How to Pick a Crib for Your Baby

This is an exciting time for you! You have so many ideas for your baby's nursery that you don't know where to begin but you would like to incorporate as many of them as you can. As new parents, you want to do everything "right" and that includes designing the perfect first room for your newborn. Let's take it one step at a time. Not only is it the focal point of the room, you will want to pick a crib for your baby that will keep your child safe and sound.

Quality Construction: Since your baby will be sleeping in it for two to three years, it must be durable and strong. The crib you select should be well-made, sit level on the floor without wobbling or tipping and edges and corners should be smooth. Hardware such as locking mechanisms, etc. should be user-friendly and hidden from baby. For safety's sake, the distance between each slat must not be any wider than 2.38 inches. This will prevent your child from getting stuck in between.

Comfortable: You're not going to put your child into a bare crib; it's the mattress that makes it comfy for your baby. Crib mattresses fall into two major categories, foam and innerspring. Neither one is more or less beneficial than the other; it is simply a matter of personal preference. Studies have shown that if the parents sleep on an innerspring mattress, they will probably choose the same for their child; the same of course applies to those who prefer to sleep on a foam mattress. Trusted manufacturers of baby nursery furniture and accessories like Da Vinci, Dream On Me and LA Baby offer both foam and innerspring baby crib mattresses.

Affordable: There are so many different types of cribs available in a range of different prices. Select one that you can afford: many high-end cribs have economical versions that are just as charming and appealing. Definitely make a budget for each piece of baby furniture you will need.

- E. L.

Things to Keep in Mind when Buying a Baby Crib

Buying a baby crib is an important decision in raising your baby. Your baby’s going to be spending a lot of time in his or her crib. How much full sleep he will have, how much color is in his childhood, his safety, are all affected by the crib you choose. Here some things to consider before choosing a crib:

Price
Have a figure you’re willing to spend in mind. Note that price often reflects the quality of the design and manufacturing, however, there are still great baby cribs available in lower price ranges.

Style
There are many styles of baby cribs to choose from such as: convertible crib or not, finish, size, design, etc. Don’t forget that the style itself should match the bedding as well as the overall interior design of the nursery.

Safety
Safety is a huge concern when it comes to selecting a baby crib. First of all, check to see if the crib you’re planning on purchasing has the appropriate certification and that it meets national safety standards. As an added tip, check product recall sites when researching your crib purchase.

Return Policy
Knowing that you are purchasing a crib from a store with a decent return policy will allow you to freely make your decision to purchase without having to worry about making the wrong choice.

What else would you keep in mind when buying a baby crib?

-M

New Nursery Trends – Simple, Sophisticated and Modern

Have you noticed that more and more urban, professional and hip parents are having their children reflect their own personal taste and style? I wouldn’t go so far as to say that babies and children are becoming the latest accessories, but you have to admit that these days, we’re seeing little ones sporting less cutesy prints in favour of more sophisticated designs.

One needs only to look at the high-end wardrobe selections of Suri and Shiloh to think what stylish parents Katie Holmes/Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt must be, respectively.

Of course this trend of trickling sophisticated and modern design for adults down to children is also noticeable in recent baby nursery décor trends.

While pale blues, pinks, greens and yellows are still the most popular colour choices for nurseries amoungst parents and interior designers alike, gone are the busy wallpaper patterns, ruffles, frills, and mountains of stuffed animals. Baby crib toys are few, but high quality, intended to become keepsakes that will last throughout the baby’s adulthood. Plus, the demand for the convertible crib is growing, as are motifs and patterns with simple, clean lines.

Due to these new trends in nursery décor, the baby’s transition from infant to toddler to child becomes easier – with this new trend of sleek simplicity, and increasing popularity of convertible cribs, there is less need for drastic design changes to the nursery as the baby grows.

Who says that parents can’t be trendy and practical at the same time?

-M

Baby's Day Out

With all the excitement of welcoming a new family member, there is also a lot of planning involved when preparing a nursery and buying baby furniture. After jotting down a few of the main items such as the crib, high chair and stroller, it also occurs to you that the crib will need a mattress and bedding, not to mention clothes, toys and a whole bunch of other stuff. Suddenly your to-do list can get a little overwhelming! The key to buying baby furniture and everything else you need is a budget. Baby Crib Station and Cymax Baby can help you stick to it.

