Simplicity Ellis 4-in-1 Crib in Honey

I've owed this crib for 14 months without a problem. I just love it. In the beginning I didn't like the fact that you couldn't put the front rail down. I had to reach down to get the baby, but I was a new mom, so I was nervous I would drop him. But now that I'm an "expert" now, the rail doesn't bother me anymore. The rails are wide and curvy. I didn't have a problem attaching the mobile, but I did have a problem attaching a musical "aquarium" and had to return it. Other than that, I highly recommend this crib. The wood is beautiful. It looks very chic. I bought the matching changing table/dresser. I recommend that as well. Matches perfectly.

VERY sturdy crib. We bought this crib for my son's "big boy" room when he turned 1 so we could have the nursery as-is for our second son who was due six months later.

We've now had the crib for two years and there is not a single problem with it. My 3-year-old just got moved out of the crib to a twin bed but we did have it converted for a while and looked nice. I think however that toddler bed rail attachments should be one longgg one with an opening half-way instead of the two short ones (one at the head and one at the feet). Toddlers just fall out too easily and having the opening right in the middle isn't practical, even if it's more eye-pleasing and symmetrical. It still looks new, and it's held up to some occasional abuse from my two boys who are now 1-1/2 and 3.

My son is now 11 months old. After using the crib for the last 11 months, we are overall happy with the purchase. The only complaint we have is that the wood is very soft. My son has managed to scratch the top rail with his teeth. I have scratched it as well with my clothing zippers and buttons as I lean into the crib to pick him up. It is a little tricky to get crib bumper ties around the four legs, as they are quite wide. It is a beautiful crib overall and by far our favorite purchase out of the Simplicity Ellis set.

I have had this crib for nearly 5 months now. My son complains quite loudly about being in it, but I don't think that is a reflection of the product. It is very stable, looks nice. I haven't attempted to convert it yet of course. It was not subject to the Simplicity recall recently which was reassuring.

A few issues to be aware of though:

- styrofoam packaging left pieces clinging to the crib that had to be hunted down and vacuumed up; don't want a newborn to swallow them and there were a lot of them clinging to every crevice

- a few of the pieces had the wood chipped, but fortunately they all were hidden from view anyway so didn't request a replacement (we were under a deadline so didn't want to risk a delay)

- purchased a separate crib tent that does not fit because of the back being higher than the front -- did not try to find another tent so there may be one somewhere

- top of the side rails is wide and curved, so the entertainment mobile we purchased wouldn't fit properly without some extra rigging because it couldn't wrap around as intended

We bought this crib to use for our son from birth until it falls apart (ha!). I'm glad that it can grow with him, from a crib, to toddler-bed, day-bed, then full-size bed. It is a build-it-yourself crib, but the instructions are pretty simple, and the crib is very sturdy when put together correctly.
I do not see how the front is "One-hand release single drop side" (as mentioned above) as all four sides are screwed in place. The mattress support does have four points/heights that it can be adjusted to, but for all you would need to bend into the crib... I'll have to go over my manual to be sure.

Either way, beautiful crib, and will be handsome in any baby's nursery.