One more thing can be crossed off the ol’ nursery to-do list! Changing table? Check!
I remember before Clara was born a co-worker told me that changing tables were unnecessary since you usually end up changing the kid wherever is most convenient – like on the floor or the nearest piece of furniture – rather than going through the formality of walking all the way to the nursery. This was after we had already bought & refinished Clara’s changing table/dresser so the comment stuck with me, thinking I’d fallen into some first-time parent booby trap.
Surprisingly enough, we used Clara’s changing table religiously. Maybe because our house was small or because it was all one level. If we were at home she got changed on that table. And that routine stuck with us even when we moved to our second house, which was twice as big (but still a one level ranch).
Stairs might be a diaper changing game changer, though. So in this house we plan to keep some changing supplies downstairs for convenience. Anything to make your I-have-a-newborn routine easier, right?
We offhandedly mentioned when we started the nursery that we were considering using my dad’s old dresser that’s currently in our closet, which could double as a changing table. It’s not a permanent closet solution for us (we’ll eventually add a built-in closet system), and we kinda liked the story of our son having his grandfather’s 50-year-old dresser. But after completing the built-ins we realized that the eight drawers of storage they afforded us were awesome, and it was probably overkill to add four more on the other side of the room – especially when some sort of open, easy-access toy & game storage would be more useful for us over there.
So we scratched our heads for a little bit, and then we broke down our criteria:
- It needed a wide and flat surface to accommodate our changing pad (at least 15″ wide)
- It needed to have open storage mixed in with the possibility of adding a few bins or baskets to hide diapering stuff for a fleeting period of time
- It most likely needed to be wide (around 60″) to make sense on that long empty wall, while grounding the large bike prints that we planned to hang over it. Sort of like the storage cubbies in the photo below from our last sunroom…
It was literally looking at that photo above (we were checking to see how closely we had hung the prints together) that we had our A-HA! Why not the Expedit? It met all of our criteria and wasn’t serving a permanent function in its current home in our office (where we someday dream of adding an L-shaped file-storage area along with a floating desk/meeting table). And yes, this all happened right right as the news of the Expedit’s demise (or reincarnation?) hit the web – so it was sort of an all-signs-point-to-Expedit moment.
We unloaded everything (contributing more to the disaster that is our office) and I dragged it upstairs to see if the nursery should be its new home. And I say “drag” literally because I didn’t feel comfortable asking Miss Preggers to lift it. It was heavier than I remembered!
We put it in place on the wall opposite the built-ins and well, it was a bit underwhelming. Granted, it was very very empty and even the changing pad would eventually get a colorful cover. But it wasn’t a compelling case for the Expedit.
We leaned the bike art up to see if that helped, which it did, but we still felt like something needed to be done to make the Expedit a little more upgraded and not as blendy with the wall, rug, and doors.
So we had an idea. A hack, if you will. To add some contrast, and sort of nod to Clara’s white-and-wood changing table, we decided to wrap the outside of the Expedit with stained wood. This would also tie it into my homemade bike art frames, as well as the wood-topped built-ins across the room. You know, kinda like this…
That’s not Photoshop above (I wish I was that good!) – it’s the real after. I thought it would help for you to see that before I dove into the How-To part of the post. So let’s rewind to that, which started with me dragging the Expedit back out to the garage.
Our measurements revealed that three 1 x 6″ boards would be wide enough to cover the Expedit, leaving about a 1/2″ of an overhang on each side. This was nice because it would give the changing pad a bit more surface to sit on (it was the exact width of the original Expedit). We bought basic whitewood because it’s the same stuff we used to make our living room console table, which has held up great for the past few years, and the price was right ($5 for a 6 foot piece). We also wanted a slightly rustic wood look, like we achieved with the console table.
Here are all of the pieces once they were cut to size at home on our miter saw.
To attach the boards into big panels, I used my Kreg Jig to create pocket holes and then I could join each set of 3 side-by-side. It’s the same technique I used for the console top, so you can read more about it here. Note: I often make two holes if they’re going to be hidden when using the Kreg, just so if my first attempt at joining doesn’t line up perfectly, I can try again without having to break out the drill again.
Here are the finished boards all joined together. It’s also after I gave them a quick sanding to soften the edges and any ridges between the boards. I only bought two pieces for the bottom since no one will ever see the missing middle piece – so that explains why those are hanging out by themselves at the bottom of this shot.
Before staining, we decided to take wood conditioner for a spin. Its job is to “prepare” the wood for staining, reduce unevenness/blotchiness, and enhance the color. This small can was $6, so it’s not much of a “risk” – and richer and more even results sounded good to us. It goes on much like stain – you brush or wipe it on, let it penetrate for a few minutes (I gave it 15), and then wipe off the excess. You just have to be sure to stain within 2 hours of the application.
