When planning a nursery, one of the most important pieces of furniture new parents will invest in is a crib. Selecting something that will create a safe sleep environment, look attractive in the space, and be durable enough to withstand at least a few years’ worth of use can feel daunting at first. The options can seem truly unending. Convertible cribs—models that can be converted to transition for multiple uses, from toddler beds to full-size headboards—are popular choices for many parents. The Motherly Timeless 5-in-1 Crib and Playhouse sets itself apart from the pack as a stylish, durable, and incredibly versatile entry. And it’s one we think is well worth your consideration.
Packaging & Assembly
The Motherly 5-in-1 Timeless Crib and Playhouse is well packaged in a large cardboard box weighing nearly 100 pounds. Due to its size and shape, bringing it into the house and up the stairs into our soon-to-be nursery was a two-person job (and one I watched from the sidelines, to be safe). Inside the box, all of the individual items are protected with polyethylene foam sheets, and the hardware is labeled in its own box. Each individual piece has a sticker with its number on it that correlates with the assembly instructions. This makes organizing all of the pieces of the crib easy and efficient. If you’ve ever assembled a piece of furniture from Ikea, then you’re familiar with this kind of assembly; it entails lots of individual furniture pieces, many hardware pieces, and two hex keys to put it all together. Once all of the items were out of the box, it took my husband and me approximately two hours to assemble the crib. Most of the instructions are clear and straightforward. However, we did have to go back and take apart (and then rebuild) the first step several times. There are helpful stickers on some of the pieces telling you which side will face the interior of the crib, but these aren’t always reflected in the assembly instructions. That omission led to a frustrating amount of trial-and-error assembly until all of the parts were facing the correct direction.
Converting the Crib
The instructions begin with assembling as a crib first since that is the likeliest first use scenario for most parents. Then instructions detail converting the crib to a toddler bed. Thankfully, nothing is as time-consuming as the initial crib build—in fact, transitioning to the toddler bed is a breeze by comparison. From start to finish, it took my husband and me no more than 20 minutes to make the switch. By the time we started turning this Transformer-like crib into its fourth configuration (after the crib and the toddler bed, you can remove the railing to make it a daybed), we felt like pros with the assembly instructions. It took about an hour to make the transition to the playhouse—probably longer than most since our 2.5-year-old son decided to “help.” Due to the angles of the roofline pieces, assembling that particular section was more stressful than either of us expected and definitely required two people. We’re planning to store that part in its assembled form once it’s off the structure to make things easier the next time we turn it into a playhouse.
Design: Stylish & Durable
The crib’s name is unfailingly accurate: it is indeed timeless. And aside from that, the playhouse is easily one of the most adorable things we’ve ever brought into our home. The all-white finish (it also comes in a “brushed fog” gray color; both are non-toxic) seamlessly matches any nursery color scheme, and the clean lines and subtly rounded edges can similarly match a number of decor styles. It’s the perfect complement to the white, Mid-Century Modern style dresser we selected for our nursery, and it contrasts nicely with the terracotta color we painted on the walls. The hardwood frame is sturdy, and the included hardware has already made it through a few different configurations without stripping or becoming otherwise compromised.
The Crib
The crib fits a standard crib or toddler mattress. Once the frame is assembled, you can position the mattress at one of three different mattress heights. Lowering the mattress height—something parents will need to do as your infant grows more mobile—is thankfully a simple process that only takes a couple of minutes and can be done by one person with a hex key. This Motherly crib is certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), and the brand says it has also been carefully tested to meet Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) safety requirements.
The Toddler Bed
Graduating from a crib to a toddler bed is a big milestone for parents and children alike. When we transitioned our son to his bed, we didn’t have a convertible crib, so we moved him to a basic toddler bed. He’s now sleeping in a twin bed. The benefit of having a convertible crib from the jump is clear: you don’t need to go out and buy additional frames or build a new sleeping space for your child. What makes this configuration a toddler bed (as opposed to a daybed) is the inclusion of the bed rail. The rail provided in this Motherly crib set is double-sided with a soft U-shape in the center—a unique and attractive design compared to others which stop a third to halfway across the threshold of the bed. This design makes climbing in and out of the bed easy—our son immediately recognized this as a bed and quickly made himself quite at home with his favorite stuffed animal. The U-shape also means there’s no clear head or foot of the bed, which provides another layer of versatility to the furniture.
The Playhouse
Before we screwed the last piece of the roof canopy on the playhouse, our 2.5-year-old son was inside the playhouse with a massive grin on his face. As a mother, that’s the single best endorsement of this product I can provide. Our son loved bringing his stuffed animals into the house and generally flopping around on the mattress (which you can place on the floor as we did or place on the installed mattress support). While the option to turn this convertible crib into a playhouse is a huge differentiator between this product and its competitors, you should consider how and when you’ll use it in its different forms. If you intend to use this as a toddler bed, you could lose out on valuable playtime in the playhouse. Since the playhouse is meant to fit the crib mattress, you could conceivably use the playhouse as a toddler bed. That would, however, make frequent sheet changing a bit of an ordeal. While it’s easy for a toddler to come and go through the door opening, it’s not quite as simple for a fully-grown adult (in her third trimester)—so in case you were wondering, yes, I joined my son to play in “Peter’s House” for a few minutes. We had a blast! Anyone else want to tell him this will go back to being “baby brother’s bed” soon?
Price
Compared to other convertible cribs on the market, the Motherly Timeless 5-in-1 Crib and Playhouse is firmly mid-range when it comes to up-front costs. It’s not one of the cheapest options, but it’s not a splurge, either. One of the best things about this model is that you get all of the necessary conversion pieces in one box. Many, if not most, other convertible cribs require you to purchase a separate conversion kit to actually convert it from a crib to anything else (typically a toddler bed). And often those conversion kits are more expensive than basic toddler beds. If you’re doing a cost-benefit analysis, that factor alone may make this a worthy investment. But we think there are plenty of other reasons to add this piece of furniture to your nursery, too.
Why Trust Verywell Family
Ashleigh Morley is the editorial director for commerce at Verywell and has over 10 years of experience writing, reporting, and editing on health, wellness, and parenting topics. She has a 2.5-year-old son and, at the time of writing this review, is expecting her second child. As a mom, Ashleigh is uncompromising in the products she selects for her family’s use. When evaluating baby and toddler gear—like this crib—she holds items to the highest safety standards. And, of course, the products have to pass the most discerning taste test of all: her kid(s) have to approve, too.
