Fit for a king; put together by a fool
Written: Apr 11 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: easy as pie to assemble; tough; cheap
Cons: none
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| sgersh's Full Review: Graco Classic Toddler Bed |
Never mind the fact that this is one of the safest, most stable piece of furniture I've ever bought, let alone for fifty bucks. Let me tell you why this bed is so great and you'll think so too within minutes of getting it home.
First, where to get it
I've had a hard time finding this exact model anywhere. I've searched for it online (why schlep to the store, when you can hire schleppers for you?), without success. I almost broken down and bought the glow-in-the-dark model, but it's twice as expensive and I figured if I wanted light in the bedroom after dark, I could give Sam a flashlight like I had.
I finally found it at K-Mart. $50. Can't beat the price and since it's mostly stiffened plastic, it's pretty easy to get out of the store and load into your car.
The best part
You're not going to believe me when I tell you this. The instructions are legible. I know you're saying to yourself
Sgersh, that is impossible. There is an International Standards Body of Child Product Sadists that require instructions to be written in some form of Cuniform that makes the game Concentration seem like the TV Guide crossword puzzle.
but it's true. The instructions seem to be written by people familiar with the English language and the pictures actually resemble the pieces that come in the box. I had the entire piece together in under 20 minutes. And I can't even make a sandwich in under 20 minutes.
Note: Keep the small allen wrench that comes with the bed taped to the instruction manual (you know, the one you stick into that drawer in the kitchen), so if you need to take the bed apart, you don't have to go hunting for the tools.
The bed
The bed itself has a stiff metal frame, but it is hidden beneath the mattress. Your child will only come into contact with stiffened plastic. I worried about him banging his teeth on some sharp, cold metal, but that isn't a problem with this bed.
The bed takes a standard crib mattress, but we must have bought the extra tall mattress because the crib guards just barely poke up on either side of it, making them not very helpful. Fortunately, they protrude just enough to keep a motoring sleeping baby from plummeting the six inches to the floor.
The dilemma
How do transition from crib to bed? Hmmm... that could be the subject for an editorial, but let me give you my garden fence advice:
Keep both in the room for a few weeks. Make the toddler bed a cozy place for your child's stuffed animals to sleep. Have them lay down in the bed when you read to them. When they're ready, they cozy on up to the bed and you can dismantle that crib until the next baby needs it. Junior is growing up fast.
Now if I can only figure out where that special hex wrench is to dismantle the crib....
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sgersh
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Location: Bay Area, California
Reviews written: 120
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:
Up until now, I did stuff, some of which I talk about on here.
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