Do cribs actually survive past toddler stage?

[tiptoetulips]

We are thinking about getting a hardwood crib from an Amish company but it will be $$ compared to Amazon. Most of the cribs on Amazon we've looked at are softer wood so I'm assuming won't look great after a few years.

[Deleted]

My IKEA crib looks great after 2 kids, but my kids aren't chewers. Some kids will make it look like you kept beavers in there.

[countthestars]

DD has been in her crib for two years and it looks brand new. She is not a crib biter or climber though - I know some people have teeth marks on their crib from standing toddlers.

[mlt]

Our crib still looks good after two kids. It did need some repair work because DS1 was a little beaver. We'll still use it for a hypothetical number 3.

[karinothing]

Our crib has a few teeth marks, but you really don't notice unless you look for them.

[arch01]

We're 3.5 years in and ours still looks brand new. It's now converted to a toddler bed. DS isn't a climber or chewer.

[jenn248]

Jul 7, 2015 10:28:05 GMT -5 countthestars said:

DD has been in her crib for two years and it looks brand new. She is not a crib biter or climber though - I know some people have teeth marks on their crib from standing toddlers.

Same here.

Unless you plan on having lots of kids, I don't see the point of getting a really nice/expensive crib (unless maybe it's a convertible); it's not really a piece of furniture that you can plan on keeping forever, like a nice dining room set or bedroom set.  

[turtlegirl]

DS1 did some chewing on the crib. DS2 didn't. Between the two of them it was used for 4.5 years straight. And it still looks good enough to be used for baby #3.

[biogirl21]

J has chewed the crib up in the corner closest to the door. It's just chew marks though, no missing wood. I plan to either use it for our second or just keep it with him and turn it to a full when the time comes.

[mcfelix]

We got an expensive convertible crib for DS. He is almost two and it looks great. I ordered crib rail bumpers/teething guards from etsy so that he couldn't chew the actual crib. (and to be honest I just liked how they looked decor-wise, since regular bumpers are unsafe).

DH and I are still very happy with the furniture we picked out. It was expensive but we plan to keep it for a long time.

[amaranth]

Ours is painted, so very easy to mar, and it has no marks. Our son teethed early and got that out of the way before he was tall enough to bite it.

My parents had a very nice crib they used for all their kids, then donated it to their church. I remember it holding up pretty well. One sister was a gnawer and they got some sort of plastic casing for the top bar. Maybe they still make that?

[dcn]

Our crib looks great after almost three years. We will use for baby no two as well,

[krisim]

My almost 5.5 year old is still sleeping in her crib (converted to toddler bed). We plan to keep it as a toddler bed for one more year (until we buy a house next spring).  Then we can convert it to a full size bed frame.  It's a beautiful canopy style crib so I don't want to get rid of it, I'm glad we splurged on it because it really completed the look we were going for in her room! That said, DD2 got a cheapy crib from Walmart and it still looks good 4 years later.

[undecidedowl]

You won't know if your kid is the type that will chew it to death until it's too late. We got a cheap-ish crib and the only marks on it are from DH's belt scraping on the front.

[dcrunnergirl52]

DS2's cheap crib (Graco Lauren) has been in continual use for almost 5 years, first for DD and then for DS2, and it still looks great. It has a few bite marks, but other than that, it looks almost new.

[starlily]

Neither of my girls are chewers, so their cribs haven't had any damage.

DD1's converted into her headboard & footboard, and still looks good after 4-1/2 years.

[simpsongal]

I think cribs have a relatively short shelf life b/c of changing regulations (car seats are similar).

DS chewed his a little - it's one of the reasons we sprang for a more expensive American "finished" (but not made) crib. But it still looks fine.

[Brie]

I think cribs are, by nature, a temporary piece of furniture and not worth shelling out tons of money for.

We have a cheap Graco Lauren and it's on its second kid. There are a couple of scratches and bite marks but it's fully functional and not horrific looking or anything.

[heygrey]

My child is part beaver and I am so thankful I didn't spend a lot of money on a crib.

[mandapanda18]

Our crib still looks brand new. It is an Amazon crib, not soft wood (I don't think). My kid has never chewed or climbed it... so that could be the reason?

[Jem]

Our mini-crib is 5 years old and still going strong with DS2. It even looks really nice, though there are a few bite marks. It was inexpensive, yet one of our longest lasting baby pieces.

[ilikedonuts]

We have two pricey cribs. One has softer wood and that's the one that was chewed on a bit the one day I was washing the rail covers. We just touched it up and now it's set up as a full bed and it looks perfectly fine.

DD2s crib is harder wood and it looks brand new almost 2 years in.

[Deleted]

I have a $99.00 Overstock crib that survived two kids and still looks fine.

I do not have chewers or jumpers though. I honestly don't know if it would survive a jumper. I have a niece who used to jump like crazy and practically shake the house walls.

I will say my sister just special ordered a Mennonite made crib and it's awesome. If you have the money and the time...go for it. It's great.

[pooh8402]

My crib is a hammy down from my sister, who used it for 2 kids. It still looks great.

[Alyssa]

We have a convertible crib that my daughter had 5 years ago and then my son took it and now it's his full size bed. My kids weren't chewers. The only real damage is from myself accidentally hitting the legs with the vacuum. REally look into getting a crib that you can change into a toddler bed and then to a full size bed, it's really handy.

[lilac05]

Jul 7, 2015 11:03:39 GMT -5 Brie said:

I think cribs are, by nature, a temporary piece of furniture and not worth shelling out tons of money for.

We have a cheap Graco Lauren and it's on its second kid. There are a couple of scratches and bite marks but it's fully functional and not horrific looking or anything.

I agree.  

DS1 was a chewer.  DS2 is not.  It's still fine, though there are obvious chew marks on it.  I'm SO glad that I bought the Graco Lauren crib instead of the $$$ convertible one that I thought I really wanted.  In my opinion, about 99% of the cribs that have been converted into big beds still look like converted cribs.  It wasn't a long-term look that I liked.  So, $125 on a crib for 2 kids...then they'll each get a big kid bed when they move up.

[whitemerlot]

My kids destroyed the crib. One chewed the wood on the sides so much and the other scraped up the front. I'm so glad I went cheap. It was used by both kids for 5 1/2 years total.

[aspentosh]

We spent a lot of money, IMO, on a nice crib and I wish we hadn't. She chewed on it a little, but it's also such a temporary piece of furniture. We could make it into a toddler bed and then twin, but because of the few chew marks we probably won't.