It might seem that there are so many different kinds of cribs to choose from that you might never make up your mind. Especially if you opt for not knowing your baby’s gender, a unisex crib is an excellent alternative, like the DaVinci Alpha 3-in-1 Crib. It is a smart choice because not only is it a unisex crib with all of the necessary features of a standard crib, it converts from a standard crib to a toddler daybed as your child grows from baby to toddler. If room size is an issue, the L.A. Baby Folding Port-a-Crib Crib has a convenient, space-saving design that folds easily for storage or portability. For more space-saving solutions, select a convertible crib with optional under drawer storage like the Young America by Stanley Madison Built to Grow Convertible Crib.

Now your child has someplace to sleep, when they get a little older they will need a comfy place to sit and eat. The Kolcraft Contours Perfect Fit High Chair is height-adjustable, locking casters, removable tray and can be cleaned easily and folded up if it needs to be stored away. Worried about how to take baby along for family outings? The Inglesina Fast Table Chair is the perfect solution. It’s collapsible and comes with its own carrying bag.

When you venture outside to explore the world with baby in tow, you will need a stroller. The Go-Go Babyz Urban Advantage 2007 Stroller has a unique three-wheel design that makes it ideal for maneuvering around tight corners and down narrow store aisles. It has a well-cushioned seat, a brake-activated kickstand for added stability and can be easily collapsed with one hand. On the other hand, if you want a stroller with a more traditional look, the Inglesina Classica Pram is the perfect choice.

With the right choices for you, your baby and your lifestyle, being a new parent is sure to go a little smoother. Shopping online in the comfort of your own home at Baby Crib Station and Cymax Baby will make planning your nursery and purchasing a crib, high chair, stroller and anything else you need almost effortless.

Oh Baby!

Cymax Stores is pleased to announce the launching of www.cymaxbaby.com, sure to be to be welcome with new parents who are realizing just what an expense home baby products can be. To be certain, however, it’s an expense that’s worth it many times over as the memories that will be created from this demanding yet wondrous time are sure to last a lifetime.

The best of these are often comical in nature where the little ones make Mom and Dad laugh at their endearing little follies. A significant number of America’s Funniest Home Videos weekly clips are often submissions from parents showcasing the hilarity of their young kids’ escapades.

Recently, a clip called “Angry face baby” was one of the most frequently viewed on Youtube and showed a young child alternating between normal facial expressions and a very funny “What you talkin’ bout Willis”-like stern visage almost on command. The clip had received nearly 5,000 viewings within a week of its being posted. The power of the internet indeed.

Such a medium was nowhere to be found some 30+ years ago when I was a similar age. However, my folks did have their 8mm reel recorder with them on a crisp fall day in the park. Dad was throwing bread crumbs to the ducks, and little me was enthralled with the creatures to the point where I had to get right on the edge of the pond to observe the wonder of it all. Now, there wasn’t much water in this pond, and it was thick with duck guano and other unpleasant matter. As the tape rolled in Mom’s hands, she shouted in vain to my father as I teetered for good few seconds before toppling headfirst into the mire.

Despite the humor in it all and the fact I was suitably upset, my parents still go on about the stench that emanated from me once I was fished out of the filth. They decided they had no choice but to put me in the back of our Volvo station wagon on the way home, traumatically cordoned off from Ma and Pa by the pet gate between the trunk and rear seat that typically kept our Border Collie’s muddy paws off the upholstery. Mom still remembers how I howled from back there.

I’m sure the car seat I was denied that day would pale in comparison to any of the Safety 1st Infant Car Seats available at Cymax Baby. What’s more, these car seats feature removable and washable padding – something that might have saved me from trunk banishment although I’m sure it was as much for my folks to be as far away from lil’ stinky as possible. It’s likely I could have been more pacified upon returning home with a Fun Time Froggy Tub for the lengthy clean-up process.

Perhaps if I could have observed the feeding from the safe confines of a comfortable, well-made and, more importantly, RESTRAINING Cosco Stroller the entire fiasco could have been avoided. However, one of my parents’ favorite video moments would never have happened (since been converted to DVD for permanent posterity).

