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If you are planning on having more than one child (eventually) I'd spring for a better quality crib. I don't know anything about either of the ones you have your eye on, but if you can check them out in person and compare them, do that and decide. I personally hate Wal Mart, but I'm not sure I'd be inclined to spend $500 on a crib. I think our crib was right around $250 and it has held up great for two kids. It still looks new.

I don't have any experience with the stroller, but it looks cute. Consider how you expect to use it--if you do a lot of walking, spring for a good stroller. People thought I was crazy when I spent $100 on a Maclaren umbrella stroller, but it is awesome and held up great.

It's hard to decide on baby gear because everyone's use of things varies. Someone who lives in an urban setting and walks everywhere is going to need a different stroller than someone who just needs something to have in the car for going to the mall.

Go to the stores and check out the cribs. If they wiggle around and are not built well, obviously don't buy.

Also, I've found that a drop side and the multi height mattress are livesavers. You'll use both at different times in baby's time in the crib.

We bought a higher end crib used from Once Upon A Child. It met all safety requirements, had every feature you could imagine, AND was less than the cheapest new crib at Walmart ($75). We painted it charcoal grey (with baby safe paint and bought nibble guards as an extra protection) and instantaniously it was a cool, modern crib.

I understand the hesitation to buy something as important as your baby's crib from Wal-Mart, but having recently gone through the same process, I can tell you that it's entirely manageable. We had the set shipped Site-to-Store, which was entirely free, and picked it all up (the boxes are large, but fit into a Prius). For me, the difficulty was not deciding between the Park Lane and a Netto, though I would have LOVED the Netto, but between the Park Lane and the IKEA Gulliver or Hermelin - budgetary constraints being what they are.

Having assembled many an IKEA piece, I had little difficulty doing the assembling myself, with my husband lending a hand when necessary. No doubt he would have done the whole thing, had I not "gone all animal" on them (his words) while he was out.

If you'd like further information, check out the photos of the crib (and matching dresser, which we also bought) on my site, www.eloquacious.com. (Early photos of the nursery in progress are here and here.)

Baby Mod is manufactured by Million Dollar Baby, the same company that puts out the Da Vinci cribs. I can tell you that quality-wise, I thought the crib was just as well-made as any Da Vinci crib, and should hold up well. AND it comes with the toddler bed conversion rail, which is more than can be said for the same set sold under the Da Vinci name as the "Mercer" crib at Babycenter.

While I love the look of the Netto crib, I am still a huge fan of IKEA's Gulliver crib. It is very sturdy and has clean lines, and is in the same vein design-wise as your two choices, so you might like it. And it is very well priced ($100 plus the mattress) - http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00116005 (for some reason, it looks much better in person than in this photo, so don't let that discourage you)

As for the stroller, I find 3 wheeled strollers very tippy, which may be a problem when you are going up and down curbs or other obstructions. And for some reason, suspect this one to be heavy. Make sure you go to a store with a wide variety of strollers (in particular, quinnies and bugaboos), and try it out to see how you like it. You may also want to check what they say on www.daddytypes.com -- lots of stroller talk there!

Personally, we didn't go with an expensive bed or high chair (we got IKEA for both, although we were later gifted a Stokke chair) and chose to put that money into mobility, which is key to happiness we have found!

Congratulations and good luck with your search!

We used the book Baby Bargains, and it really helped differentiate between what we needed, what we didn't, and what we could get used. Plus, they test stuff and let you know what is good quality and what isn't. There's a new version out this April. We borrowed ours, and went to Border's and read the updates in the new version over coffee (now that's cheap!) but you could also check it out from the library. We got a new crib (love the tables listing cribs and manufacturers, rating them on an ABC scale), cloth diapers and carseat, but nearly everything else was used (hand me downs, Craig's List or garage sales) and I can't say I regret anything. Except maybe that we have so many clothes from all the hand me downs that she's actually outgrown stuff before she's worn it, and the only thing I've had to buy was socks! (Buy lots of socks. Old Navy and Trumpette are good for staying on the feet.)

I thought the "ugh" regarding WalMart was in reference to the store's reputation as being a nasty, dishonest employer who represses women and minorities, not at the thought of buying something as important as a crib from a discount big box store. But I could be wrong.

