What to Do with A Drop-Side Crib

[pensmama87]

My in-laws gave us my husband’s old crib shortly before our first was born. It is the kind with the sides that drop, which were banned from being sold shortly thereafter, IIRC. Our first didn’t use it much, but it was handy. Our second is about four and a half months old now and we still haven’t put the crib together, because we haven’t been able to find the little package with all of the screws and tiny pieces. I’ve been contemplating just not using it at all, or if we decide to use a crib to just get a new one, even if we do find the screws.

But that leaves the question of what to do with this one. Because they’re banned for sale I don’t even really feel comfortable just giving it away. I was looking at the pieces today and trying to think of ideas for them. Besides the missing pieces, it is very well made, so I don’t like the idea of pitching it, either. I was thinking I might be able to use the sides for baby gates somewhere in the house, for instance.

Any other interesting ideas on how I could repurpose this crib? Or find someone who might be able to put it (or parts of it) to good use?

 

[FrenzyJen]

My cousin used one side to hold magazines, and the other in her garden for plants to climb up.

Check Pinterest, lots of other creative ideas.

 

[FrenzyJen]

Ohh!! These are some creative ones too.

apartmenttherapy.com/5-unexpected-ways-to-revamp-an-old-crib-191135?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Category%2FChannel%3A+Main

 

[Mary_Gail_36]

I used mine for the last child (that is when they stopped making them) I called the company and they sent over a kit that keeps the side up. Mine is now in the attic. I can’t donate it and we were going to put it to the curb, but my kids got emotional about it so it is taking up attic space.

But…depending how old your DH is I would be concerned about possible lead paint or slats that are too far apart. You would check the slats by seeing if a soda can can fit through, if it does they are too far apart.

 

[phil19034]

Donate it to a museum.

 

[pensmama87]

I used mine for the last child (that is when they stopped making them) I called the company and they sent over a kit that keeps the side up. Mine is now in the attic. I can’t donate it and we were going to put it to the curb, but my kids got emotional about it so it is taking up attic space.

But…depending how old your DH is I would be concerned about possible lead paint or slats that are too far apart. You would check the slats by seeing if a soda can can fit through, if it does they are too far apart.

No lead paint, but good point on the slats. They are much closer together now. So yeah, this is probably done as a crib. Ah well.

Love the ideas, keep them coming! I love the crafty hanging rack from the link you posted, FrenzyJen…and the blackboard.

phil19034:

Donate it to a museum.

Ha!

 

[Beryllos]

I was a little paranoid/freaked, so I threw it away, but only after removing (unscrewing) all the hardware so it was completely unusable (could not be assembled, unless someone got creative with large quantities of duct tape).

 

[Xantippe]

Hobbyists love bits of this and that. My husband got bits of a crib off of Craigslist and used them to make a telescope focuser, a telescope tripod and a binocular stand.

 

[EasterJoy]

My cousin used one side to hold magazines, and the other in her garden for plants to climb up.

Check Pinterest, lots of other creative ideas.

There are some good ones! Some of those are good uses for a house that doesn’t happen to have a climbing toddler, though.

The other question is whether the crib is still good as a piece of furniture. A crib that has some nice turned wood and only needs a coat of paint is a good candidate for creative re-purposing. If it shows substantial wear and especially if it is at all wobbly, though, then it can just as well to throw it out.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

We used a crib with three sides as a “side car” on our bed. The crib was attached to the bed so baby couldn’t fall between.

Could you bolt the sides on and use the crib as a sort of playpen or place to safely put the baby down when you’ve got something else going on? We had a second, small crib on the main level so that I could put the baby down safely while busy in the kitchen. It was also nice to have when I had a toddler to chase around.