Shhh! Don’t tell anyone that Bedford Baby is actually made by Westwood.

westwoodbaby.com

Westwood Design was launched in 2005 by several veteran nursery furniture executives who partnered with an adult furniture company for distribution expertise. The company has found success in a crowded market by offering a good quality product with extra features at affordable prices.

Westwood is sold in a variety of outlets, from specialty stores to chains like Buy Buy Baby and online on Amazon. You’ll find the brand under the aliases Bedford Baby at JCPenney. At the chains, a Westwood crib runs $330 to $600; dressers are similar in price.

In specialty stores, Westwood tends to be a bit fancier in style and higher in price. Example: a new modern two-tone grouping features a $600 crib; dressers are in the $470 to $700 range.

If that is too rich, Westwood has a new entry-level price brand that debuted in the past year: Imagio Baby. Cribs run $250 to $350. Imagio Baby is sold at Walmart and Amazon.

If you live in a small condo, we should note that Westwood recently added several scaled-down furniture pieces (the company calls them “euro-sized”) for folks trying to fit furniture in a small nursery.

In specialty stores, Westwood is sold as Stella Baby, which has its own web site (stellababyandchild.com). Stella has four collections with prices that range from $400 to $800 for convertible cribs. Basically, the same furniture as Westwood but with fancier finishes and detailing.

Also in specialty stores, Westwood has developed an exclusive collection for the Brixy independent baby retailer group. Dubbed “Brixy Haven,” the collection has two cribs and four dressers in two finishes. Cribs run $600 to $1200 and dressers are $350 to $900.

Whew! That is confusing, no? Here’s a summary of Westwood’s sub brands:

  • Westwood—mid price, sold in Buy Buy Baby and Amazon.
  • Bedford Baby—mid price, sold at JcPenney.
  • Imagio Baby—entry-level price sold online at Walmart, Amazon.
  • Stella Baby—pricier cribs sold in specialty stores.
  • Brixy Haven—sold in Brixy stores (a group of specialty stores) in the mid to higher price points.

FYI: Westwood cribs now ship with “always there hardware”—pre-installed hardware that doesn’t detach from the crib. That makes it safer when you disassemble and reassemble a crib. Another unique feature: Westwood dressers feature “no tools assembly” (under both the Westwood and Imagio Baby brands), which enable quick assembly without any hardware or tools. (See the video below for a demo).

Westwood furniture is made in Vietnam, Thailand and China (the beech collection specifically is made in China). Imagio furniture is imported from China. New for 2018, Westwood’s cribs are now GreenGuard Gold certified, except for those cribs made in China. Unfortunately, their web site doesn’t tell you which cribs are made where, so you’ll want to check country of origin on each crib.

Quality-wise, Westwood is a good value. Most of the cribs are made from solid hardwood (poplar and rubber wood are most common—one collection, the Cypress Point, is made of pine). The exception to the hard wood construction: cribs with panel headboards are made of MDF with cherry veneers. The dressers are made of solid wood frames (poplar again) with veneered MDF on the sides and top.

You’ll see some adult furniture touches here and there (hutches with built-in lights; dressers with height-adjustable feet), which is unusual in the nursery market.

The downsides? Well, the company only offers a limited number of finishes. And Westwood uses more veneers and MDF than competitors in this price range.

Feedback on readers is generally positive on Westwood. The only negative notes are folks who’ve ordered lower price Westwood items from Amazon or other online sellers, as we see many reports of shipment damage, missing parts, etc. “Arrived with a crack in the wood on the side panels,” said one Imagio online customer. Yes, Westwood customer service is good and takes care of complaints—but it would be nice if they had better quality control and packaging/shipping in the first place.

We’re lowering Westwood’s rating a notch this year to reflect this recent feedback. This is a brand that is probably best bought in store. If you have to chance to inspect the contents of the box before leaving the store or buy from a store with an easy returns policy, that would be wise! Despite this caveat, we recommend Westwood as a good brand with decent value. Rating: A-