Holiday05's Profile

Third floor? That's 2 flights of stairs. Hardly an epic feat of strength.

I did this same thing (I had to get the swing on eBay, the bolts were still available at IKEA). See here for how and pictures of the result: http://holidayhouserules.typepad.com/house_rules/2012/07/and-the-install.html

Best thing we ever did!

OMG, kind of weirded out here. I LIVED in that building. It was a charmless hole but as I think the people I lived with are also now tech millionaires, maybe that asbestos isn't all bad? I think I was there in 1997. It's all a bit fuzzy, though.

Figure out how to ship it and the cost to do that at the UPS store or something. And then list it on CL in NY, Boston, SF - places where people might really be wanting the crib for it's style rather than just wanting a crib for utility. Don't say you are shipping it to avoid scammers, but once you have emailed with an interested person and have a good feeling, tell them you will ship it to them and then they can send you a check. Yes, you might get ripped off, but you might find the right buyer.

what is the price range for these?

Look at me- agreeing with everyone else! Dresser is lovely and versatile and I can see it in a kid's room or even a dining room or entryway later in it's life. Great. But the justifications for the crib above are a bit misplaced. Yes, get spendy on a real bed in 3 years but a crib is just not important. Maybe just say "I got the spendy crib because I wanted it and can afford it." Yay, sure! Go for it!

And the ikea chair, well, I'm okay with it since it's disposable in 3 years...but saying you will repurpose it it is unrealistic. We got an ikea chair for the nursery...and then freecycled it. I'm glad you didn't waste $1000 on a silly glider, mind you, but it's funny that you need to consider the cheapo chair as versatile and yet the crib gets to just be a very expensive crib.

I blame pregnancy hormones. We all act irrationally...it's cool.

Calderacraft points out a good thing. If you rock them to sleep, they will need to be rocked to sleep. As my Gram said, "3 times spoils a baby." And before you get all "you can't spoil a baby!" on me, relax - Gram was a baby-lover. Baby Whisperer said the same thing, but in more PC terms: "begin as you intend to go on."

My 5 yo is totally into pink and purple and cries when not allowed to wear a dress. She does not give a rat's a$$ about princesses, though. So, it's the girlie stuff without the Disney tossed in. She told me repeatedly that her green room "made her sad" so I eventually painted it pink. A pink I can tolerate (Wild Aster) since it is my house so I am not having a bubble gum room in it, and I do not consider that in any way robbing her of her childhood. She loves it, expresses delight in being able to show her room to her friends, and I think understands that it was done as a treat for her (she had to help paint it) and that she is expected to respect her space, keep it clean, etc.

Parenting is a crapshoot. There are no rules that work for all kids. Some kids will internalize some wants, others will not. Some will grow out of the princes phase, others will not. Anyone who says there is just one way to do things is someone who has only one kid or no kids...

To see my pink room: http://holidayhouserules.typepad.com/house_rules/2011/11/the-big-reveal.html

I would worry more about leaving those rope loops around for him to play with/get tangled in than the chairs. They are light, if he pulls them, they will fall. They will not hurt him and he will learn. Or you could try just telling him not to touch them...
Babyproof the things that can seriously hurt your child, let them learn to deal with the stuff that might merely bruise them or scare them. No need to wrap your house in plastic and tie everything down. Promise.

I bought a house with a similar water element (for fish though, but similar in appearance and access. I put a KatchaKid cover on it. If not, i would have drained it. You are all correct that a pool is not something you can have children around, until they are teenagers really, and then I'd worry about friends, drinking, etc. But, if you want it, or it's there already, there are ways to make it safe with covers, locks and alarms that beep if doors are opened. Seems like these folks have all 3, and probably also a lot of rules about when the pool is "open." That said, seems like a big expense for something you have to keep under cover.