Europa Baby Palisades Convertible Crib, Classic Cherry (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

This bed is really beautiful and the price we got through Amazon could not be beat. The quality is great and it seems like a much more substantial piece of furniture than other cribs we looked at. Be aware, however, that this one is much lower to the ground than some others. The standard measurement crib skirt that I made for it, is way too long. We did not have problems finding a crib mattress to fit like other reviewers that I have seen posted.

Great crib. Simple.

absolutely love this item

Wonderful!

The crib itself is fantastic. We have twins and have this crib in both the classic cherry and white. However, as the other reviewer noted, buyer beware that conversion kits are NOT available anymore on these. The company was bought out, construction stopped, and now any conversion kits, if you're lucky enough to find something, are $200 or more (or you get ToysRUs in Canada which won't ship to the US). The company won't respond to any emails or phone calls on availability, etc. This means this crib is NOT truly convertible anymore. It's worth Googling "Europa baby palisades conversion kit" just to see all the problems others are having before you choose to buy this one.We did our research on cribs as well before buying and purchased these based on Consumer Reports, who has yet to update their site to reflect issues with the conversion kits and the company being bought out.

As most people do, I'm sure, I felt like I put as much research into buying a crib as I did buying a car. We had our little one in a bedside cradle till she outgrew it so we had a little extra time to invest in finally deciding on a crib. But right when we were about to pull the trigger on a $150-170 crib sleigh crib, I got the brilliant idea to check out a consumer testing magazine for its recommendations. This crib was the "best buy" - it was the most durable and easiest to put together and the #2 crib tested - the #1 was $900. So this was definitely a best buy. We didn't buy it on Amazon because I found it locally at a better price, but since so many people use Amazon I felt we should rate it here. It truly was easy to put together. The box had a big hole in it but the crib was packaged so well it had not a single mark.We've been using it a month now and it's great. Our daughter is now 7.5 months. We have it on the middle height setting. The crib sits low to the ground which is wonderful for me: I'm 5'3" and sometimes our girl needs me to lean over into the crib and put my face really close to hers. The crib is so stable and secure, and hits me right above the hips so I can bend (somewhat) comfortably into the crib and be there for a few minutes while she needs me. And it doesn't creak! Even my expensive cherry wooden queen sleigh bed creaks now and then. This crib is so stable when I lean on it,when my girl is sleeping and I have to pull myself up out of it, I never worry it will squeak.One word about the color: This crib says it's cherry but cherry is one of those colors I notice seems to be inconsistent among vendors. This crib is a lovely dark, I'd say, espresso color, with a visible hint of red. It's gorgeous, but not the "cherry" I was expecting.We haven't done the conversion yet, however the way it's built, the conversion to toddler bed is just taking off the front railing. That's it. That was the last part to go on (besides the feet) so it's simply the first and only thing to come off when we convert. Very glad for that. Also, some cribs that advertise that they convert are actually sort of a scam because you can never find the toddler rail. The rail for this bed is actually available so if we want to purchase it down the road, I am certain we can find it from a variety of vendors when the time comes.Our daughter is already teething and so wasted no time in trying to chew on the sides. Yes, it leaves indentations, but that's unavoidable with a wooden crib, IMHO. However, the varnish isn't chipping off so there is no loss of color (and she is not swallowing chips!). It's possible with some rubbing and oils I could massage the dents out later.One last thing, I read a review elsewhere that people had trouble finding a mattress to fit. I have no idea why that is because we used a standard size, 6 inch mattress and it fit perfectly. In fact, we were were given a crib mattress far long before we ever purchased a crib so when I read that review I ran and did a measurement of it and knew right away it would fit this crib.All in all, INCREDIBLY happy with this crib and looking forward to using it for my daughter's toddler years and for our next child.

