Lacquer OK on a Cradle ??

Hello ! This is my first post. I've been refinishing vintage radios lately, using lacquer. I started using lacquer because most of the older radios were fininshed in lacquer, although I'd never used it before. I've almost exclusively used brushed on poly for all my wood projects around the house. Boy was I empressed, I can get a very deep, highly polished finish with very little effort or time! I'd like to do all my projects from now on with lacquer, but I'm not sure if it's approriate for kids furniture, a cradle specifically... I've been asked to make a cradle as a gift for a young single mother my sister knows. This lady's had a rough time of it, and I want this to be meaningful and special, and certainly not harmful... I'm using Red Oak, can I use lacquer on a cradle ? Will it hold up to the demand it may be put though ? I'm not 100% sure its waterproof, but is there something I can "seal" it with to make it so ? I like the ability to block sand and polish the finish to mirrored glasslike within hours, but have never really succeeded with poly, it's too long between coats, 10 coats of poly would take 2 months... If lacquer is the wrong choice, what's a better alternative ? By the way, I'm using Rattle cans of Mohawk lacquer and toner.

Thanks, and I hope to be here frequently, Rich...