Baby's Dream Generation Next

This Baby's Dream single drop gate was Good overall, and Very Good in Construction. But the drop gate latches did not relatch automatically when closed, and a possible pinch point were safety concerns. Ease of Assembly was only Fair. Assembling this crib was more complicated and took longer than many other models tested. There were a lot of parts, and assembly was awkward. Not all the steps have illustrations.

The Baby's Dream Generation Next is part of the Cribs test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Crib models like the Generation Next are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

Ease of assembly: Ease of assembly takes into account the number of parts, the number of steps, and the number of actions required in each step. We also consider the clarity, accuracy and explicitness of the instructions, and whether the hardware and parts were clearly labeled.

Construction: Construction takes into account the materials used in the crib, the mattress support type and how it's attached to the frame, design choices that don't work well, and sample defects, such as, among other things, inconsistencies in the finish.

Changing mattress height: Assesses the ease of changing the mattress support from one height setting to another. The mattress support is at the highest setting for a newborn, and is lowered as the child grows, to help prevent falls or climbing out.