pad, straps, rail guards, matching crib set, affordable
Cons: only safe for baby until he reaches 20 lb.
The Bottom Line: This essential nursery item is affordable and combines a safe place to change an under 20lb. baby with useful storage space
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| ngurevic's Full Review: Delta Luv Jenny Lind Baby Changing Table 7750 |
Preparations for a first baby include deciding and getting (buying or, preferably, having it bought for you) everything you need for a nursery. One may want to start with suggested registry lists that are available pretty much at any store (in the real world or online). Such lists inevitably include every baby-related product ever invented. Obviously, the stores want you to buy it all. I mean, duh! So your job is to decide what items you actually need, which items you have space for and which are mere extras, what you (and your army of baby shower buyers) can afford, and then to top it all off, which of the available choices in each product you will go for.
For some reason there are people who consider a changing table extravagant and unnecessary like the bassinet (a piece of furniture that will only be used for a very short time in your baby's life, which my own baby-raising advice book called "something you should only get if you have the extra money to spend). That's not to say that some people do not get a lot of use and benefits from a bassinet... but in general it is not something considered essential. Well, apparently, to some neither is the changing table.
So, in this review I will discuss the following: why a changing table is an essential item for your nursery, the benefits of this particular changing table in comparison to others, and the my concerns with it.
THE NEED FOR A CHANGING TABLE
One of the first pieces of advice I received on the matter of putting together a nursery was from a friend of my sister's who said "don't bother with a changing table; just get a portable changing pad and change your baby anywhere in the house". She said she used the kitchen table, the bed, the sofa, or wherever she was when the time came to change the baby. But the thought of changing diapers on my bed or, the horror, the kitchen table really didn't sit well with me. So I figured I'd get a changing table despite her advice... and then, after reading an advice book given to me at my hospital, I found out there were even better reasons to invest in this specialized nursery furniture item. These reasons involve the safety of the baby as well as the health of the caretaker.
1. It is best to have a standardized area to change baby in so that you can have everything you require for the job within arm's reach. This way you have a cleaner more hygienic space for the job and you never have to leave the baby unattended. Never ever leave the baby unattended.
2. A changing station should be high enough so that the diaper changer does not have to hurt his or her back when changing the baby. You will do so a lot (at 8 feedings a day, count on at least 16 changes in 24 hours) and the health of your back will be at stake if you have to bend too far down.
3. A good changing table comes with storage space which is quite useful in a nursery.
So there. I had already decided on getting a changing table when I considered these issues, but I was glad to know that experts too deemed this item essential.
THE BENEFITS OF THE JENNY LIND TABLE
The main reason I chose the Jenny Lind changing table is that it is part of the Jenny Lind set. I did more research on cribs than on changing tables, and I selected the Jenny Lind crib (http://www.epinions.com/kifm-Nursery-Cribs-All-Da_Vinci_Jenny_Lind_Canopy_Crib_M0306) because of its price, features, and very good reviews (I believe it is one of the most popular crib choices on the market, and since it has been around a long time its perseverance makes it even more attractive). The changing table from the Jenny Lind set seemed an obvious choice for me to complete the set (the crib and changing table are the only pieces of furniture I registered for). Nevertheless I did some additional research and decided that I like this changing table based on its own merits as well. So here they are:
1. Type of changing table and price: There are basically 3 types of changing tables to choose from. (a) the table shaped kind (no drawers or shelves; it's just a changing surface with legs); these are the cheapest kinds of changing tables but they tend to be less sturdy and they offer no storage space; (b) the dresser type (with drawers and a changing surface at the top); these tend to be more sturdy but also more expensive; I also noticed that few of these have rail guards; and (c) the shelves type (like the one I'm reviewing, where there is a changing surface and then shelves below it).
I, obviously, opted for the 3rd type. I did not like the table-shaped type because it seemed like a waste of space. I don't have that much space in my nursery (also computer room) so I wanted to be able to use the space below the changing surface for storage. The dresser type did not appeal to me because such changing tables are just too expensive.
But the shelf type makes use of the space below the changing area quite well, and was very affordable (in the region of $70 instead of $200). I got some baskets to better organize the stuff on the shelves, and to help protect stuff from dust (the only benefit to drawers over shelves, as far as I'm concerned, is that they protect items from dust).
2. Rail guards: The Jenny Lind changing table comes with rail guards. While dresser type changing areas are just flat surfaces, the type I bought has an added protection against the baby sliding off the table. Of course this protection is not enough. One should still never leave the baby unattended even for a second.
3. Strap: I like that the Jenny Lind changing table has straps that you can use to secure your baby in place while changing him. This, along with the rails, adds some peace of mind. However, I have yet to use these straps because for now my baby is just too small for the straps to do any good. Still at some point I expect they'll come in handy. Again, the straps are no substitute for your hand on the baby; they are just an extra security.
4. Changing pad: I like the changing pad that came with this table. It's a good size, it's padded, and it's lined with vinyl so it is waterproof and quite easy to clean. And of course because of the rails the pad does not move around when the baby is squirming, which is quite helpful especially to an inexperienced diaper-changer as I used to be a couple of months ago.
Now I already have a tiny tear in the current pad (I did something stupid practically the first time I used it) but I just sealed it with some tape and it's been OK for a couple of months now. If I end up having to replace the pad I can always buy the "folding changing pad" that's so common in stores these days. I noticed that as far as changing pads on the market go, the one for this table is the largest which is good news because it means any changing pad I buy will fit the table. That means if a replacement becomes necessary I have a lot of options open to me.
THE PROBLEMS WITH THE JENNY LIND TABLE
I really had only one concern with this product:
Weight limit: The literature that came with this changing table specifies that it is only safe to use on a baby that is below 20 lb. Now I don't know how old a baby has to normally be to reach 20 lb., but I'm guessing that most still require changing past that weight. If so, then at some point I will need to purchase a sturdier (and probably much more expensive) piece of furniture for the job. Or is it possible that at the point when your baby reaches 20 lb. you no longer need a changing table to change diapers? In any case, the weight limit for this table seems awfully restricting. If I have to buy a different table later then I will not have saved any money buying this item.
SUMMARY
1. A changing table is an essential item in your arsenal of baby products
2. If you have the space from the start you should go with a sturdier product that can hold your child past 20 lb. (so you can continue to use it until your baby no longer needs changing)
3. Other than the above concern (the weight limit) this is a perfect table because it is affordable, has good safety features, and offers great storage space below the changing surface
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ngurevic
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Member: Naomi Gurevich
Reviews written: 61
Trusted by: 26 members
About Me:
I finished my Doctorate (in Linguistics) and had a kid. now what?!
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