As an expecting parent, you’re going to be faced with a lot of decisions that you’ve never made before and thus will need to rely on the experience of others to make those decisions. Still, everyone has their own opinions and so it can be tough to figure out what the best course of action is at any turn.

For example, you’re going to need to make a lot of changes in your life and schedule after a baby comes along. There are so many changes you’ll need to make that an article could rightly be filled up with them, so for the purposes of this article we’ll focus on just one of them that relates to outfitting a room in your home as a nursery.

The question at hand is this - is a wood crib with a changing table a worthwhile investment? Well, to answer the question, or to provide you with some more worthwhile information, we’ll have to dig a little deeper.

As a matter of course, you’re going to need a crib for your nursery, especially while the child is young, because cribs are made with a variety of safety features that will benefit you as parents and the youngster. But what of the value of wood? And what of the necessity of a changing table?

There are some sources that will specifically point to the matter of a changing table as unnecessary, even superfluous. While we recognize these arguments, we don’t necessarily agree. Every family, every home, and every nursery has its own unique needs, and there’s a counterargument to be made - so here’s what we think.

1.Wood has staying power

There’s more than one way to analyze that statement above. Wood has staying power, to be sure, but what does that mean, specifically?

Well, for one thing, the wooden cribs you will find on our site are representative of only the highest quality products that modern consumers can buy. Among our Convertible Cribs, Green Guard Certified Cribs, Modern Cribs and others, there are wooden models from the most highly regarded brands in the industry. We offer cribs from Baby Appleseed, Babyletto, DaVinci, Franklin & Ben, Pali Design, Stella Baby & Child, and many others.

Many of the best of these are made in wood, and wood is a material that will last for many, many years - generations even - when treated and cared for properly. It goes without saying that the construction techniques of these makers lead the industry for durability, ruggedness and safety.

Wood is also naturally very strong, and, for what it’s worth, a very light material as well, when compared to some others. It can be used to produce a high quality piece of furniture, like a crib, that will last for a very long time.

That’s one way to make the claim that wood has staying power. Another way to do it is to claim that wood is a classic, ageless material. For thousands of years, artisans have been crafting furniture and tools from wood. Longer, perhaps, than any other material. That classiness is in the very nature of wood, and it’s not something that all of modern innovation combined can eliminate.

As you can see, for lack of a better term, wood has staying power.

2.Wood is sustainable and renewable

For one thing, you can see that wood has an ageless aesthetic, even when it is not so beautifully finished and decorated as many of the cribs that we offer are. Wood, however, and wooden cribs in specific, have virtues beyond those offered by the strength and character of the wood.

There is also the fact that wood is a material that is grown and harvested from the Earth, rather than being produced artificially in a laboratory or in a factory. On one hand, that means that you know better what your impact on the Earth and the environment is, and where the materials that went into your child’s crib came from. In fact, many of the cribs on our website that are made from wood list the country of origin of the wood as well as the species.

The fact that wood is a material that is naturally grown and harvested means that there is less pollution that is released as a result of these processes, which is better for the Earth as well, but there is more than this. Not only is wood less harmful to the environment, but it is a renewable resource as well.

There have been many movements around the world to return to a circular economy because it is sustainable and better for the Earth and everyone else involved. One generation may be able to cheaply and easily produce resources synthetically, but the next may not. That’s not even to mention that many cheaply produced goods end up in the trash and are not recyclable.

Trees that are responsibly harvested today can make way for trees to be sustainably harvested in the future, and many of our cribs are, in fact, made from sustainably harvested wood. Because of this, buying a wood crib means that you will be investing in the future, not to mention that your crib will last for a long time.

3.Some of the best cribs are wooden

In addition to the high level of quality exhibited by wooden cribs and the fact that wood is a sustainable, renewable resource, there is also the fact that some of the best cribs are made from wood.

As far as the claim that the best cribs are made of wood goes, there’s also more than one way to look at this. We’ve already covered the durability of the construction and the nature of renewable resources, but there are other things to account for.

For one thing, all of the wooden cribs on our website, and all of our products, are made with safe materials and construction techniques and safe paints and finishes. As you may know, many of our cribs have even received the coveted GreenGuard GOLD Certification that lists them as safe for thousands of chemicals.

