My "baby" is growing up...and so should her bed.
Written: May 10 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to assemble, very cute, durable.
Cons: Reminds me that my baby is getting bigger!
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| mrstozier3's Full Review: Graco Glow-in-the Dark Toddler Bed |
The time has finally arrived. The time when I realize that my "baby" is actually growing up. Growing up and out of her crib that is.
Finally at almost three years old, our daughter discovered how to climb out of her crib with ease. And thought it was great fun too! In the course of one week, three nights in a row, some time between 12:00 midnight and 2:00 am, I would hear the pitter patter of her tiny footsteps headed toward my bedroom door. She would pause at the doorknob for a second, ( I'd imagine it was hard for her to figure out how to open the door in the dark!) turn it slowly, and the inevitable sweet, tiny voice could be heard almost whispering "Mama...I got out of my crib...heeheehee...I wanna sleep with you now." Being the pushover that I am, she did.
After 3 days, I was tired, Daddy was tired and at 6:30 the next morning Morgan was as grumpy as can be. She isn't the easiest person to sleep with.
We finally decided it was time...time for us to pull out the toddler bed her grandmother had bought for her second birthday. The one we put off putting up for almost a year. After all...she was perfectly happy in her crib and up to that point had never even attempted to crawl out.
My Mother in law saw this bed in a catalog and immediately wanted Morgan to have it. They had spent many nights at her home looking up at the stars and talking about space and the moon and planets. What a better gift than the Graco Glow-In-The-Dark Toddler Bed. It was ordered that day.
Assembly of this bed was incredibly easy. In fact it was so easy that while my husband slept on the couch, taking his usual Sunday afternoon nap, I took down her crib and put this bed together by myself.
Everything you need comes with the bed. Instructions; which are very easy to read, understand and follow. All of the hardware; including a hex wrench, which is used for assembling every part of the bed. And all of the pieces that eventually turn into a very sweet little bed. Except for the mattress. That comes separately. If you are no longer going to use your child's crib, then you can use the crib mattress that you already have. BUT...if you plan on having another child, and having that second child use the crib that your first formerly occupied, before your first is out of this toddler bed..your out of luck. Luckily my Mother in law had this thought and bought another mattress just for this bed.
The one and only complaint I have about this bed and the assembly of it, would be the way the mattress support and crossbars are supposed to be assembled. This, for me was difficult. First you are supposed to line up the two larger side rails. Easy enough. Then put in all of the crossbars and line them up to the holes on each of the side rails, and push them together. Sounds pretty easy. But it's not. These are rounded bars which like to roll around. I think it probably would have been easier had there been another person to help me. I did get it together, but that part was most frustrating for me. Every time I got one bar in place another would fall out. I finally put all of the crossbars in on one side of the side rail then positioned the other side rail as close as I could to the other end of the cross bars. It's difficult to explain, but I did get it together.
The construction is wonderful. It's very durable "blow-molded" plastic, very cute and looks as though it would be very easy to clean. (We haven't had to try this yet.) It's also very light and easy to move when trying to make the bed. The supports are all made of metal and look to be very sturdy.
As far as how my daughter feels about this bed...the jury is still out. She loves her "big girl bed" during the day...but the last few nights at bed time have been rather hectic. She loves the stars and moon on her headboard that glow in the dark...until they fade out. I think the security of her crib made her feel safe. There's too much freedom in her new bed. She'll get used to it I'm sure, and while it's not a fault of this bed, per say, it is something we all have to get used to.
I don't mind though. Even if we still get an occasional visit in the middle of the night, I know she won't get hurt climbing out of this bed. And my peace of mind is worth more than a few hours of sleep any day.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mrstozier3
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Member: Michelle Tozier
Location: Patten, Maine
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 20 members
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