Crib Advice

 Our crib has a drop rail and I use it all the time--my son is almost 11 months.  I also bought a crib that converts to the full, etc....but we never used it.  Not even for a toddler bed.  You might be different, however. 

Really, it comes down to personal preference!  You don't need a changing table, either.  Ours usually became a catch all and we finally took it out.  I ended up primarily changing him on the floor.

I don't have kids but when I nannied infants and newborns I never used a changing table.  I like to have all the wipes and the dipe laid out beforehand OUT of reach of the baby so for me it was always easier to use a changing mat on the floor.  Then I wasn't worried about them rolling off or if they started to pee on me I could jump back without them rolling off.  Also if there's a really nasty mess (what my mom calls the up-the-back-diarrhea) I would worry about getting poo all over the table.  I'd rather just throw a blanket, mat, or towel on the floor that I can toss in the wash.

 I'm way out of the baby loop, but my DH made one of those convertible cribs for our granddaughter.  The idea is good, but now DIL is pregnant with her second child, so the crib will stay a crib for now and a new bed bought for the first one.  So practicality lost out...

He did get a plastic piece to cover the rail, if that is what you mean by a teething rail.  They are very inexpensive and found in woodworking catalogues...I believe his was from Rockler.   

I never had a changing table with Samantha. She usually got changed on the floor,bed,or couch.

And I also used the drop rail alot on my crib.

Now for the converter bed I dont know. I wanted one but got a regular crib instead, no complaints it was free.  

The drop rail is nice for when you cradle them and set them down at the same time, for changing sheets, and for those late nights when you're half asleep hanging off the side of the crib rubbing their back when they're fussy.  There are other good uses, as well, but they're not coming to mind.   

Our crib doesn't convert (it is about 10 years old and was my sister's) but the side rail drops.  I have never used the side rail.  It's so cumbersome to put it up that I just leave it up.  When Riley was smaller we just moved the mattress up.  I have a changing table on the top of the dresser that I used for about 4 months.  She is so wiggly that it's hard to change her on that small area.  We use her room for a guest room too so there is a queen size bed in there.  I just put the changing pad on the bed and change her there.  It is way more comfortable and I do have to worry about every little movement she makes.  Plus there is more room to spread everything out.

Thank you everyone for the input.  I definately won't be getting a changing table.  I am getting a nice big dresser and I will store diapers and all the stuff that I would have under the table in one of the drawers.  My brother and I as well as over 1/2 my cousins were very hyperactive children.  I have never been comfortable using a changing table once a baby gets past a certain size and is moving a lot more.   

I read more reviews on the crib as well as another one like it with a different name and a lot of people said they were short and not having the drop rail didn't bother them b/c the front is lower than the back and apparently the crib is sort of low anyway.  I am still weighing that one though.  It is a tough call.  I need to see if I can find a teething rail that would work on it as well since it is more round.  Part of the reason for a convertible crib goes back to the hyperactivity.  I want the option to take the side down when the time comes and not have to worry about my kid climbing out.  I know I was a climber and so was my bro. 

Again, thanks for your input! 

 Um...the time to take the rail down and convert it to a toddlerbed is when the baby starts to learn to climb out of the crib, which can happen anytime around 18 months to 30 months.  So if you want a toddler bed with a rail to contain your toddler, you're not gonna get it.  The rail only keeps them from falling out when they are asleep.

I'm pretty tall and I used the drop rail on my crib all the time when Kali was tiny.  When she first came home, I just left it down with the mattress set as high as it could be.  That gave her about 6 inches of rail above the mattress, but it was nice not to have to reach to put her down or pick her up, especially right after giving birth.  Nothing hurts more than reaching IMO.  My crib has also been through 2 kids already and this time I painted it for Kali since it was starting to look a little worn.  If I were to do it again, I would get a new teething rail for each side.  The paint looks great everywhere else, but the teething rail has little scrapes from her gnawing on it that I never noticed with the other two since the rail was just plain white plastic.  She's just scraped the paint off(its a non-toxic paint, don't worry) but still has not made a dent in the plastic.

huskymom

Um...the time to take the rail down and convert it to a toddlerbed is when the baby starts to learn to climb out of the crib, which can happen anytime around 18 months to 30 months.  So if you want a toddler bed with a rail to contain your toddler, you're not gonna get it.  The rail only keeps them from falling out when they are asleep.

That is why I want the convertible bed.  So when they start climbing I can just take the side off and make it a toddler bed.  It has a little safety rail included that is really for when they are sleeping so they don't roll off.  It is only about half of the length of the bed and it won't contain them in it at all otherwise.  Maybe I didn't make that clear.

I am definately going to look at a teething rail to put on whatever bed we get based on what I have read all over the place.  It is suprising to me that more beds don't come with them.

I think I will go to the store and check the bed I am considering out this weekend to get a better feel for the size etc. 

The crib we have for meri does not have a drop rail. Its just lower in the front. There are 4 levels for the mattress and when she was itty bitty it was at the highest setting. As she's gotten bigger we've had to lower the mattress. The reason I didn't get a drop rail crib was that I was fairly confident I would never use it for fear of waking her up.

We got a changing pad for the top of her dresser and I use it for every diaper change. I love it and the thought of being on my knees on the floor for every change did not appeal to me. And if she's particularly squirmy the changing pad has a safety strap.

ewin0210

I love it and the thought of being on my knees on the floor for every change did not appeal to me. 

I agree with Emily. I have a dresser/changing table combo that works great. Once she doesn't need diapers anymore, we'll just take off the pad. It does have rails on all 4 sides, though, so it might look a little odd as a dresser. Although it's a cheap piece of poo so it probably won't even last that long. I've changed her on the floor and beds at friend's/relatives' houses and it's kind of a pain.

My crib does not have a drop rail. Mostly because it was a stupid impulse buy (on sale!) that I got online and wasn't paying close enough attention. The mattress is at the highest level and I don't have a problem bending over the railing to put her in it.

Wills cot has a drop rail but I have never used it.  When he was TINY he had a weensy lil crib next to our bed which he was only in for a few months and then he outgrew it (this is a wooden crib, a bit of an heir loom).  After that he was in the bigger one in the nursery but I was too scared of waking him up to lower it or raise the rail.  So I left it up.  I'm glad it had one though because you can guarantee I'd have needed it if it HADN'T had one.... and that would have been worse tahn having one and not needing it.

I think changing tables are a waste of money.... I just had a changing mat for Will.  Something comfy for him to lie on, easy to wipe down and portable.  Sometimes I'd change him on the floor.... occasionally I have laid a towel on the bed or sofa and changed him there.  There are a multitude of surfaces suitable for baby changing, up to and including my knees, I see no reason to obtain ANOTHER one especially for that purpose... 

Regarding changing tables...

Our Pack n Play had a little changing thing on it and we used that when Riley was tiny waaay more than the official changing table on the dresser.  That worked out great - espeically since it was in the living room and easier than going to bed room everytime. The one thing I found difficult with the changing table was since ours was the top of the dresser (pad can be removed to make the dresser look grown up), she was sideways when I was changing her.  I find it is easier if I am head (butt) on.  Riley never laid or sat still...still doesn't.  There are times when I am practically pinning her down to get her diaper changed.  Thank goodness the bed is a queen size or she would launch herself off of that too!

My crib has a drop rail, but I don't think I've ever used it in Marley's 7 months. I do have a changing table and use it every single day. My mother told me I was dumb to get it and that it was just a waste of space. (Mothers are right about a LOT of things, but not EVERY thing. ;-) ) The changing cushion on the dresser would serve the same purpose and could be removed when you've moved on.