Pimp my crib

After much research, deliberation, and negotiation, we have a crib and changing table on the way for Sticky Bun. Here's the background story:
My mom called me and asked if I had visited Potterybarnkids.com. I said no because I knew our budget and it did not include the prices at Pottery Barn. Well, mom said that she and my dad wanted to buy a crib for us and that the crib would be my parents' shower gift. I had been putting off looking into big ticket items like cribs, strollers, car seats because I knew it would be quite a bit of reading (books, seller sites, and recalls) and, well, be a bit depressing when looking at the costs! But it was nice to hear my mom getting excited about SB so I followed her directions and went onto the site.
The crib was $1,000.
I told her that I love her very much, thank you, but I cannot let her throw down that kind of cash on ONE item that their beloved grandchild wouldn't appreciate anyway. Let's be honest, it's more for me and The Man. And, to be excruciatingly honest, the beauty of the crib would mainly be for me! I told her I would call her back.
I love my mama and daddy and knew that The Man and I now had to get off our asses and start to research. Because they are retired, middle class folk who should not be kickin' down that kind of money for a crib.
Research: I cracked open my book, Baby Bargains, which is not only helpful with deals but also goes into great length about safety. The Man hopped onto consumerreports.com and read all about the cribs they tested for safety and comfort ratings. From this we knew that we wanted a convertible crib: they start as a standard full-size crib, then grows with your child to a toddler bed, then a day bed and finally to a full-sized bed with headboard and footboard. We also wanted to have adjustable, four-position, metal mattress support. Yes, the crib from Pottery Barn fit the bill but we so did other cribs in the $300-$450 range.
Deliberation: The Man was extremely uncomfortable with the idea of my parents buying the Pottery Barn crib. They have helped us out so much already, especially with the house, and he just felt like it was not a need but a luxury. I wasn't that taken as aback because my parents liket to splurge every so often but I saw his point and completely agreed. But we knew we couldn't just tell her no. So we looked at all the cribs at Babies R Us and found two that we liked that met our requirements and looked similar enough to the crib my mom had her eye on.
Negotiation: I called my mom back, gave her the links and asked her to check out the cribs. I told her how The Man and I had researched and found that these cribs were not only lovely but also considered the safest for SB. She was shocked that these cribs were less than half the cost of the crib she had checked out and they were still 4-in-1 (a must in her eyes because it was more crib/bed for her buck!) My mom told me she would look at them more closely and call me back. When she did, she told me she found a crib very similar to the ones we showed her on the military shopping website. This meant no tax and no shipping cost. It was a tad bit more but still very reasonable. So reasonable, in fact, that she decided she wanted to buy the matching changing table because the two together was STILL significantly less than $1,000.
And that is how Sticky Bun (and any future baby down the road) got her crib and changing table because I'm all about hand-me-downs!


THANKS, soon-to-be-second-time-around Nana and Papa. We love and appreciate you both!