I like thorough reviews so I hope mine is very thorough to help you decided if this is the right crib for you. **Make sure you read to the bottom about availability of the conversion kits!** I bought this crib February of 2012. I'm writing this review in August of 2014. I didn't buy it from amazon, I bought it from "a factory that sells a lot of coats" hint hint. It was a bit less expensive (maybe $20 less or so) but it took FOREVER for it to come in. We ordered it the week after Christmas and it didn't arrive until the last week of February. I was due mid March so I was in a panic that I had no nursery furniture. The people at the store were not helpful at all. They said there was no way for it to be able to be tracked to see if it had been shipped to the store. They finally called me to let me know the dresser came in but the crib still wasn't there. When I showed up to take the dresser home they said I had to wait until the entire order arrived. I had paid for the entire order at the same time so they couldn't let me break up the order to take it home. WTH?! A few days later the crib arrived finally! I was friends with another family who lived a few hours away who bought the same crib from somewhere else just a week or two after we did and they had no problems getting it in a timely fashion so it was probably just the store I ordered from. Now to actually reviewing the crib. I LOVE the crib! I got it in classic cherry (not rustic cherry) and the color was beautiful and exactly what I expected; a dark cherry. I think the rustic cherry is a bit lighter. My husband assembled the crib easily, mostly by himself with just a bit of help from me to hold pieces in the right places until he got them screwed in. If you see other reviews saying there aren't screw covers this is correct, but it has never bothered me and after 2 years I don't notice the small brass screws at all. All of the pieces got to us without a scratch and the construction is sturdy. My husband weighs 170 lbs and he has laid in the crib with my son (now a 30 lb 2 yr old) many times without any problems. I like that the rail is a bit lower than some cribs because it made it easier to bend over the rail to comfort a crying baby. I am 5'5'' and I think the top of the rail hits me right at or maybe a hair below my waist. If you are worried about your baby teething on the crib rails (and most babies do) then you can buy rubber guards that stick to the rails. Thats what we did and it has kept the rails in perfect condition. I had heard from other reviews that it was hard to find a mattress to fit. We waited until the bed arrived and was put together, I measured the inside of the crib, and then looked on-line at mattress dimensions to find the one with the best fit. We bought a Serta brand (I don't remember the details because its been over 2 years ago.) It was about middle of the road price wise. I think we got it from BRU. It fits very snug on the long sides and leaves just a bit of a gap on the short ends. It took a little research to find the best fit, but definitely not impossible. The regular cotton sheet that came with the bedding set I bought fit extremely tight on the mattress, but I could force it on (I think it shrank some after washing). The mattress pad I bought from BRU fits perfectly. I bought jersey knit sheets for extras and they fit fine because they stretch easy. Also, I know they don't recommend bumper pads anymore, but I used them. If you are going to use bumper pads remember that if the mattress fits too tightly you wont be able to remove it from the crib to change the sheets without removing the bumper pads too. Mine fit snug enough on the long sides that I had to take bumper pads off every time I changed the sheets. That was a hassle! If there had been a bit of a gap between the mattress and the rails it would have been ok because the bumper pads fill in the gaps. I also bought the matching 5 drawer dresser. It was nice that it came mostly assembled, only had to screw the feet on the bottom. Many people complained that the drawers didn't fit right and were cheap. If a few of the drawers don't seem to line up right when they are shut switch them around a little and you'll find some drawers fit better in the different slots. I know they should all be the same, but you can't expect perfection on every piece of furniture. After moving a couple of drawers around mine fit well. The slides all work well and after 2 years none of them have broken. Now, here's to the reason why I'm writing this review over 2 years after I bought the crib and dresser and why I'm only giving it 4 stars. We are trying to convert my son's bed to a toddler bed and when I went online to buy the toddler rail that goes with this bed I wasn't able to find it ANYWHERE! I found the Palisades toddler rail on one website, but only in the licorice (black) color. I haven't been able to find it on any other website in any other color. I called La Jobi who is the maker of this bed and the customer service rep told me they no longer manufacture the toddler rail or the rails to convert it to a full size bed and the company is going out of business. You are able to convert the crib to a toddler day bed without the matching rail just by removing the front rail of the crib so that is what we will do. If you are worried about your little one rolling out of the bed during the night you can buy cheap rails that work on any bed, they just won't match the furniture. You can still find the rails to convert it all the way to a full size bed on Amazon and maybe a few other places (as of August 2014), but you need to buy them now while you still can! I specifically bought a convertible bed so we wouldn't have to buy another bedroom set when my son grew up. If this is important to you make sure you can still find the conversion rails before you buy they bed and buy them at the same time! In Conclusion, I love the crib and matching dresser. This issue of no longer being able to buy the conversion kits is why I give it 4 stars and not 5.