... and How to Avoid Every Single One

Setting up a nursery is one of the most exciting things you'll do as a new parent. It's also one of the easiest places to make a costly, frustrating mistake if you don't know what you're looking for going in.

I've seen all of these play out firsthand more times than I can count. Some are easy fixes, some are expensive lessons, and some are just genuinely heartbreaking when they were so avoidable. Consider this your cheat sheet. Learn from everyone else's mistakes so you don't have to make them yourself. 

 

Mistake #1: Waiting Too Long to Order

We've got a whole blog post dedicated to this one because it comes up that often (read it here). But long story short: quality nursery furniture is frequently "made-to-order", and lead times can run anywhere from a few weeks to (potentially) three months depending on the brand, collection, and finish. Waiting until your third trimester to start shopping is one of the most stressful decisions you can make for yourself.

So order early! We'll hold your furniture at our warehouse until you're ready for delivery. There is no downside to ordering ahead... but there is a very real downside to waiting too long and having to compromise on pieces you love because of a timeline crunch.

 

Mistake #2: Buying Furniture That Doesn't Convert

A non-convertible crib is a perfectly valid choice in some situations. BUT a lot of parents buy one without fully understanding what "convertible" means... and then wish they'd gone that route once their child outgrows the crib and they're back to furniture shopping again.

A quality 4-in-1 convertible crib takes your child from newborn all the way through a full-size bed. When you look at the total cost spread across a decade or more of use, it is almost always the better investment. If you plan to have just one child and want a piece that grows with them for years... convertible is almost always the answer. And even if you plan to have 2 children (or 3 or 4 or 5... no judgement here because that's exactly what keeps us in business lol) most people STILL prefer to get each child their own convertible crib because once you make this one purchase, you never ever again have to think to yourself at any point in the future: oh crap my kid needs another new bed. Buy it once, for each child, and your investment will last you 18+ years and you never have to buy any other furniture again!

Ask yourself before you buy: where is this child sleeping in five years? In ten years? Let that answer guide your decision.

 

Mistake #3: Underestimating How Much Storage You'll Need

Before the baby arrives you look at a 3-drawer dresser and think... that seems like plenty. Baby clothes are teeny tiny right? Well... after the baby shower I can assure you that you are going to be drowning in onesies, sleepers, swaddles, bibs, burp cloths, seasonal outfits two sizes ahead, and approximately 47 pairs of tiny socks. Storage is never enough. Ever.

More importantly... since most of the cribs we sell have the ability to convert, that means your 14 year old teenage daughter will still be utilizing this same furniture. And if she's anything like me... she is going to have even MORE clothes than when she was a baby. AND the clothes are now significantly bigger, too. Some of these small 3-drawer dressers out there on the market these days can barely even fit one sweatshirt and although it might work while your baby is still a newborn... it is something that gets outgrown incredibly quick.

So when in doubt, go bigger on the dresser. A 6-drawer dresser feels like a lot until you actually have a baby... and then it feels just right. Some brands are now even making what are referred to as "King Size Dressers" and some other brands are even making 9-Drawer Dressers as well.  In addition to just the dresser though, I would also consider whether you want a tall chest, a chifferobe, a hutch for on top of the dresser, or maybe even a bookcase to round out the room. You will use every inch of it.

A changing tray that sits on top of your dresser is also a game changer because it keeps your entire changing station and storage in one footprint instead of taking up two separate spots in the room. A lot of parents out there always just want to buy something like the "Kekaroo Peanut" changer because it's mobile and easy to clean... but unfortunately these are very quickly outgrown and not as long as a standard changing tray. PLUS I've also noticed over the years that a matching changing tray is dual-functioning in the sense that it is also protecting the top of your dresser against all the various ointments and lotions and creams that you will be using quite often.

 

Mistake #4: Ignoring Safety Certifications

This one is too important not to say plainly: not all nursery furniture is created equally safe. When you're shopping, especially if you're browsing budget options or marketplaces, it is very easy to end up with a piece that has not been rigorously tested for the chemicals your baby will be breathing in for up to 16 hours a day.

GREENGUARD Gold Certification is the gold standard. It means the furniture has been independently tested for over 10,000 chemical emissions and VOCs including formaldehyde, lead, and phthalates. It's not a marketing claim... it's a third-party certification that has to be earned and maintained.

Almost every brand we carry at New Jersey Cribs offers cribs that are GREENGUARD Gold Certified (if not the entire collection, too). It is personally a non-negotiable for me because it's quite alarming when you see that some of these brands out here these days are using horribly toxic chemicals on nursery furniture. Like... really? Of all things, lol. The last thing you want to see on the back of your crib is a "California Warning Label" that is telling you that the materials used are harmful and can potentially cause cancer. A baby spend soooo many hours in their crib, so it is of the utmost importance that they aren't breathing in and exposed to these insane chemicals for multiple hours a day.

