Multy 4-in-1 crib and highchair review

This means it is great value for money but, for me, the biggest benefit of the Multy came in the form of the crib’s tilt function. My four-month-old son, Arthur, was diagnosed with reflux when he was just a couple of weeks old, which made putting him to sleep a nightmare.

We were advised to pop a book under the head of his Moses basket, to raise his head on an angle that would prevent the contents of his stomach from reappearing, but our bedroom carpet is so thick that placing anything under the basket made it wobble and therefore unsafe.

This was where the Multy really came into its own, because it can be placed either on a gentle tilt, or an incline of about 10 degrees, both of which brought immediate relief to our son – and to us, as it meant everybody got a better night’s sleep.

This alone would have been worth paying extra for, but the fact the Multy then became a highchair and a storage unit put it in another league altogether.

Each item of furniture was stylish yet functional; the highchair was well suited for a small baby, but our two and a half-year-old Eric loved it too, and the storage unit was remarkably sturdy.

• Could my baby have reflux?
• Do you need a Moses basket or crib?

All in all, I look forward to having the Multy in our house for many years to come.

The Multy crib is available to buy direct from Ninnananna and from Amazon.

The Multy crib is sold on being a 4-in-1 product, what are the different functions?

The Multy has been designed as a swinging crib, the support structure of which converts into a high chair. It can also be used as an adult chair, while the carrycot part of the crib can be transformed into a handy unit.

What’s in the box?

• Crib basket
• Multi-purpose stand
• Chair set
• Locking mechanism
• 5-point safety harness
• Wooden shelf
• 2 material baskets
• 1 side pocket
• Wall mounting kit
• Instruction manual

How quick is it to assemble?

Some people have a knack for putting together flatpack furniture. Before I explain how easy I found the Multy to assemble, I should point out I am definitely not one of these people.

So, when I first opened the box containing the Multy and read its instruction manual, my heart sank. There were no fewer than 18 pieces of wood, together with 7 extras such as locking mechanism, straps and a harness, and a whopping 85 bolts, nuts, dowels and the like, so for me it was always going to take a while.

To assemble the crib, I’d managed to get the children out of the house and cleared a space on the nursery floor big enough to lay each item out. Thankfully, the bolts, nuts and dowels are packaged into four separate bags which are easily labelled to correspond with the different functions, and, once each part was laid onto the floor and I had got my head around what was what, it was far less confusing than I’d first feared. It was at this point I started my stopwatch and began studying the manual.

After about 10 minutes reading through the instructions, I began assembling. The diagrams were fairly easy to follow. Some of the close-up sections I found tricky to get my head around, but inserting the bolts and dowels was a doddle.

Within 45 minutes I had reached the penultimate stage of constructing the carrycot part of the crib, or so I thought. I soon realised I had put the wooden spacers and support struts on the wrong way around, meaning I had to take it apart and redo it. I should note this was purely from me not following the instructions correctly, although it was easy to convince myself I had. In short, attaching the pieces together was far easier than following the diagrams.

Taking into account my earlier mistake, the crib was finally up and running in one hour and 20 minutes, which I felt to be quite an achievement!

Do you reckon it’s a good tool for transitioning your baby from womb to cot?

The crib rocks forwards and backwards as opposed to side-to-side, which is said to mimic the “natural cuddle of a parent”. I cannot say whether or not this is true, but I can confirm Arthur slept in it far easier than in his Moses basket or cot.

From crib to cot to bed - stress-free transition

Does it aid sleep?

We are blessed in having a four-month-old that, once he is asleep, likes to stay that way (please don’t hate me as our toddler is a devil when it comes to sleep, so we feel we have earned at least one sleeper). The problem was that because of his reflux, getting him to sleep sometimes took all night.

Once the Multy provided a safe way of raising his head, without raiding our book shelf and worrying whether the Moses basket might topple over if rested upon the latest edition of “100 Beers To Try Before You Die”, sleep came much easier for all of us.

Is it comfortable?

Yes, our baby found it perfectly comfortable for his needs, though a lot of this depended on the crib mattress, which like most cribs, was not included in the box.

Can you use it as a co-sleeper?

When locked and in a horizontal position, the crib was the perfect size for placing next to our bed, meaning we could keep an eye on our baby or reach over and settle him, without the crib taking up all the space in our bedroom.

Does it reduce reflux?

The Multy has been designed with reflux in mind and can be fixed in two different tilt positions to raise baby’s head above their feet.

This is not just handy for babies with reflux but any baby that tends to fall asleep during or straight after a feed, and also proved invaluable when Arthur had a cold and was bunged up with mucus.

The steepest tilt position was about 10 degrees, which doesn’t sound like much, but was quite significant when baby was placed in the crib. As Arthur is on the 91st percentile and therefore quite heavy for his age, we actually found this a little too steep, because it left him with a tendency to slip down the mattress, however the second tilt position was perfect.

How do you treat reflux?

Does it reduce colic?

Unlike his big brother, Arthur does not suffer from colic, but the rocking motion of the Multy, together with the angled position that made it so effective in soothing his reflux, is said to be equally good at calming babies with colic.