A Disney Baby Serve n’ Store Ambrosia High Chair would have been appreciated by the folks as well. Keep all those cleaning materials close at hand for the kid who preferred to use to thump (surprisingly coordinated however and also on the DVD) on his tray rather than eat from it.

Every youngster is sure to provide most cherished memories for parents, the joys of which counter the sleepless nights and trying moments these adorable dependents will also inevitably bring day in and out. To make both go a little more smoothly, give yourself the best in baby products with Cymax Baby.

MTV (Baby) Cribs

Three months old and already at the top of the charts, Lil’ Billy, gangsta strut already perfected, strolls into the crib; his Swarovski-studded G-Unit diaper glittering by the light of his bedazzled dollar sign mobile. His presence is impressive, as well as his hospitality as non-alcoholic Colt 45 malt beverage is flowing for the whole crew.

“Yo, yo, yo! People let me holla atcha! My name is Lil’ Billy and this is MTV Cribs!” Lil’ Billy grins and then excuses his lack of a glittering grill, “I asked for one for my birfday,” he explains, “but I would probably swallow it in my sleep and choke to death. I can’t help it man! I’m a mutha-effin baby! My moms says I have to wait a couple of years…or at least until I stop trying to swallow her earrings.”

All of a sudden Lil’ Billy’s posse pulls up on pimped out Big Wheels with 22” rims, each one customized for every irreplaceable member of the crew. Johnny Suckers, for example, who loves to suck his thumbs, has a Big Wheel which features a massive bedazzled thumb with a diamond ring on it along the side. He proudly displays his bike like a peacock splays his feathers, by doing wheelies through the crib. It is clear from this magnificent display of gang loyalty and closeness that Lil’ Billy is the macaroni with the cheese.

The crib is a stunning reflection of Lil’ Billy’s own short life. It is constructed and lined with platinum bars to commemorate his first and most successful record, “You Kitty Cats Better Stop Peein’ in My Sandbox”, and a solid gold statuette of his Uncle, Master D, stands erect among the platinum bars to honor his current lengthy stay in the slammer. He wears a Scooby Doo band-aid under his left eye until the day he can see his Uncle free again, at which point they are going to go to Sea World to see the dolphins.

“Uncle Master D is a good guy. He always stirred up my Gerber’s Beef and Peas real good. And he didn’t mind when I vomited allover his brand new Air Force Ones. You should see that man burp a baby. It’s burping art.” Lil’ Billy quietly pondered to himself for a second over Uncle Master D, or so we thought. Incidentally it was just time for a diaper change.

After his wardrobe change, Lil’ Billy returned in a diaper so covered in bling that it was difficult to capture it on film. He proceeded to show us his beautiful, personalized bumper pads, which, quite honestly, took my breath away. The pads were expertly airbrushed depictions of Tupac in heaven, enjoying all of the perks described in his posthumous hit, Thugz Mansion. True to the game of his predecessors, Lil’ Billy has taken swiftly to the practice of airbrushing deceased artists onto personal belongings; t-shirts, jackets, and now, bumper pads.

Lil’ Billy showed us a wall of Tiffany baby rattles, a Playstation 3 built into his headboard and as well as a wide screen TV equipped with a DVD player and a library featuring every episode of Dora the Explorer. So it’s been a big day for young Lil’ Billy. We can see the sleep rolling in as his eyes begin to droop and his demeanor becomes a tad cranky, “I’m a baby mutha-effer!” He bellows in his defense.

Lil’ Billy’s ever present crew ushers us out quietly and I hear Lil’ Billy holler a request to his mother, “I’ll take my non-alcoholic Cristal sparkling apple juice warmed and in a bottle, not a sippy cup. I don’t want any spilling in my crib Ma.”

What a magnificent crib! I thought to myself as I stood outside of Lil’ Billy’s Connecticut palace. Where can one acquire a crib of that size and quality? Where does one find such a masterfully crafted, yet comfortably padded baby crib? Of course one would have to hire Xzibit and the Pimp my Crib crew to accessorize it so handsomely, but the actual crib was a beauty on its own! I went home and googled it long and hard and came across a wonderful website called BabyCribStation.com. They had the greatest selection of every size, kind and style of baby cribs. Cribs to nurture your Lil’ Billys and cribs to help foster and grow with them from toddler-hood to their first platinum record.