DIY Project | Repurposing Baby Crib

Living in a small space can be a challenge specially with kids in it. As they grow, their stuffs increase and the already cramped house becomes a little smaller each year.

I co-slept with my first born, Little V, until he was two and a half. He transitioned to toddler bed right away. His crib then was also a playpen which we were not able to use much. So when I got pregnant with Baby Z, I opted to get a wooden crib instead so we can convert it to a toddler bed in the future.

But, that's not what happened.

For six months, Z slept in her crib. But within that time, there were also nights when she won't settle in the crib. I ended up placing her in our bed, between me and my husband, as we sleep (well, I couldn't really sleep then with a baby between us).

When she started to pull herself up, we were forced not to use the crib anymore because she bumps her head all the time when she stands and cruise. So for a few months the crib became a place holder for unfolded laundry.

Little V is homeschooled and we needed a bigger space to put all his school stuffs. The folding table no longer works for us since the baby can easily reach for the pen holder on the table. So I decided to repurpose the baby's crib instead of selling it.

Browsing Google, here were the photos that gave me inspiration:

Image from Google

Image from Google

I didn't want to screw in place the crib since it can still be used by another relative. So for this project, I used these materials:

• Tie-cables (the long ones)


• thick fabric, 1.5 meters long


• Safety pins


• Ruler/tape measure

Z's (bare) wooden crib

1. Remove one of the railings (the door) of the crib and set aside. We will use this later as bookshelf.


2. Determine how high you'd like your table to be. Our crib has 2 levels. We use the upper level when Z was a newborn, and moved to the lower level when she started to roll.
   The lower level of the crib was too low for us as a table so we placed the bottom of the crib on the upper level.


3. Using a cable tie, secure the bottom of the crib by tying it to the frame. Make sure to tie all corners. Shake the crib to test if the table/bottom is secure. Tie the bottom to the other rail for added security.

Secure the table with cable ties

Voila! Instant study table!

You'll also have space underneath for school supplies.

Then and Now. From a baby crib to our preschooler's learning area

Now for the bookshelf.

1. Flip the rail so that it would look like a ladder. With a tape, measure the width of the rail (step of the ladder). Cut the fabric.

2. Place one end of the fabric on the top rail, up and over, and secure fabric using safety pins. Make sure that the safety pin locks are at the back.

3. Create a pouch between the top rail and the next rail. This is where you will put the books. You can adjust it to your liking - shallow for small books and deeper for bigger books.

4. Secure the pouch on the second rail using safety pins.

5. Repeat until you complete all the pouches.

6. Place the bookshelf at an angle on one side of the crib. Secure the shelf with cable ties.

Easy peasy! What else do you think I should add to our study area?