Review on DaVinci Alpha Mini Rocking Ebony by Tracy Nuy

So you're probably wondering why this product only gets 4 stars. Let me explain from the beginning. I am expecting my fourth child in 8 weeks. With my first three children I had a beautiful full size crib in a beautifully designed nursery. He's hardly gotten used to it. I prefer to have my little ones in my room so I had an old mini bed that someone had given me. I remember lying in bed many nights trying to gently shake the cradle to lull the baby back to sleep. It was uncomfortable and I walked until my arm felt like it was going to fall off. It had casters, which was great because I could put the bed in the bathroom to take a shower, in the living room or kitchen to prep meals, or load the dishwasher. When I saw this crib I was thrilled to have found one that rocked and had casters. Unfortunately, I somehow overlooked the fact that you can't have both at the same time. The crib only rocks without casters, so you have to choose between rocking or mobility, or constantly adding and removing casters. I really wish they would rethink the design of this device which is why this review is missing a star. Now let's move on to the bed itself. Arrived via UPS in the original packaging. I have never bought a product packaged as beautifully as this one. Each piece was tightly packed in styrofoam, and all the gear was inside in a little box. All screws and washers are separated by plastic and the rolls are individually wrapped. There was no scratch or dent anywhere. It was incredibly easy to assemble, in fact I assembled it myself in about 30 minutes. The included waterproof pad is really good and I'll be willing to swear it was over 1 inch thick although I didn't measure it. I bought the Dream On Me 3 inch mattress for $24 and it fit perfectly. I put a pillow on the mattress and a sheet around both. The crib has multiple positions for raising and lowering the mattress and is incredibly well made and sturdy. I bought it in the color slate (grey) and am very happy with it. I love it and it's an amazing mini crib for the money!