My wife and I bought the Roxanne crib, also part of the Baby Mod line, and have been really happy with it so far. The mattress height is adjustable, the drop side works smoothly, and it is a very sturdy piece using real wood, not particle board. Our baby isn't due until early January, but we have no qualms about the crib whatsoever. And the free ship-to-store option was totally worth it.

I have an ikea crib (two actually) that converts to a toddler bed...its been in almost daily usage for 3 years and still looks brand new. A fancy crib is soooo not worth it to me.

The stroller thing really depends on your lifestyle and where you live, the weather, the size of your car, and I personally think that its better to wait until baby is born to invest in something, so you can get into the rhythm of your life first...use a sling or a front carrier for the first few weeks and maybe try out some friends' strollers...personally, I didn't use the stroller alot until my dd was a year old.

I have the Bumbleride Flyer and really like it. You can change the orientation of the handle so when your baby is small, they will face you while you push. I have loved this! It is also not too bad on weight and folding is VERY easy. The only problem I have had so far is when the stroller position is facing me, the wheels sometimes become uneven, veer to one side etc...They are a very good company (small, California) and when I called they sent out a whole new set of wheels and were very accommodating. The cool thing about these strollers is that you can change out the fabric when you get sick of the olf color, so if you ever have another baby just switch the fabric and its like a new stroller!
Good luck

I'd follow tamaca's advice: use a sling and wait to buy the stroller. The sling does newborns very good! We use this one: www.hoppediz.de and been doing so for 7 months and use the stroller very very little (only when we go out for long stretches of time and we need to put baby to sleep on the go). Had we waited, our stroller would be way less fancy.

I have the Bumbleride Flyer. It is great on walks, especially if there is slightly uneven sidewalk terrain or cobble stones. I have a few friends who just started out with just the stroller base for a car seat and they cannot walk anywhere except where there are smooth surfaces, like the mall. I also have a BOB jogging stroller for real off roading and running. I considered in the Indie stroller, but I think we found the Flyer to be slightly smaller, plus you can use a universal car-seat attachment, which is very important the first few months!

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the comments. I believe that we will use the crib for multiple children, and have fallen in love with the Cub Sleeper - so that will probably be our choice. Another item we just recently purchased was a barely used Nurseryworks Storytime Rocker on ebay for $400. This picture (http://www.2modern.com/site/ProductImages/nurseryworks/rocker3.jpg) has become our guidance and we are painting an old dresser blue for a changing table.

Thanks again!

Amen, Matilda

I was also thinking about the Park Lane crib, mostly because I ended up really like the Park Lane bedding =) Also not excited it's from Walmart, but I can't spend $300 on cute bedding.

I ended up getting the IKEA Gulliver crib, and it's been great. I really only thought it would last one kid (which still puts us ahead price-wise), but it's turning out to be really sturdy and should last awhile. It does lack a drop-side, but I tested some out and didn't like them anyways. So, it doesn't seem like the ParkLane at $300 is really worth it. But if you wanted to the cub sleeper, that's an entirely different story. Cute crib!

Love the block-styling and teal tones in the inspiration picture. Wish I had enough room in our baby/guest room for all that furniture!

Stroller-wise, I have nothing to offer. We have a Zolo ring sling and aren't planning to get a stroller until the baby gets older.

Definitely invest in the Baby Bargains book. They filter input from thousands of parents every year in addition to the authors' own hands-on reviews of specific products and brands. Run, don't walk, to the bookstore to get it ;-)

"I'd follow tamaca's advice: use a sling and wait to buy the stroller."

Yes! We had a big $500 Zooper something-or-other ready and waiting for our firstborn... who, as it turns out, was one of those infants who hate lying on their back while awake. He could only rarely be coaxed to fall asleep in the damn thing. We ended up using a variety of baby carriers instead.

By the time he was into the idea of riding in a stroller, he was ready for the (much cheaper and smaller) Silver Cross Micro umbrella stroller. I think we ended up using the Zooper for a total of two hours. Maybe three. Thank god it was a gift, so we didn't feel TOO much like chumps.

