STORKCRAFT Santa Monica Convertible Crib (White/Driftwood)

This convertible crib is the convenient option for transitioning from a baby to a toddler bed. It comes in white with a brown base, so it’s generally easy to match with other nursery furniture. It takes about anywhere between one and two hours to put together, depending on the speed of the assembler. One tricky aspect of the assembly is that many of the bolts can only be tightened from behind obstructions in the frame, so they can’t be tightened in a continuous maneuver.

Though the material is synthetic and lightweight, it’s relatively sturdy and should withstand multiple years of use. We assembled straight into the toddler bed without the (additional) toddler guard, and it does seem like it won’t withstand any sizable force from an adult. Should be good for children under five.

Looks exactly as pictured! Very sturdy and durable! Looks great in the nursery!

We put this together and thought it was good and sturdy, but after a few months, we noticed that the paint has already started chipping on one of the top rails. Very poor quality of paint since it’s already chipping and we have rarely used the crib as a little one has been in a bassinet.

We are very disappointed and tried reaching out to customer service about sending a replacement part for it and have experienced very poor customer service. Customer service explained that they are not responsible for our baby teething or chewing on the top rail. We reached back out explaining that our three-month old does not have teeth and cannot sit up on their own to be able to teeth/chew. Customer service was not understanding of the situation and are finding other excuses not to send a replacement part.

We were hoping to have a good quality crib that would be able to grow with our little one but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

There’s a reason why Storkcraft is known for making great cribs. It’s because they also make all of Graco’s cribs. And every parent knows the Graco brand. It’s probably the most trusted for car seats and strollers. So if you’re looking for a crib that’s competitively priced, but still sturdy and safe, the Santa Monica is a good choice. Best of all, it grows with your child. So you can eventually turn it into a day bed, or a traditional looking bed when your little one gets to be not-so-little anymore. But there is one thing you may want to consider buying with this. Especially if you’re getting it as a baby shower gift, or present for other parents. Here’s what you need…..

A conversion kit. For some reason, every 4-in-1 or 5-in-1 crib that my Wife and I ever looked at, didn’t include a conversion kit. We just sort of assumed that when it was time to turn the crib into a regular bed, I’d just be taking it apart, and assembling it in a different way. I found out the hard way with our very first convertible crib that you couldn’t do that. You needed a specific kit and/or an additional rail piece. The brand we chose for the first crib we bought, they were sold out of the kit we needed for our particular crib (it wasn’t a Storkcraft). So if you want to avoid a situation like that, you may want to consider just getting a conversion kit now. Better to have it and not need it two or three years from now, than need it and just not have it. Especially if the kits are sold out at that time, or not being produced anymore.

Storkcraft has a couple of conversion kits priced at about $140 or so. They work with all types of Storkcraft and Graco brand cribs. It’s what you need to convert the crib into a bed. If you’re gifting it, it’s fine to just gift the crib. But it wouldn’t hurt if you also include one of their bed conversion kits, if you can swing the extra $140 right now. They sell them on Amazon, so you can actually have it ship out the same time as the crib itself. Or check with Storkcraft directly to see what they have available. Just be sure to order the crib here on Amazon for the best and fastest shipping. Great crib, we got this one specifically for our baby nephew when family is staying the night at our place. Simple but attractive and functional.