Posted by Ideal Baby to New Moms

When my oldest daughter was born, my parents generously bought us a crib as their baby gift. We picked a white wooden one that I loved, and now, three babies later, it is still going strong. Nearly every day, I think, “I still adore this crib” and aside from a few small scrapes thanks to my oldest daughter, it is in nearly perfect condition. It was a little more expensive than some of the other cribs available, but I’ve been so happy we went with it.

Compare that to the cheap dresser we bought for our third daughter to store baby clothes, diaper and accessories in. It seemed like a good deal, but almost from the moment it arrived, it’s made us crazy. It’s poorly made and the drawers don’t open or close smoothly. The paint on the top scraped off almost immediately, making our brand-new dresser look older than the five-year-old crib.

Nursery furniture is something you’ll interact with daily (many times a day, in fact!) for several years, which means that the price-per-use gets really low, really fast. And if you have multiple children, you’ll get even more use out of it. Plus, aside from a crib, lots of nursery furniture can be used indefinitely. A dresser can hold clothing for a 10-year-old just as easily as it holds bodysuits and diapers. A beautiful armoire can store textbooks and nail polish when your child has grown out of tiny headbands and diapers. And, perhaps most importantly, you won’t be irritated on a daily basis by a cheap, non-functional piece of furniture that makes caring for your baby more difficult