In this blog post, you will learn how to turn my playpen into a bed. The steps are easy and simple to follow. Read on.
Step by step how to turn my playpen into a bed
Step One: Remove the mattress from the playpen. I’m not sure what brand of mattress we used, but it was a thin piece of foam and didn’t provide much support for my baby to sleep on.
The last thing you want is your child sleeping in an uncomfortable place! You can either get rid of this right away or put some new sheets on there that are safe for babies until they move into their big girl/boy beds.
Step Two: Measure how low down these bars go so you know where to attach the bed frame legs before assembling them onto one another and then attaching them to each side rail later on.
With our first daughter, we had her at such a high level because she was able to climb out of her crib when we put it up on the highest setting.
For our second daughter, I had her at a much lower level (around 12 inches off the ground) and kept that height for the majority of her toddler years.
Step Three: Attach bed frame legs to each side rail using an Allen wrench (included in most hardware sets). Place these screws onto the top of where you measured how low down your bars go so they are even with one another.
You don’t want one leg higher than the other or else your mattress won’t be flush against either railing! Repeat this step until both sides have their rails attached to their respective legs. Check if it is sturdy by pushing on the side of it.
If it wobbles, adjust accordingly by moving screws to different areas along each leg (i.e.: towards or away from the centre).
Step Four: Install hardware for attaching headboard and footboard onto bed frame legs at either end using Allen wrench (included in most hardware sets). Make sure you use the correct size screwdriver!
This is where I’ve had issues with other people doing Ikea furniture assembly for me or helping me because they don’t pay close enough attention to this detail!
With one-piece like this, we just used two screws per rail instead of four so that there wasn’t too much pressure holding them together – but I would recommend four to ensure stability.
Step Five: Slide the mattress into whatever side rail you want it to be on. Then, lift your bed frame and set it down onto either end of the mattress.
If necessary, adjust screws by moving them towards or away from the centre using an Allen wrench (included in most hardware sets) so that everything is secure for when you go to place the other piece on top!
Step Six: Repeat steps three through five until both sides are attached with their respective headboards/footboards as well as their support bars underneath these pieces being securely connected!
It’s important to note that IKEA sells a matching pillow that can easily attach itself if desired – but my girls have never felt like they needed pillows yet since they were both under two at this point.
Step Seven: Add your sheet, blanket and/or toy. Your bed is complete and ready for a new little one to sleep in it!
Depending on how old they are when you add their mattress (i.e.: if they’re still crawling or climbing out), I would recommend keeping the side rail closer to the floor so that there isn’t too much pressure holding them down while sleeping – especially during those restless times where they struggle with staying asleep throughout the night!
How do you fold an ingenuity playard?
There are many ways to fold an ingenuity playard. These instructions will show you how to do it, step by step:
Fold the bassinet up away from your baby. You can then either reattach or remove the changing table depending on what is more convenient for you at this time. Fold-down one side of the playard flat toward itself so that it forms a “V” shape with the other half standing upright behind it.
Repeat this process so all four sides have been folded toward themselves creating two separate towers made out of fabric and mesh panels (one tower should be larger than the other).
Gently grasp both ends of each tower and bring them together until they meet in front where their velcro strips line up. If you need to detach the changing table, do so now and attach it to the larger tower (the one that is still standing upright).
Fold the playard in half along its length until each end meets with velcro strips lining up on top of each other. Then fold this smaller rectangle into itself again but only halfway; leave a small portion as a flap open for your baby’s head as he or she lies down inside the playard.
Finally, pick up one tower at a time and carry them over to where your car is parked or wherever they will be stored until next use. This is also when you can detach any pieces of detachable furniture from either tower before carrying both towers away together as one unit.