Crate & Barrel has decided to merge its Land of Nod children’s site with its main furniture and housewares brand, calling it Crate and Kids.
The company still offers a half dozen cribs and a selection of matching accessories (including bedding, bassinets, and other gear.) And it still ain’t cheap: cribs range from $500 to $1200. Dressers are priced from $600 to $1100.
The company has shifted its furniture strategy over the years. For a while, they offered several cribs from El Greco, a U.S.-based manufacturer we reviewed separately. In recent years, Crate and Kids added more imported crib options from Vietnam and China, so only the only style currently on the site made by El Greco is the Andersen model.
In the past year, Crate and Kids began emphasizing its in-house designers of cribs: Royce Nelson, Blake Torvin and Bill Eastburn. Designs tend toward simple open spindles all around the crib with only a couple using solid wood end panels. Woods include poplar, ash, maple and walnut (see photo).
For 2017, Crate and Kids has lowered prices with “everyday value” cribs that run $500. That may still sound high, but previously cribs started at $600.
Also new: convertible cribs (example: the Harmony, $800) with a fabric panel on the back board. While the convertible concept is great (and perhaps help justify the price tag), we aren’t fans of fabric panels inside a crib for practical reasons. If you think these panels will stay pristine, you haven’t seen what babies can do in cribs. Let’s just say it isn’t pretty. And there is no way of cleaning the panel.
As for Crate and Kids’s customer service and quality, readers give the company high marks. But one reader was upset that her furniture order arrived damaged—twice. Crate and Kids was accommodating in shipping out replacement pieces, but getting it right in the first place would be nice for a brand that sells such pricey items.
All in all, we like Crate and Kids—if you want a made in the USA crib, the Andersen is one of your few choices (not just here, but anywhere online). And while the prices aren’t a bargain, many readers say the custom finishes and other coordinating accessories make it worth the investment. Style and quality-wise, these cribs aren’t much different than what you see on Target.com for a $200 Graco crib. What’s sets Crate and Kids apart are unique finishes (green, pink) and design aesthetic. If that’s important to you and you’re willing to pay the premium, the Crate and Kids is a good bet. Rating: A
We obsess over gear for families and the home . . . so you don’t have to. Baby Bargains has one mission: help you find the best gear for your family with unbiased reviews by experts with 20 years of experience. At prices that don’t break the bank. When you purchase a product from links on this site, we make a small affiliate commission. Learn more 