Surprise surprise, I am also going to vote to wait on the stroller. In general we don't use one, and our daughter is 15 months old. Babywearing has proved much easier for us, though I realize this is not the case for everyone. Get a good carrier, like a Moby wrap (for a newborn) or Didymos, or a Kozy Carrier. Please do not get a Bjorn or Snuggli or anything like that. They are not ergonomic for you or your baby. If you are in NYC, check out Metro Minis at 75th & Park. Good luck!

One more thing:

"Go to the stores and check out the cribs. If they wiggle around and are not built well, obviously don't buy."

No no no! I learned from reading Baby Bargains that some stores will deliberately not tighten the screws on the floor models of less expensive cribs, so as to make them look rickety. Can you believe it? I was incredulous, but then we went shopping for a crib (I probably shouldn't say where, but suffice to say it was a large chain store here in Canada) and we checked it out for ourselves, and it was true! My husband even got down on all fours and looked for the loose screws. Crazy, huh?

All cribs (or at least those here in Canada, so I'm assuming the same holds true for the US) must pass rigorous safety standards so, in theory, there should be no such thing as an unsafe crib.

Well, I am afraid I have to disagree about waiting on the stroller...

Our son hates, loathes, despises being in a sling. We never succeeded in getting him calm and happy in one. Our daughter enjoyed it, but only at certain times, otherwise she preferred to stretch out, so we really needed a stroller. And trying to buy a stroller *after* they were born was far more difficult than before, so I am eternally grateful we had it before our first child was born.

And personally, I can't go shopping while babywearing; it is too much for me. My first time out after having our first child actually, I ran into another mom on her first trip --- she had a sling, and I had a stroller. I remarked to her that I should have brought my sling instead, and she answered back that she wished she had taken her stroller -- she was hot, bothered, and couldn't check anything out.

Different strokes for different folks, including each babe.

I thought that checking for loose screws was a given when looking at stuff like that.

I should have clarified; Does the side go up and down smoothly? Is the base for the mattress stable? If it has a drawer, does it glide out smoothly?

That's what I meant. I totally understand what you were saying about stores somewhat "rigging" cheaper models to not look as nice, but I've seen some models that wiggle even when all srews are tightened down.

We have the Sniglar crib from Ikea and it has held up beautifully! Our second child is sleeping in it as we speak...er, type...

as for strollers: I agree that it all depends on your lifestyle. You'll also quickly find that one stroller does not do it all; usually you need a newborn-friendly (sturdy, full recline) stroller in the beginning and then get a lightweight umbrella stroller when baby is older.

If you want to go the route of 3-wheeled strollers, I highly recommend buying from reputable jogging stroller brands like BOB or Baby Jogger. They carry non-jogging, more urban-type strollers with the same quality and durability as their marathon-built-jogging-stroller-siblings. The BOB Revolution and Baby Jogger City Series come to mind. We have the City Series and LOVE IT for the city environs. My first son is 2.5 years old and still fits in it, and it's not too heavy to lug around.

Slings: a must!!! Ditch the Bjorn and look at these:
www.sachicarriers.com
www.babyhawk.com
www.kozycarrier.com
www.catbirdbaby.com

the cub crib in person is rickety and completely not worth the price. i have the park lane crib, its great. i really cant stress how solid as well as stylish it is. i highly recommend it.

don't ge tthe bedding pictured though, i had to return it. not only are the colors faded, the material is cheap, scratchy, and has numerous stray pieces falling of off it. not safe for baby!

On the slings versus stroller line . . . we had both and used both.

I had a c/s and a big baby, and it was too painful for me to use the Baby Bjorn, but my husband loved it. I had a stroller that converted to a pram, and I used it constantly.

On the cribs, I would totally go for the cheaper and yet still cool crib from Wal-Mart.

Birdy, Baby Bjorns are painful for just about everyone because they have a really awful design that is bad for the baby and the wearer.
A really good carrier is not painful for most people, when fitted and worn correctly. (I had a c-section, too.)
Selena posted some good links. Try www.slingzilla.com for purchases and www.thebabywearer.com for information. If you are in NYC, www.slingsinthecity.com for information.
Monika1 and I could go 15 rounds on this, but for me, strollers are the biggest pain in the ass. Different strokes for different folks indeed.

