Try Repurposing Your Baby's Crib Instead Of Donating To A Thrift Store

Your heart's in the right place if you want to donate a used crib to the thrift store. Charities, parents on a tight budget, and the environment all stand to benefit from this action. Yet, secondhand cribs are tricky items to get rid of. Most thrift stores and charities don't accept them due to safety risks and potential legal issues around selling used cribs. Even individuals selling cribs at garage sales or online can unknowingly run afoul of regulations. All this doesn't mean you must send a disused crib to the landfill or leave it to collect dust in a corner. If you're even a little handy and have a few simple carpentry tools in your garage, there are clever ways to repurpose old cribs into something beautiful, useful, or — best yet — both.

Why are used cribs so challenging to get rid of? Defective furniture has harmed infants and even led to deaths. The U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission holds people or companies responsible for selling these potentially dangerous baby care items. What's more, crib design features, such as drop-down sides and the spacing between the slats, are regulated, and these regulations have changed over time. Even re-sellers and people looking to donate have to abide by any new rules. It's challenging for thrift store staff to determine whether a donated crib meets the current standards. As such, most thrift stores won't accept donated cribs. They don't want to take on the liability or the expense of disposing of them.

Avoid all of these hazards by finding a new use for your baby's old bed. Turning one piece of furniture into another can be a rewarding project. Plus, upcycling is good for the planet. In 2018, a little over 80% of furniture and furnishings were landfilled rather than incinerated at the end of its life, per the EPA. Instead of contributing to the trash pile, transform your old crib into another piece of furniture you can use for years. Seating — like DIYing a charming front porch swing or a garden bench — makes use of the wooden frame and the mattress. The former becomes the back and arms of the chair; the latter becomes a comfy cushion to sit on. Other crib upcycling ideas include a slatted storage box, a children's bookshelf, a chalkboard easel, and even a greenhouse for your deck. Get creative!

Sometimes, there's neither space in your schedule nor room in your home for yet another DIY project. If you want to declutter your basement by tossing this commonly stored item, there are options that may keep a crib — or at the very least some of its components — from becoming trash. Consider using a paid junk removal service like LoadUp, which operates in all 50 states and in Washington D.C. They will take your unwanted crib that isn't suitable for donation off your hands and find the best possible second life for it.