Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Doll Furniture - Crib

When my daughter asked for a doll crib for her 7th year birthday, I spent a lot of time researching. After reading all the reviews, I decided to buy this one for the fact that it looks pretty and it is made of solid wood. I wanted something that last. However, when I opened the package, I was very surprised to find out that there are scratched paint on one piece, and cracks on two other pieces. I was reluctant to accept it initially. However, I did not want to dissapoint my daughter. I still assembled it. Although the instruction said "Assembly in minutes", it turned out to be very difficult for one side. I am not a pro but avergae in my assembly skill, and I did even out all sides before tightening. It was clear to me that this is due to the impefection of the product rather than the assembler. Once assembled, it does look very pretty as expected. I just feel that I paid dearly for a not too perfect product. Is it just bad luck or some indication of the product quality? The product was packaged very nicely, so the defects are unlikely due to the shipment. I'd rate the design as 5 stars, the quality as 2 stars. Since the price is relatively high, overall is 3 stars.

I purchased this crib for my 2 1/2 year old daughter. She has a twin brother and I was concerned that he might break whatever I bought. I was very torn between this crib and the Guidecraft cradle - which I'd seen in person and while it was very sturdy and well made, it seemed smaller and looked like a coffin to me (although decorative paint could go a long way in solving that problem) but ultimately, I preferred the white color and size of the Melissa and Doug product. I was not disappointed when it arrived. Although it took me about 40 mins to assemble and I did have to re-drill 2 holes to get the side rail to properly line up, I did feel that the crib was well made and very sturdy. It even supported the twin brother's weight (about 36 pounds) in the crib. The only weakness that I found was that when the cradle was turned on its side and the twin brother jumped on it - the side rail split. I'm honestly not surprised that it broke - nor would I think it was designed to withstand that kind of play. However, I called Melissa and Doug customer service and spoke to a friendly representative in Connecticut and a new side rail is going to be shipped to us - free of charge. Unfortunately I'll have put the crib away until twin brother can be trusted.

UPDATE:
I received the new side rail from Melissa and Doug, but since the item is handcrafted the replacement was not exactly the same length and therefore the crib didn't fit well. I called the company again and they are sending me a brand new replacement for the entire crib. They are very customer service oriented.

This baby crib is absolutely gorgeous. My husband actually found this in a local toy store and picked it up. It is NOT cheap looking, and is a solid, beautiful piece of furniture. It is nothing like the cheap plastic cribs you can buy. This will last forever, and I would love to save it for my daughters' daughters. You won't be sorry!