Wow, I have exactly the same taste as you. All 3 items on your wish list are on mine. I was leaning towards the Cub sleeper until they raised the price. Walmart, despite its flaws seems to have the winning crib.

I have the Bumbleride and I really don't like it.
If I were you I would start with just a Snap and Go Stroller frame, and then buy a MacLaren umbrella stroller. We loved both these items. The Snap and Go is perfect for when the babe is little and the Maclaren is AWESOME for traveling - our son has been in it since three months and on. We also have a Bob Revolution and it's equally fabulous, but I don't think we'd need it if we weren't runners. If I had to buy one stroller, I'd go with the Maclaren. And yes, this does mean I have four strollers, so I learned this lesson the hard way.

lb, I am not interested in going "rounds", 15 or otherwise. I respect your choice, so please respect mine. There is no "one size fits all".

And with respect to slings, our doula got us to try out lots of different styles -- probably at least 5 or 6. The one we eventually went with was the pouch sling -- it was the most comfortable for me, and the baby. When our daughter was fussy, it soothed her like nothing else. This is the one (the original pouch slong) we bought: http://www.momandmepouch.com/peainpod.html

I actually became friends with the WAHM mom who makes them, Jen. If you are interested in getting one, this may be a good time to show support as one of her 4 children has been fighting leukemia (and I mean FIGHTING) for the past 3 years (he's only 5), and relapsed in August. She may not be able to turn around orders very quickly (there have been a lot of hospital visits lately), but her pouches are really wonderful, and worth the wait if she is still making them.

monika1, the Pea in a Pod pouch looks wonderful! I may have to get one of those. My only sling is a fleece Hotsling, which I love, but I made the mistake of ordering to fit my immediately post-partum body... which of course dropped 30 more lbs almost immediately after I got the sling.

I'm so sorry to hear about the woman's little boy. I hope everything turns out for the best for them.

Birdy, Baby Bjorns are painful for just about everyone because they have a really awful design that is bad for the baby and the wearer.

Wow, I never heard that! Good to know if we every have another. :-)

Wow. I really liked the Bjorn, as did my son and I had a c-section. However, once he got over 20 lbs. I wasn't able to carry him in it as much. A neighbor let me borrow her Ergo and I hated it! Yes, my back didn't hurt when carrying my 23 lbs. 9 month old but I was missing some hair. I like front carriers because my son cannot pull on my hair. Also, my son has always loved to look out at people. As far as I have found, Bjorn is the only front carrier widely available. I think I just need to get the sports model.

As for strollers, I was surprised at how strollers are such a status marker for moms. Weird. I bought a snap and go and a Maclaren that was light and smaller to fit on the Metro. I liked having all three and used them often.

Pick the crib you want the most. You will be looking at it for years and it is really the only big splurge. I got the Stokke Sleepi Bassinet/Crib and love it. Even my husband, who was initially neg. due to the price, said it was worth every penny.

Amy, every day for the first seven months of their lives, I silently thanked my husband's long-dead grandmother, because they slept every night and took every nap in the bassinet that she had chosen for her first baby.

It is a beautiful piece, either Lloyd Loom, or just very much like it, and we love it. It would have been lovely enough if we had found it in an antique store or on EBay, but the fact that they are the third generation of babies in the family to sleep in it, that it was the first bed that both their grandfather and father enjoyed, makes it magic and irreplaceable. Who knows, maybe by buying such a special crib, you'll be creating something for future generations in your family :-)

(and to the naysayers, cribs can be stored flat, well-wrapped and protected)

Get a lot of advice - but take it all for what it is - the personal experiences of whoever is giving it. Babies and moms have different temperments, needs, schedules and environments. Just try and think realistically about how you are going to use your gear and what the realities of your life are, and buy accordingly. Expensive does not equal quality and cool-looking doesn't equal useful.

Monika1, I don't want to go 15 rounds with you either. :) I really hope your friend's son is ok. Hugs for them.

A Bjorn is NOT and I repeat NOT the only front carrier. An Ergo can be worn on the front, but they have had some sketchy business practices and are not a company that I choose to support. If you like buckle carriers, a bEco can be worn on the front (or back). Any wrap can be worn on front, and any mei tai (like a Kozy or Babyhawk) can be worn on the front too. I heard even Target is going to start having a mei tai in its regular stock.