Does it reduce crying?

Yes. The fact it raised our baby’s head enough to soothe his reflux put an instant stop to his discomfort, thus halting his crying, while the gentle rocking function quickly sent him to sleep. Do not assume that only parents of babies with reflux will benefit from the Multy’s tilt position; as adults we would not like to lie flat on our backs after a big meal, so it makes sense that any baby would enjoy being laid with their head inclined after a feed.

Do you have to assemble it in the room? Can it move around the house and through doorways when assembled?

The crib can be moved around once constructed, and in a ‘normal’ house would fit through a door with no issues. We were able to move it easily from our bedroom to the spare room, however, our nursery door is unusually narrow which meant we had to remove the carrycot part of the crib in order to get it in and out of the nursery, although that is no reflection on the Multy.

It was certainly easier to get in the nursery than our son’s racing car bed and wardrobe, both of which had to be completely stripped back to flatpack form in order to fit through the door!

How portable is it? Heavy? Compact?

The crib itself is light enough for one person to move around, and the same can be said for the highchair and the shelving unit. When all of the individual components are in the box, for example when it is delivered, it was too heavy for me to carry, so I had to get my partner to lug it up the stairs.

How easy is it to see your baby when sleeping/co-sleeping?

The bars on the crib were wide enough for me to watch Arthur sleep, and gave me a clear view when he woke and I needed to check on him, but still narrow enough so that he could not stick his head through them or do anything else that goes against current safety measures.

The gaps are also less narrow than those on his cot, which was useful because Arthur had previously managed to kick his legs through the sides of his cot and then get them stuck.

Does it rock?

Yes, the Multy rocks longitudinally (ie forwards and backwards), as opposed to side to side. The manufacturers claim this “mimics the natural cuddle of a parent”, and point to research that shows this is more comfortable, especially for motion sensitive babies.

What is it like on space?

Our former crib had angled sides, meaning the top of the carrycot was wider than its base. The sides on the Multy were straight up and down, so that the top of the crib was the same width as the mattress. This enabled us to have it right next to our bed, which aided cosleeping as well as taking up less room.

The downside was it offered our baby less space to kick his legs and flail his arms. This did not seem to bother Arthur, though he did begin looking too big for the Multy long before he could sit up unaided.

There is a handy storage tray that can be attached underneath the crib, further boosting its space saving potential.

What are the safety features like?

The support straps ensured my toddler did not over-rock Arthur or launch him across the nursery, which was very reassuring and not something offered by my previous crib.

Does it have a drop-down side?

No.

How does it compare to other cribs you have used? Do you think price makes a difference to the quality?

At £179.99 (plus £14.99 postage and packing), the Multy is more expensive than many ‘traditional’ cribs, but then most cribs become redundant once your baby hits about 6 months, or can sit up unaided.

At this stage the Multy transforms into a high chair, then a toddler chair, and is suitable for children up to 10 years of age. Meanwhile, the carrycot part of the crib can be turned into a storage unit, while the chair itself can even be used as an adult chair.

I cannot think of any other cribs that can do all that. This multi-functional use does not compromise on quality, either. It is made from solid, well-constructed pieces of wood, all of which wipes clean with a damp cloth.

What do you think of the design?

The design looked very contemporary. Funky is not a word I would ever think to associate with a crib, but it is fitting for the Multy.

Once we moved from the crib to the highchair function, the storage unit that was made from the carrycot section proved to be a cool and useful addition to the nursery. It held pretty much all of our eldest son’s books, without looking as though it was going to topple over or damage the study canvas storage units.

Is it easy to clean?

Yes. The crib can be easily wiped clean while the open sides were easy to get in between with a damp cloth.

Check out more baby sleeping options here:

• 10 of the best Moses baskets and cribs
• Prima Baby Awards 2016 - best first baby beds

What about transforming it into a highchair - how is assembling the Multy chair?

When it came to transforming the crib to a high chair, I had got into my groove and the whole thing took less than 20 minutes from start to finish.

The L-shape frame and dowels were already in place, having been used for the crib, so all that was required was the insertion of a few pieces of wood and the harness and the highchair was ready to go.

Does the highchair feel sturdy?

Yes. We live in a Victorian terrace and the floors are quite uneven, so other highchairs we have used have a habit of wobbling – particularly the Obaby Combination wooden highchair, which has a square base that we found rocks unless it is placed on a totally flat surface.

The Multy’s L-shaped frames meant it was much more forgiving on our floor, and far less likely to wobble, even when our toddler did his trademark frantic movements at the dinner table.

Does the chair recline?

No.

Is it easy to move around the house?

Yes. We transported it from dining room to sitting room without a hitch.

Could you use it as a travel highchair?

No.

Is it anti-tilt?

The L-shaped frames meant the highchair did not as much as wobble, even on our uneven wooden floors.

What do you think of the harness?

The five-point harness offered better support than a three-point harness, so we felt Arthur was safe in the seat at all times.

What do you think of the foot rest?

Despite being as long as an eight-month-old baby by the time he reached four months, Arthur made little use of the foot rest, so for him it was largely decoration. For Eric, however, it could be adjusted so that it was the perfect height for his feet to rest on.

