Recently, we began preparation to move my daughter from her crib to a toddler bed. When we chose a crib for our registry, we made sure it was a convertible style crib that would grow with her. We were looking for what most consumers want, quality at a reasonable price. We chose the Graco convertible crib in espresso finish.
It appeared sturdy on the showroom floor and was priced right. Initially, I was happy with the crib. Then 18 months later, I notice a few of the metal springs had broken off the frame they were welded on. One by one the springs broke off. The crib needed to be reinforced with bungee cords. We knew this bed would not last like we had previously anticipated. We were forced to come up with an alternative and purchased a new mattress and a toddler bed. The original mattress was torn by sharp edges left where the springs used to reside. This was a big disappointment. We were expecting to use this convertible through her toddler years, but it was not to be. The crib finally gave way and it was obvious it was no longer safe. Luckily, the new bed was purchased and was on standby and we were able to quickly make the switch.
I am happy to report that the toddler apprentice loves her new “big girl” bed and the toddler bed experiment has gone surprisingly well! She lays down and falls right to sleep! We were surprised how quickly she has adjusted.
When I dismantled the crib, most of it was broken and not salvageable. The rail was still in decent shape. I had seen some ideas online upcycling old cribs ranging from Repurposed crib benches to crib rail Garden Trellis’s. I wanted to keep this project simple. I was preoccupied by a much larger, more daunting, task cleaning my daughter’s messy playroom! I filled one trash bag with broken items and another with items to donate to those in need. This emptied one toy box for additional storage which reduced clutter.
My daughter has a large book collection she acquired before she was even born. At my baby shower, the guests brought a signed book instead of a card. I loved this idea, but I did not have an ideal way to store all the books we received. They basically sat in a wooden box on the playroom floor.
I thought the crib rail would be a great alternative way to display her books, and keep them off the floor. Since I was struggling to get her room organized, and did not have the time, I decided to leave the crib rail in its original finish. It also matched the playroom well.
If you would like to change the original color, a can of white latex primer works well. Once dry, paint as desired. I also suggest using longer screws to anchor each side of the crib rail to the wall. When doing this, lean the crib against the wall on a slight angle so the books can hang over the rails. I did not have the proper screws handy, so I had to improvise and use one smaller screw through the first rail. This worked, but the trade-off is that the first rail cannot be used for display.
I love it! Being the sentimental fool that I am, it also is nice to keep a piece of the crib for nostalgia! I also repurposed her changing table into a kitchen shelf. If you missed it, You can view that project here.
All it took was the words “big girl” and your apprentice toddler loved her bed, right? I really like the look of the crib rail book holder. Very nice, indeed. It holds great memories, too, I have a feeling.
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Yes Mark it does! ; ) She has grown so quickly and your right she was excited to hear “big girl bed” I thought she would be up all night in her room, but she lays down and right to sleep! She was ready… mommy not so much lol but we can’t keep them babies forever!
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No, the time flies. My baby girl is now 24. Holy cow, right?! I remember going from crib to big girl bed last year. 🙂
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Hi Danielle, I love how you upcycled (?) a piece of sentimental history into your daughter’s bedroom decor. I’m sure it is easier for her to choose a book since she can see the covers; as opposed to a stack on a shelf. What a great idea! -Joanne
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Thanks Joann! It also keeps things neater which is always a plus! Thanks for stopping by
: )
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I love this upcycle idea. Really simple and really useful at the same time! I’ve been trying to figure out a way to display my son’s books better, especially the paperback ones that don’t really have spines, so you can’t tell what they are on the bookshelf. I feel like so many of the books he likes don’t get read often since he can’t see the covers when they are on the bookshelf. Also, thanks for sharing the link to our blog post!
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Thank you! and I am happy to share the link and glad you approve : )! I thought of getting a bookshelf too but you are right the books get lost in it. This saved money and recycled at the same time. It displays the books in a way that my daughter can pick the ones she wants me to read to her by looking at the covers.
I am so glad you stopped by! Thanks for reading!
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Oh I wish i’d seen this last month. I hung on to our crib parts forever trying to figure out what to do with them! I finally threw them away 😦
This is such a great idea! love it.
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Thanks so much for stopping by! So much of the crib was broken so I was glad I could salvage the rail and so far my daughter loves picking out her books : )
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Hi, can you please show the detail of how you secure the rail on the wall?
Thanks.
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Simple really , I used two long screws through the rail into the wall.
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