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Crib-To-Toddler Bed Transformation

It’s a sad fact of life that our kids grow up and get older. Sometimes I just wish I could freeze time and not let them grow one day older. If anyone figures out how to do that, please share! As for now, I just have to face the fact that my babies are growing and enjoy every new stage with them!

Crib-to-Toddler Bed Transformation

Crib-To-Toddler Bed Transformation

My baby girl, on the other hand (21 months old), is always anxious to move to the next stage. She is so determined to keep up with her big brother ( age 6) and her older cousins that she doesn’t want anything to do with “baby” things. So a few months ago she decided that she was completely done using her crib. If we put her in it she would just climb right out, which was not only unproductive, but also unsafe. We thought she might be ready for a toddler bed, but she rolls around in her sleep a lot, and I worried that she would roll right off. So, taking inspiration from the many “reading nooks” found on Pinterest, my husband and I decided to transform her crib into one of those cool toddler beds.

Crib-to-Toddler Bed Transformation
Toddler bed transformation:

The great thing about this easy project is that it lets you move onto the next stage without spending more money on a toddler bed. We completely repurposed her crib!

  • Step 1: take the mattress out of the crib and set the crib to the lowest setting (if its not already there)
  • Step 2: take the front railing off of the crib
  • Step 3: completely flip the crib upside down
  • Step 4: slide the crib mattress under the flipped crib
  • Step 5: we put the front railing back on top of the crib which is not necessary but I thought made it look a lot nicer, then covered that with a cute blanket so that she would have a pretty pattern to look at while she was laying in bed.
  • Step 6: I have big plans to put a small curtain rod across the front opening of the crib and make some cute little curtains to tie back on either side, just to make it a little cuter! I haven’t done that part yet!

Use a pool noodle under the sheet to keep little ones in bed
As I said, my little girl rolls in her sleep. So I bought a pool noodle and just at bed time, I slip it between two slats in the crib on either end and tuck it under a sheet to make an extra barrier for her not to roll off. It has worked pretty well for her. The nice thing is that even if she does roll over it, the crib mattress is on the floor so it is not too big of drop.

Use a pool noodle under the sheet to keep little ones in bed
My not-so-baby girl loves her new “castle bed” as my son calls it! It’s nice and easy to get her to bed and is a fun place to lay next to her and read stories. Plus I think it looks pretty cute in her room, and love the fact that we were able to repurpose her crib and save on the cost of a toddler bed!

 

Leanne Cox is a guest writer for CleverHousewife.com. She is a stay-at-home mom to two kids, and a credentialed preschool teacher. Leanne teaches “mommy-and-me” and “preschool style” music & movement classes through her business “Little Stars Music & Movement Classes” . She is passionate about encouraging early childhood education through hands on learning and exploration.

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Emily Buys

5 Comments

  • That’s pretty cool. For a minute there I thought you had converted it into toddler bunk beds. Lol

  • VERY CREATIVE!! My little man will be needing to convert soon and I really like what you did. Thanks for sharing.

  • I was thinking it was bunk beds at first too! lol But it seems like a great idea, although knowing my daughter she would climb on top and I would be terrified she would fall off and get hurt. My daughter is two and her crib transformed into a toddler bed, all you had to do was take off the front railing and it is so close to the floor, that if she rolled out she would be fine. It is supposed to transform into a twin bed too but we didnt buy the extra pieces for that so we may have trouble finding the pieces we need when its time for that!

  • I am so stealing this idea!!!!! But I’m gonna make this into toddler bunk beds like I thought it was to start with :)))) ice been trying to figure out how I was gonna make bunk beds cheap I live in a camper with two kids and my youngest is sleeping in a play pen in the kitchen this is perfect I can pull his bed of storage and get my tiny little kitchen back!!!! Yay I think you just saved my sanity if you were close I would squeeze you really hard with a great big hug haha

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