The foot rest can also be positioned to create a step stool, which can aid children reaching the sink or kitchen counters – perfect if your child needs a leg up when ‘helping’ you to bake or carrying out other tasks in the kitchen.

Is the chair supportive?

Yes. The backrest, footrest and table ensured both our children were supported in a comfortable upright position.

Does it feel safe?

Yes. Arthur is still perfecting the art of sitting up, but when we popped him in the seat and fastened the safety harness, he wasn’t going anywhere.

Buyer's guide to highchairs

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If your little one climbs up on it, will it remain stable or will it wobble/fall over?

Our toddler decided to give the chair a test drive before we had given him permission to do so, and climbed onto the dining room table and into the seat quicker than we could yell at him to stop playing around.

Thankfully, it remained 100 per cent stable, and once we allowed Eric to give it a ‘proper’ test, it remained upright and stable, no matter what form of acrobatics he felt the urge to do on the footrests and seat compartment.

What do you think of the table?

The table is easy to clean and there were no pesky nooks or crannies where food or water can accumulate. It can be removed but it requires screws to be removed and the harness taken off, if that is attached.

The table is not as big as all the other high chairs we have accumulated over the year, with a depth of 18.5cm from the front to the back, compared with 29cm for the Obaby Cube. It does not have raised edges either but is completely flat, which could be a problem if you are not a fan of food or dishes being pushed onto the floor. That said, even the highest raised edges have not stopped my toddler from dropping food and plates all over the floor, though I suspect a lip around the table would reduce the amount of food spillage considerably.

A removable tray can be purchased as an additional extra (£14.99), and this does have a raised edge, so I would recommend buying this if you cannot bear the thought of baby spaghetti on your carpet.

How easy is it to adjust the chair?

Adjusting the high chair was remarkably simple. The seat and foot rest comprise of two pieces of wood that slot into the arms, so to raise or lower the height of the sitting position, I simply had to unslot the pieces of wood and pop them back at the required height.

This was great for me as it meant the chair was suitable for both my two-and-a-half-year-old and my five-month-old, without having to undo any bolts!

In an ideal world, it would be best if my toddler stuck to his own highchair because we should really have removed the harness and table if he were going to get in it, though try telling that to an eager two-and-a-half-year-old, who wants to share the shiny new chair with his little brother.

Can it be used in different positions and heights?

The Multy high chair will take your baby from the moment they can sit up, right up to the age of 10, after which it can be used as an adult chair.

How does it compare to other chairs you have used?

The curved design of the chair was a big bonus as it meant the highchair could be positioned right next to the table, with the tray sitting just above it.

This differs from both our Ikea highchair and the Obaby cube, both of which are prevented from getting under the table due to the position of the tray.

If given a choice, we would have liked the table to be a little deeper, and raised edges would have been a bonus too. The fact it will last our children until they are at least 10 is a huge plus point too, although they may have to fight daddy for it as he has already decided it looks really cool as an adult chair.

Would you recommend this seat to someone with a child of a particular age?

It depends who you ask. At 2.5 years old, my toddler thinks the chair is perfect for him, and the fact he can get in and out of it himself is a bonus.

Arthur cannot talk but I like him in it, as it means he can sit close to me while I’m eating, without me having to stick his Bumbo on the table (again, probably not recommended for safety reasons, but needs must).

Without the removable tray, however, mealtimes with a small baby could get quite messy. My partner on the other hand would like to take it off the kids altogether and use it as a spare adult chair, because he thinks it looks like a cool designer offering.

What would you have wanted to know before you purchased the Multy?

It would be handy to know in advance that a removable tray is available for the highchair so that, if required, this can be purchased before the seat is ready to use.

It is worth noting that if you wish to mount the storage unit on the wall you will need an electric drill, though we were happy to use ours as a free-standing unit in the nursery.

Who would the Multy be most useful for?

The Multy would be a great purchase for parents whose babies suffers from reflux, although its benefits do not stop there.

It is a cost-effective piece of furniture that would suit any mum or dad looking to invest in something that will last them longer than a few months, and its space saving design means it is particularly good if you are short on floor space.

Is the Multy value for money?

Definitely. The Multy retails at £179.99, plus £14.99 postage and packing. On the face of it, this would be quite steep if it were just a crib, but the fact the Multy is not only a crib but a high chair, a storage unit, and can be used as an adult chair too, I think this is excellent value for money.

But for me, the biggest benefit was how it eased my son’s reflux, and this alone would have been worth paying extra for. If you are planning to use the highchair with a young baby, I would recommend purchasing the removable tray, to reduce the amount of food and crockery that will likely end up on your floor.

MadeForMums verdict:

My family and I loved this product, first and foremost because it helped to soothe our youngest son’s reflux, but also because it looked great as a highchair.

The storage unit was a godsend for removing a lot of the clutter that children seem to attract, while my partner is counting down the days until our children grow out of the highchair, so that he can convert it into an adult chair.

I would recommend this product to anyone whose baby suffers from reflux or colic, as well as parents who are short on space or those who simply want a stylish addition to the nursery and dining table.

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