My four year old daughter has a whole family of assorted dolls and cuddly toys who live a rather halcyon existence, variously spending their time at tea parties, being pushed around the garden and generally being well loved, though they are a little high maintenance. Until a little while ago, when bedtime came around, worn out by all their activities, they had been lying their weary heads on a blanket where they were lovingly tucked in every night. When the four year old's birthday was on the way she informed us that what she really wanted was a bed for her family as Charlie and Freddie were getting fed up of the floor.
I was drawn to this Rocking cradle by two things really, the fact that I know from other items that we have bought that John Crane items are normally excellent, and the fact that frankly it looked very cute on the picture - the only alternative I had tracked down was a plastic bed from Toysrus which I was a bit loathe to buy.
The cradle comes ready to be assembled. Assembly was not very tricky at all, (8 screws, good instructions) and once put together the night before the youngest's birthday I was really pleased with the results. This is a sturdy and well made bed. The rubberwood is well finished, though the base is of MDF (it was a little tricky but not impossible to slot in whilst I was putting everything together with a Philips screwdriver), it is solid enough. What you can't see in the picture is that the bed comes with a little cotton mattress, as well as the co-ordinating pillow and reversible sheet set you can see in the picture. These are beautifully made (in Thailand according to the label) and fit well into the bed, they are washable too. The whole thing is just the right size for Baby Annabel and co. who can be nicely tucked up and gently rocked.
What you see is what you get here really, suffice to say that probably due to its pinkness, my daughter loved this cradle on sight and it has been used every single night since for various dolls and teddies and often is part of her play at bedtime too. It can be rocked gently and does not take up too much space, whilst being made of strong and solid wood, as it is rubberwood there are not knots and it isn't an over grainy finish. I like the fact that the wood (which is from sustainable sources apparently) is so well finished with no rough edges and well applied varnish and paint. I think that this item looks really nice even to adult eyes - it fits in well in her room as the colours are not too garish, it's just a lovely and traditional item.
I really recommend this cradle if you have a child who loves dolls - it would have been a waste of money for my eldest who never has really played with them, but for my youngest it really is something she cherishes and also one of very few items that I will keep for the next generation. I think it would be good for any child from age 18 months or so up. I feel that this cradle is great value for the price you pay as it is a quality toy that any doll fan is sure to love!