The cradle

This cradle has been in my family for four generations. It’s old, roughly 90 years old. And it likely has monetary value as an antique, but the value to me is more sentimental.
I remember when my grandma first suggested it to me when I was pregnant with our first baby. The conversation went something like this:
Grams: “Do you want to use the family cradle for your baby? It’s really old and came from the dump. I slept in it when I was little.”
Me: (leerily envisioning a very unstable piece of furniture after eyeing up all the shiny new baby furniture in the store. Not because I am opposed to reusing/repurposing!): “Is it safe? If it’s that old I bet it has lead paint…”
Grams: “It’s been stripped of old paint, repainted, repaired and is surprisingly sturdy, given all the usage the cradle has had over the years.”
I checked it out…and I was in love. The idea that this cradle has been in my family for decades (and who knows how much it was used in its prior life before my great- grandpa found it at the dump) and has been used and loved and passed back and forth warms my heart. And it really is beautiful. It’s sturdy and rocks back and forth and if I am being honest, it is made better than the modern day baby furniture I ordered once the cradle has been outgrown.
With the large family I have, I cannot fathom how many babies have slept in it. My grandma and her siblings were among the first when the cradle was brought into my family then their children, and their children’s children and so on. Our little girl slept in it when she was brought home from the hospital and still sleeping in our room in those first few weeks.




Now our next baby will also take it’s turn, sleeping (hopefully through the night very quickly!) in this family heirloom.




~Angela