Graco Lauren Classic Crib, Espresso
Review by Kelsey Lynn V. "kelsey333" : Perfect Crib @ Low Cost

My husband and I had our first child December 17... both of us being right out of high school and newly weds, we were broke. Our daughter slept in a bassinet that a good friend gave us, and inevitably she was growing out of it quickly. We looked everywhere for a good quality crib at low cost. But most cribs that were good quality were at least $300.
I found this crib here on amazon and it was exactly what I was looking for, stationary sides, sturdy, very affordable and it even came in the color I wanted. At first I was a little skeptical, being that I was buying it online... but it came within a very reasonable time frame with all the right parts, easy to read instructions, and my husband was able to assemble it in less than an hour! I also love that it's light weight considering the sturdiness of it, I am able to move it out of the way while cleaning without needing my husbands help.
I would DEFINITELY recommend this crib to anyone who's interested.

Graco Lauren Classic Crib, Espresso
Review by William E. Janes "addiction" : Fantastic Crib, with One Caveat

This crib was purchased as a gift for expectant parents. The packaging protected it well during shipping, which apparently turned violent. Assembly was simple, and the crib is remarkably sturdy when fully assembled. The crib is beautiful and of surprisingly high quality.

One caution: The owner's manual that ships with this crib indicates that it is not intended for newborns. This may be due to mattress dimensions (as others have mentioned) or perhaps the spacing of slats. With that having been said, a set of bumpers around the perimeter of the crib and it was ready to go. It would have been nice to know this prior to purchase.

In all, this is a beautiful, sturdy crib.

Graco Lauren Classic Crib, Espresso
Review by T. Kelly : Great Crib for the Price

We bought this crib because we loved the first Graco convertible crib that we have for our son, who is now in the full sized bed. This crib was easy to put together, looks great in the room, and the price was very reasonable.

I was only disappointed because I thought it would have a toddler railing like the previous crib. Since there was only one picture of the crib on Amazon I couldn't be sure. It won't be a problem since we can buy a separate toddler rail to use.

Overall, very happy.

Graco Lauren Classic Crib, Espresso
Review by kmm2010 : Previous Review is for Drop Side model

I wanted to add a comment to the previous reviewer's. They were unhappy with their drop-side model. The model shown here is for fixed sides. I received one in espresso finish (stationary sides) and it is extremely sturdy! Not only is it very stable, it's also extremely lovely, and for the price, I have to say it can't be beat. It's great quality. The instructions were a bit funky, but my hubby was great help. LOVE THIS CRIB. Keep in mind about the difference of drop-side and fixed. If you can, go with fixed anyway. They almost always are more stable, safer, and much more rarely recalled.

Graco Lauren Classic Crib, Espresso
Review by Rose : Very pleased with product

We love this crib :) It gets an A rating in Baby bargains, which is a book which tells you everything you need to know about purchasing baby items, as well as safety ratings. We ordered it online and it arrived very quickly. It was packaged very well, everything was there that we needed. The instructions were simple, and I was able to put it together by myself in less than an hour. I also purchased the matching changing table and was very happy with that also. I would recommend this crib to any of my friends and family looking for a safe and good looking product for a very reasonable price. :)

Graco Lauren Classic Crib, Espresso
Review by S. Hiram : Great Lower-Priced Crib

I love this crib with one caveat: IT WON'T LET A STEEL-FRAMED CRIB MATTRESS SIT FLAT because it won't squeeze between the brackets that hold the springboard up.

Why I chose this crib:
(1) After reading reviews on a TON of cribs, the problems reported seemed fewer and less significant or even avoidable. (More reviews for this crib are under the espresso finish.)

(2) I chose the natural finish because, like many cribs priced up to $500, it's made of pine, which is by its nature a softer wood, so likely to be dinged by a baby. I figure that with the natural finish, any dings or chips on the finish won't show as badly as on the espresso finish. Also, pine is a light wood that you can kind of mesh with other pine or birch pieces and it looks fine... Darker stains are harder to match.

(3) I went to a store with a lot of cribs set up to see how the standard mattress fit in each one and to shake each one for sturdiness. This was the cheapest one where the mattress fit snugly and it seemed very sturdy. (Granted, even good cribs may seem less sturdy if not tightened properly when built.)

(4) I found it for $125 new, which made it a lot cheaper than my other top choices for cribs.

(5) This is convertible to a toddler bed. The downside is it doesn't have a half-rail, however it's super low to the ground at that stage, so I don't see that it will be a huge problem. I can always put pillows or blankets down for the first while. I would think that most kids will only fall out a few times before they learn not to roll off.

(6) You can also convert it to a twin headboard (not the whole frame) which I liked because a lot of other cribs require you to spend around $100 to buy the matching side pieces to put along the bed. I thought this was much more economic, because if I do use it that way I can just buy a cheap bed frame and cover it with a dust ruffle. And really, kids don't need footboards on their beds, in my opinion. I don't even think they need headboards, but it's sure a nice option!

When we received the crib, my husband and I put it together. The directions (which are on the spring assembly in the box) were great as long as you really pay attention to where the holes are on the picture to see which way the pieces are facing. I didn't do great at first, but it only added a few minutes to fix the piece I'd turned around. It was easy to assemble, and when you tighten the bolts properly, it is very sturdy.

Only problem:
I tried to put my nice steel-framed mattress in and saw that where the brackets made it so the mattress wouldn't fit flat. I warily called customer service and was actually very impressed with them--except the replacement springboards they sent, though different, still had the inherent problem of not allowing enough room for the mattress which was the size they said to buy because it won't "squish" in between the brackets. So... not having the packaging for the crib anymore, I ended up buying a firm mattress without a steel frame instead. I'm extremely disappointed with this easily avoidable flaw in the design, but otherwise really do like the crib.

Graco Lauren Classic Crib, Espresso
Review by A. Bone : Great crib, great price, easy to assemble!

I ordered this crib after doing a bit of research. It came well-packed and had only one tiny dent that didn't show after my husband put it together. He kept raving about how great the directions were and how the whole thing came together with the help of only one allen wrench that came with it. I am in love with the crib because it looks great and was half the price of the used cribs in the resale shops around here. It's solid and sturdy, and meets all the safety requirements, not to mention it's convertible so we'll be able to use it for years to come. I signed up for the Amazon Visa card at the same time and saved $40, so the crib cost me only $98 + $10 shipping.

Graco Lauren Classic Crib, Espresso
Review by E. Calarco : Good Inexpensive Crib

After using an older model of this crib with our first child (a Graco Lauren Crib with the drop side) we decided to order this one in the same style for our second baby. There are some noticeable differences between this one and the older model. Note: The older model of this crib with the drop side was recalled, but this model does NOT have a drop side

This crib is different than the older one (purchased in the beginning of 2009) in a couple of key ways:
1. This crib does NOT have a drop side. The front of the crib is attached using screws through the sides.
2. This crib does NOT have the casters that were on the 2009 Lauren Crib
3. The mattress spring/base seemed to be of a better quality than the one on the 2009 crib (it was much easier to put into place on the new crib)

The assembly of the crib was straightforward and took about 1 hour put together(with a little help needed to hold up some of the pieces due to their size).