A big choice that new parents must often make is the type of crib to get for the nursery a traditional drop-side crib, or the more recently introduced cribs that can be converted into toddler beds and full-sized beds. Although personal preferences are very important here, my vote goes to convertible cribs for reasons of value and practicality as well as for decorative reasons.

Drop-side cribs have traditionally been preferred because of the perception that being able to lower the crib rail is essential for comfortably getting your baby in and out of the crib. However, countless women that I have discussed this with suggest that it is a feature used far less frequently than thought. Despite great efforts on the part of manufacturers to make the drop-side mechanisms safe, durable, quiet, and easy- to-use, most Moms seem to quickly discover that it becomes more trouble than its worth: its too hard to manage while holding the baby; it makes too much noise; it gets caught up in the bedding. I would guess that in the vast majority of cases, the drop-side is not used following the first couple of weeks. The drop-side feature substantially limits the decorative design options; accepting these limits seems silly if the feature is not much used.

Once you get past the perceived benefits of drop-side cribs, convertible cribs win hands-down. Their mattresses can be easily moved up and down to adjust to your growing baby, giving the same benefits of a drop-side crib. When your child is ready to get trained for a real bed, the crib easily converts to a toddler bed with a safety rail. And finally, the two longer side pieces of the crib become the headboard and footboard of a full-sized bed. The elimination of the drop-side provides designers with much more flexibility which I have found results in substantially more decorative pieces. All of this for a price which is normally only mildly more than a drop-side crib.