Your two or three year old successfully transitioned to a big kid bed. Congratulations! Now. What do you do with the crib? Maybe you paid serious money for a nice crib. Or maybe you *might* have another child and aren’t ready to get rid of it. So what do you do in the meantime?
My 5 year old and I brainstormed after his 2 year old sister moved into their bunk bed. (OK, true confession, small 22 month old climbed out of her crib to sleep with her brother.) He wanted a comfortable place to read and saw on Facebook a photo of a small sofa (loveseat really) in the room of my friend’s children. Not wanting to spend serious cash on a sofa for my children, I suggested that we turn her Giggle Harper Crib into a sofa. I emailed the company to confirm who confirmed its weight limit is 350 pounds.
Easiest DIY project ever. I unscrewed one side. (Note: if you have an old dropside crib, it’s not legal to donate as a crib, but you can use this trick and discard any dropside parts.) Then, we chose comfortable throw pillows from around the house. If you don’t have extra, Ikea has a great variety at incredible prices. We angled the “sofa” by the window, and tada! Sofa.
What are other projects? My friend and Gooseling artist, Terri David, converted her Stokke bed into two chairs, a feature of the crib. (Shown in the photo to the left.) She made cushions, and her kids picked out the fabric. You could buy supplies from a crafts store like Michael’s, or you could pick up some ready made cushions with an imperfect fit from Ikea. Terri’s Mom refinished an old table to complete the nook.
Pinterest is chock full of ideas. I personally feel nervous about taking power tools to our crib because it permanently ends its life as a crib. But perhaps your crib was recalled, or you don’t see its value that way any more. Or, you might be able to creatively put in the pieces without drilling holes. This desk on Pinterest looks absolutely fun.
You could also use each long side as a headboard. Simply unscrew the parts, hold the long side against the free metal frame that came with the mattress, mark the holes, and drill.
Still in the adjustment stage? Here are some tips on the transition of Moving to a Big Kid Bed.
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