 

Mistake #5: Choosing Style Over Scale

You fall in love with a gorgeous oversized dresser online. It looks stunning. You order it. It arrives... and takes up 80% of your nursery wall, leaves no room for the glider, and  now the door can barely open all the way. This is more common than you'd think, and it's completely avoidable.

Before you order anything, measure your room. Seriously... grab a tape measure and spend ten minutes mapping out where each piece is going to go. Note where the door swings, where the window is, where the closet is, and how much floor space you actually have. Then check the dimensions of every piece you're considering against those measurements.

A good rule of thumb: you want to be able to comfortably walk around all sides of the crib, have clear access to the dresser drawers when fully extended, and have enough space near the glider to put your feet up and not feel cramped during a 3am feeding. Scale matters just as much as style (but as an interior decorator, I get it... trust me).

 

Mistake #6: Prioritizing Price Over Quality for the Long-Term Pieces

There is absolutely a time and place for budget-friendly nursery finds. A $30 mobile? Go for it. A $15 set of wall art? Love it. But the furniture... especially the crib and the dresser... is genuinely not where you want to cut corners.

Here's why: cheap furniture is almost always made from MDF or particle board, which doesn't hold up over time, doesn't survive the conversion process well, and often uses adhesives and finishes that off-gas chemicals long after the furniture is assembled. You're paying less upfront but potentially paying more in replacements down the line... plus the peace of mind cost of wondering what your baby is breathing.

Solid wood construction, fully-assembled dressers (instead of RTA ones), drawers with English-dovetailing and the glorious "soft-close" feature, eco-friendly finishes, and GREENGUARD Gold certification are well worth the initial investment. Think of it this way: a quality crib that converts to a full-size bed is furniture your child might still be sleeping in at 15 years old. Spread that cost across 15 years and it's an incredible deal.

 

Mistake #7: Forgetting to Order the Conversion Kit

You bought the convertible crib. You feel great about it. Then your child turns two and you go back to order the toddler rail conversion kit... and now it's discontinued. Or backordered indefinitely. Or the brand has updated the design and the old kit no longer fits your crib model.

Order the conversion kit at the same time you order the crib. You won't need it for a couple of years but you will need it eventually, and having it on hand means you're never in that frustrating situation of hunting down a part for a piece you already own and love. Store it in the closet or the attic or your garage (or even underneath the crib if you're tight on space) and forget about it until the day comes.

 

Mistake #8: Not Thinking About the Glider Early Enough

The glider or rocker tends to be one of the last things people think about... and one of the first things they wish they'd thought about sooner. You are going to spend a LOT of time in that chair. Middle of the night feedings, nap time rocking, bedtime stories for years to come. This is not a piece to rush or settle on. I also have had countless mamas come to me over the years by their 2nd trimester saying that they are desperate to get a rocking chair into the nursery because they are finding it impossible to comfortably sleep in their bed. So if there's one thing you shouldn't "sleep on (figuratively...not literally) it's a chair for the nursery.

Think about: how much space you have in the nursery, whether you want a manual or power glider, whether you want it to just swive or perhaps you want one with all the fun bells & whistles (like a tilt headrest and/or extra lumbar support), whether the fabric is easy to clean (spoiler: it needs to be easy to clean lol), and whether the scale works with the rest of your furniture.

 

Mistake #9: Buying Secondhand Cribs

This one comes from a good place... wanting to save money or be sustainable. And I am usually allllllll about that. (Back when I lived in Boulder, all the rich kids that would leave for the summer would literally just dump all their expensive furniture at the curb and I would call it "hippie Christmas" lol). But unfortunately used cribs are one of the few baby items where the risk genuinely outweighs the savings. Here's why...

You can't verify the full history of a secondhand crib. It may have been dropped during a move, it may be made with some of those awful chemcicals I mentioned earlier, the conversion kits may no longer be available, orrrrr it may even have hairline cracks in the wood that aren't visible to the naked eye but compromise the structural integrity. Hardware may be missing or replaced with incorrect parts. And if it was manufactured before 2011, it may predate current CPSC safety standards entirely.

The crib is the one piece of furniture your baby sleeps in unsupervised for years. It is not the place to take a chance on an unknown history. Buy new, buy certified, and buy from a reputable retailer. Everything else in the nursery is a great candidate for secondhand finds... but the crib is not.

 

Mistake #10: Going It Alone When You Don't Have To

This is genuinely the one I feel most passionately about. So many people spend hours on Pinterest, fall down research rabbit holes, second-guess every decision, and end up paralyzed by options... when all they needed was someone who knows this stuff inside and out to help them cut through the noise.

That's exactly what I am here for. Whether you have a clear vision and just need help executing it, or you genuinely have no idea where to start... reach out!!!! My free mood board consultations exist for exactly this reason. Tell me about your space, your vibe, your budget... and let's figure it out together. No pressure, no hard sell, just someone who loves this stuff as much as you love your baby-to-be.

 

- Rae Rae 🤍

 

Ready to start shopping? Browse our full crib collection at New Jersey Cribs and don't forget, every order over $2,499 includes free white glove delivery & assembly. Because you have a more important delivery to focus on.