How to Make a Baby Changing Table Out of a Chest

Changing tables can be expensive - and, really, they're simply chests of drawers or shelves with a changing pad on top, sometimes with low railings to prevent a wriggly baby from rolling off onto the floor. You can easily repurpose a chest into a changing table for your new arrival-for a lot less cash than you'd shell out purchasing a pre-made changing table. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

Securing the Changing Pad

1

Examine the place in the room where you'll be putting the chest/changing table. In order for you to secure the changing pad, the chest should be up against the wall.

2

Push the chest up against the wall and lay the changing pad on top of it.

3

Hold the security straps of the changing pad against the wall behind the chest, slightly lower than the top, so you can hide the straps behind the chest. Make pencil marks on the wall at the screw holes on the straps.

4

Move the chest and changing pad away from the wall. Drill holes in the wall at your pencil marks. Your drywall anchors' packaging should tell you what size drill bit to use.

5

Push your drywall anchors into the drilled holes. Tap them with a hammer so they lie flush against the wall.

6

Move the chest and pad back up against the wall. Take your screws and place them through the screw holes in the changing pad straps. Using your screwdriver, screw the straps of the changing pad into the drywall anchors. Your changing pad is now secured to the wall.

Adding Railings

7

Measure the top of the chest, and the depth of your changing pad.

8

Go to a hardware store and have four pieces of wood cut: two should be the length of the top of the chest of drawers, and two should be the width of the chest. The width of all pieces should equal the depth of your changing pad, plus six inches.

9

Paint or stain the pieces of wood to match the chest. Let them dry thoroughly.

10

Screw the pieces of wood to the edges of the top of the chest - the longest ones should go along the long sides, and the shortest ones along the short sides, forming a box. Use one screw in each corner and two on each side. You now have a lip which will prevent baby from rolling off the top of the table.

11

Use your hand vac to clean up any dust created by drilling.

12

Arrange your changing table accessories next to the changing pad.