My daughter and her husband are in the process of doing foster to adopt. They have applied to accept a child 2 or under, which means they could get a child from newborn up to 2 years old. The agency requires that they have a bed ready for the child before the final inspection. So she is hoping to get a crib that converts to a toddler bed so that they can be ready for either. They already have 2 children, a girl 7 and a boy 4. They are on a limited budget so I am looking for a really inexpensive one or a free one. I live in the Fort Worth area but will travel to the surrounding areas to get one.
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ Definatley craigslist!! You can type what you want in the search box and it will narrow it down for you!
Ikea has some that are so cheap you'll hardly believe it. Cheaper than anything I've found in resale. And they have really cute bedding too.
I have seen some great responses, just wanted to throw it out there that the FDA states that you should not use a used mattress. They have wondered about links to SIDS and old or used mattresses.
Best of luck to your daughter and her husband with Fostering, what a wonderful gift and what blessings they are, thank you.
Just something to think about- the convertible crib we got didn't come with the toddler rail and we found that when we wanted to purchase the rail it was just a tiny short rail and cost nearly $100. We have decided that when we move our child to the toddler bed we will just purchase an inexpensive toddler bed because it is less expensive and safer (the toddler bed will be lower to the ground and have better railing).
Also, my mother was able to purchase a crib for her house for only $30 including the mattress from her local goodwill store. It needed paint- but was otherwise terrific.
Try freecycle or craigs list.
They might have something there.
Craigslist, definitely! Also, if yiu know of any resale shops. There is one on North Beach/North Tarrant in Keller. It's called little hang ups. They just opened, so they have a full shop.
Wal-Mart has some that are fairly cheap, you might also look at Kid to Kid
