Your baby may be little, but they sure require some big furniture. Unless you have a very large home or a storage unit, holding on to those bulky items can take up a lot of space. When it comes to used cribs, there are certain standards that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has placed to ensure safety, making reselling or handing down outdated cribs illegal. Repurposing baby furniture is a simple solution that is very feasible and safe for everyone.
Perhaps your baby’s crib was handed down to you or a special gift from someone. Baby furniture can hold a sentimental value that you just don’t want to let go. Here are some ideas that allow you to get a new use out of those valued furniture pieces.
Repurposed Crib
Most new cribs are made to grow with your child so you can continue using it well into their teens. If you have a basic crib that doesn’t convert or you don’t plan on converting, you can repurpose it with this really neat idea that gives your kids a space to work and play.
What You’ll Need:
- Crib
- Sheet of particle board
- Chalkboard Paint
Take off one side of the crib and remove the mattress. Take a sheet of particle board that is cut to the size of the mattress and paint it with chalkboard paint. Adjust the crib’s base to the highest level if not already done. Place the board on top to create a table top that your little ones can draw on with chalk or use as a work space. You can add hooks to the back part of the crib for hanging things to keep in reach and add desktop storage accessories for organizing crayons, scissors, and other things. You can even paint the crib if you’re feeling extra crafty. Pick up some smaller chairs if you don’t have any that are a suitable height for this desk.
You know that extra side you took off from the crib for this project? Instead of throwing it out, here’s an idea to repurpose it instead.
Use a drop-side crib rail as a rack. Nail or screw in the long rails to the wall at the top and bottom of each side. You can attach hooks on the top bar for little girls to hang up their play princess dresses or coats or attach hanging containers to hold accessories. You could also use this same idea for the garage instead to keep tools and supplies organized.
Repurposed Changing Table Ideas
If you have a traditional changing table you can easily repurpose it with these new uses.
Turn it into a TV center for your child’s room with convenient shelves to store movies, games, and more. Just remove one of the long side bars at the top if it has them so the TV will fit (which may not be necessary depending on the width of the TV) and take out the changing pad.
Use it as a baker’s rack in your kitchen to hold a toaster oven, microwave, or other small appliance. You can store decorative plates, bowls, or other tableware on the shelves below.
A dark cherry wood changing table would make a nice piece to place near an entrance way to hold shoes on the bottom shelf, caps and hats on the second shelf and to place your purse, keys, or the mail on the top when you walk in.
There are plenty of ways for repurposing baby furniture that are useful and can even save you money from buying those things you are repurposing them for. See also, my article for Repurposing a Play Yard. If you have any other ideas, please share them with us in the comments.
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