Baby Cache "Uptown" Crib

What we Bought:  Baby Cache "Uptown" Crib (two)

Why: Twins needed something to sleep in.

What we Think:

My wife tells me that there are two types of people, people who buy from Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware or people who buy from Babys'R'Us.   The PB/RH crowd shell out good coin to get high quality cribs while the BRU crowd just need a crib.  Since she is pretty neurotic about quality and safety I'm pretty sure we would have been on the PB/RH track if we had a single... but we don't... we have twins and we weren't interested in spending two grand on cribs.

This is the list we had when looking for a crib:

1. No drop gate (by now a big no-no in all cribs I think)
2. Strong slats
3. Never squeaks or creaks
4. Have the option to convert to a toddler bed.
5. Remain rooted to the floor during the next "big one".
6. Pretty

We looked all over the place but the one crib that was just right was the Baby Cache "Uptown" crib.  This crib is kind of the middle ground between the lower end stuff and the super high end stuff.  Its really well made from good materials but it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

3/4 view

View from the front.

Bringing them Home

We bought one for each of our girls at a Babys'R'Us nearby and in preparation for obtaining them, I borrowed a friends mini-van.  The boxes were too big even for that so to get it home I actually had to take them out of box.  Not a huge deal but definitely something to be aware of.

Materials

Its solidly made with good material and a quality that you can feel once you get it all together.  All of the wood is good solid Maple and the four corners are hefty slabs that don't budge.

Putting them Together

On the topic of getting it together, I found it to be a breeze.  The instructions are clear and the materials are high quality and fit precicely so you don't have to worry about bad fits.  Pick the room you want to put them into wisely because they don't fit through standard doorways once they are assembled.  I'm now pretty intimatntly familiar with putting them together because we moved them from our room upstairs downstairs to their room.  During this move i took them "half apart" to move them.  They went back together just fine and are just as solid and non-sqeeky as ever.

Cost

Though these cribs go for a lot of money ($500-ish), places like Babys'R'Us are always sending out 20% off coupons.  We had two different coupons deals applied to the cribs plus a twin discount which, all told, allowed us to get two for the price of one.

Our Experience

These cribs have been rock solid for us.  They are a constant that is always up to the task.  The girls are over two years old now and jump, bounce, climb and generally beat up on them but the cribs remain unperturbed.  With the exception of a few very small nicks, I'd say they are quite literally as good as new.  I expect them to be a mainstay in the girls room at least until they outgrow the toddler/day bed version of the crib.  

Conversion
We haven't converted the crib to the toddler bed yet as the girls haven't really started jumping out of their cribs just yet (though I'm guessing they could if they tried).  I heard that Babys'R'Us doesn't carry the conversion kit but fortunately all you have to do to get it is call up the Baby Cache and order it.

Verdict

When the zombies come, I know exactly where i'll hide... I'll turn these cribs upside down and sit underneath them.  Highly recommended.