How to Repurpose a Crib
You can do your part to help keep landfill waste down by repurposing your child’s outgrown or recalled baby crib. The crib can be taken apart and the individual sections can be revived with new life. Not only does this type of recycling stretch the crib’s longevity and the money you spent on the item, it also teaches your child that household items can be reused and shouldn’t be discarded immediately once its initial function is fulfilled.
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Things You'll Need
- Crib
- Chalkboard
- White board
- Wood screws
- Screwdriver
- Drill and drill bits
- Zip ties
- Scissors
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Two 1-by-2-by-12-inch wood sections
- 1-foot dowels
- One 1-by-6-inch wood section
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrush
- Sheet
- Four 2-by-2-by-36-inch wood sections
- Clothespins
- Finishing nails
- Hammer
- Sandpaper
- Face mask
Instructions
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Turn the two shorter sections of the crib into an art easel for your child. Lay the two ends of the crib and flat on the ground. Attach a chalkboard to one of the sections and a white board on the other section, approximately in the same location on each, using wood screws. Stand both sections up, position them together so the chalkboard and white board are facing out, and the backs of these boards are facing each other. Connect the two crib sections together at the top with a few zip ties and cut off the excess zip tie ends. Separate the legs of the art easel until they’re about 2 feet apart. Screw a 1-by-2-by-12-inch section of wood into each side of the easel to keep it from falling over. Now you can let your child draw on either side of the easel or attach craft paper to it with clothespins and let him paint away.
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Repurpose each section of the crib as a garden helper. Take the crib apart and lay each part on the ground. Drill a 2-inch deep hole into the bottom of each crib leg and push a 1-foot dowel into each hole. Take the crib sections out to the garden, stand them vertically and push the dowels into the ground. Use these for growing climbing vegetables, such as runner beans or peas, or to act as an aid for plants that need some extra support.
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Create a special clubhouse or fort for your child with his old crib. Remove one end of the crib and remove the spring section that the mattress sat on. Measure the width of the end you removed and cut a 1-by-6-inch section of wood that is the same length. Write “Clubhouse” or “Jimmy’s Fort” or any other fitting label for his secret place and let your child decorate the sign with non-toxic acrylic paint. Let the paint dry. Attach this plaque on the open end of the crib, toward the top, using screws. Throw an old sheet over the top and sides of the fort, leaving the “doorway” open a bit for him to climb in and out of.
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Reuse your old crib as a drying rack for your child’s artwork. Take the crib apart and grab either a short end or one of the sides. Lay it on the ground and add four 3-foot legs to it with wood screws. Flip the drying rack over so the four legs touch the ground. Attach several wood clothespins to the crib bars with small finishing nails or wood glue. Now, whenever your child finishes some artwork that needs to dry, hang the art paper from the clothespins.
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Tips & Warnings
Sand down the crib outside to smooth out rough edges, remove old paint and cut down on indoor dust inhalation. Wear a face mask when you do this task.
Use a non-toxic acrylic primer and paint to liven up the repurposed crib project.
When you take the crib apart, remove all of the unneeded hardware and store the pieces up and away from your child.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
