New Uses for Old Things: Crib Mattress

Get More From This Small Sleeping Space

Has your child graduated to a big kid bed? Do you have an old crib mattress sitting around and no younger siblings or cousins who can put it to good use? If you’d rather repurpose that mattress than stick it in the dump, check out these ideas.

With three kids in four years, we spent a lot of time in the crib phase. We had two cribs in use for more than six years. While we passed one crib and its accompanying mattress along to friends, the other remained in our possession. If you’ve got a small mattress hanging around, consider using it for one of these purposes.

Extra Sleeping Area: Crib mattresses work great when hosting young family members for the holidays or special events. Their smaller size makes them easier to store. Most crib mattresses can fit standing up at the back or side of a closet. They also slide underneath your child’s toddler or big kid bed. When you need extra sleeping space, this tiny mattress can fit anywhere you have floor space. You never have to worry about kids falling out of bed when the mattress rests directly on the floor. And it works for bigger kids, too, even if their feet go past the edges.

Reading Nook: We stuck our crib mattress in an otherwise unused corner of the room, and it makes a perfect reading nook. With an outlet and a sconce on the wall nearby, the kids can sit and listen to audiobooks or curl up with their favorite graphic novel in this cozy spot. It makes a great place to corral all their stuffed animals. My daughter loved this spot so much she spent six months sleeping in it (at age seven!) instead of in her own bed. And it makes hosting friends for sleepovers or longer stays a breeze, since we don’t even have to find a spot or bring it out of storage.

Quiet Nook: In our previous house, we used a thinner pack and play crib mattress as a soft spot for our child’s quiet time area. We converted a closet into a small space for our oldest child to play and read during his younger siblings’ nap times. The hardwood floor didn’t hold much appeal even with a fluffy rug on top. But adding the mattress made it much more comfortable for sitting and lounging, especially after he repeatedly expelled his bean bag. Or add one underneath a canopy to make a cozy spot for kids to enjoy some solo time.

Look around your house to see if you have a similar under-utilized spot where your kids could get cozy with the help of a crib mattress.