In addition, many of our wooden cribs are made with rounded corners and anti tip features that make them much safer for use in nurseries. That’s not specific to wood, necessarily, but since wood comes with the unique benefits listed above, it’s worth mentioning.

Also, in addition to rounded corners, you’ll also note the following on many of our wooden cribs with changing tables.

4.Wood can be made with a minimum of (or no) moving parts

Rounded corners and anti-tip technology or kits make any piece of furniture for the nursery a lot safer, and not just cribs and changing tables, but there’s more that can be said on the matter. The very nature of wood joints means that some cribs can be made with a minimum or moving parts, or even none. The fewer the moving parts, the better, and the safer.

For example, small parts or hardware that can come apart from furniture represent a significant hazard in a nursery, since young children tend to put everything in their mouths as an exploratory reaction. Small parts are well known as a choking hazard, and many wooden cribs are free of these.

In fact, many wooden cribs are made without any moving parts whatsoever, which is highly valuable for another reason altogether. Moving parts represent a pinching hazard and are best avoided where possible, and the construction of many wooden cribs makes it very possible.

Then again, to look at it from an entirely pragmatic point of view, moving parts are just something else that can break, and the best wooden cribs are made without this fault.

5.Some wood cribs are convertible

Finally, as far as wooden cribs are concerned, many of them are convertible, and some of them are fully convertible not only into a toddler bed and a daybed but into a full sized bed later on. This type of flexibility offers a huge amount of value to parents, especially to parents that may have more children further on down the line.

For one thing, a crib that easily converts, especially one that contains the hardware and parts necessary for conversion, can save you a lot of money. You won’t need to go out shopping for a new bed as the child grows only to be tasked with the responsibility of offloading the old crib at a loss when you’re done. Additionally, a convertible crib is also guaranteed to match the nursery since it is a part of the design from the start.

In short, a convertible crib can save you a lot of money and be a real convenience factor down the line as your child grows, especially if you ever intend to have more children. If it’s made of wood, all the better!

As for the Changing Table

We’ve made our case for the value of a wood table, but give us the chance to make the argument for a changing table as well, especially as there are some sources out there that may advise against the investment. We know that the choice rests with you, but here are some advantages to buying a wood crib with a changing table from our store instead of just a baby crib and some other furniture.

1.A changing table will save you space

You will need to change your baby, which can be done on any flat, safe stable surface for which you have provided space. The basic idea behind a changing table is that the space will already be provided for you. Many of them come with changing pads that are waterproof and surfaces that are easy to clean, along with partitions for storing essentials. Plus, a changing table may actually end up saving you space especially if you only use it as a changing table some of the time.

2.Some of them can be converted to grow with the nursery

Since you won’t always need a changing table, the changing table that you get as a part of a set can be converted to grow with the rest of the nursery, just like the crib. Consider that some models come with a removable tray that can be stored out of the way when it is not needed. The rest of the time, a changing table may just fill the role of a chest of drawers - and no nursery is without the need for that!

3.Most of them offer you additional room for storage

As mentioned, many crib and changer combos feature a changing table that can double as a chest of drawers. This gives you plenty of space not only for changing the baby, but also for storing essentials, cleaning supplies, diapers, clothing, bedding or whatever else you might feel you want to store in them. The extra storage space gives you back a lot of control.

4.Match the rest of the furniture

When you get a nursery furniture set that includes a crib and a changing table combo, one of the benefits is that all of the furniture will match, and thus can be easier to match to the setting as well.

5.Be prepared if any other children come along!

A crib and changing table set will also have you more prepared for other children that may be coming along down the line because you won’t need to do more shopping in the future. Simply convert the bed and changing table as necessary and you’ll be prepared for any babies yet to come.

Call Us up for More Help - or Come Visit Us!

If you want the best input to guide your purchasing decisions in the months to come, accept the help we can offer. We’ve helped many parents just like you make well informed decisions about nursery furniture including but not limited to wood crib with changing table combos, and we’d be glad to do the same for you.

Give us a call anytime you want some help, at 925-778-2229, and we’d be more than happy to help you along.