We used the same Minwax Dark Walnut stain that we’ve used elsewhere in the room for consistency (like on the counters of the built-ins and the bike art frames) and only needed one coat. For demonstration purposes, I stained a piece of unconditioned scrap wood (it’s the same exact type of wood, just a leftover piece) to see if there was a difference in using the conditioner. Both Sherry and I were pretty surprised by the comparison. I definitely felt the stain soak in more on the conditioned wood during application, and the color is noticeably richer/warmer on the conditioned wood.
When the stain and my two coats of Safecoat Acrylaq were dry (that’s our favorite poly alternative because it’s non-toxic and locks in any potential fumes or offgasing) I could finally begin attaching these wooden panels to the Expedit. I decided to go with a simple wood-glue-and-nails system, so that I wouldn’t have screw heads to hide after the fact. I prepped the Expedit surface by roughing it up a bit with sandpaper and then applying a bunch of wood glue.
Then I used my nail gun to secure them in place with some 1.75″ brad nails (thank goodness for the thick frame on the Expedit).
Then I did the same with the sides for sort of a waterfall-edge effect.
I let those dry overnight before attempting to flip the piece over and attach the bottom pieces. You can see how I just put them on either end in this shot, since that middle slice will never be seen.
After letting everything dry for a couple of days, I dragged it back upstairs and started on the next step – adding legs and casters. Sherry and I thought two of these chunky $5 casters from Home Depot would be a nice touch, while some stationery legs (made from 2 x 2″ pine and Kregged to the back and middle) would keep it from rolling around mid-diaper-change.
If you’re scratching your head about where the casters were on the after picture, well, they weren’t there. Because we decided they weren’t right for this application. The height they added made the changing pad uncomfortably high (we thought we’d like that added height, but it was a good deal higher than the changing pad height that we were used to in Clara’s room) plus it would’ve meant the art above it would have to hang even higher than the doorway tops, which we thought would look off.
But we really liked the look of it, so we wanted to share the idea in case it worked better for someone else’s application…
It was just a matter of unscrewing a few things to get back to the sitting-straight-on-the-floor look (which also has the benefit of not creating a spot for dust and toys to collect). Then Sherry helped me hang the art and fill the shelves.
Update: There have been a few questions about the height of the changing station. The Expedit itself is 31″ and the wood frame added a few more inches, and the pad itself sits on top of the dresser, so the baby is around 34″ from the ground on the Expedit with the pad on it. Clara’s dresser with the pad on it was around 33″ from the ground – so that range seems to be what we prefer.
The stuff on the shelves is mostly placeholder items (another bin or basket for diapering supplies will definitely end up in the mix). In fact they’ve already been tweaked a little in the rest of the photos in this post. But you hopefully get the idea of how this’ll function for us.
It’s nice to have some concealed storage, plus some open toys and books that he can easily access. The 3 Sprouts dragon box was a gift from Sherry’s friend Cat during Clara’s dragon-loving days that Clara brought in and said was for her brother because he likes green (yes, Sherry melted into a puddle). Who knew those bins were perfectly sized for an Expedit? Apparently Clara did.
We might need to get a few more large baskets to house diapers and wipes more easily, but other than that, this changing area has shaped up quite nicely. Well, except for the fact that the changing pad cover is just leftover fabric that Sherry tucked around it – so we have to buy/make a real cover soon.
The funniest part of this entire endeavor was when Clara brought in a baby onesie from a to-be-washed pile in the guest bedroom and said Barnacle wanted to wear it while we took his picture. Apparently we have an accidental tradition of dressing up not-real-babies in the nursery before the real baby arrives, since this happened in Clara’s crib after we set it up.
Oh and for anyone wondering how the changing pad is secured in place, it’s the same one we used for Clara, and it has two over-sized snaps on the back that attach to snaps that get screwed into the furniture or wall from the back. These are pics from making Clara’s dresser (which you read more about here) but we were easily able to remove them and screw them into the back edge of the Expedit.
We’ve also used heavy duty 3M command velcro to adhere the bike art firmly to the wall beyond the screws-into-studs/anchors hanging method that we used. So the little guy shouldn’t able to knock it off the wall or even pull it off (not that he’ll ever be unsupervised up there anyway). We did joke that it could get peed on, but the slick poster board material will hopefully work in our favor. We also have a hilarious tiny tent-like item that was a gift for keeping the spray at bay, if you will.
We’re really happy with how this little upgrade turned out, and we’re hoping it has some lasting value as toy and book storage when Barnacle gets older. I’m already picturing it stuffed with bins of legos. And the cost of our update was around $45 – the wood was $39 and the wood conditioner was $6 – since we already owned the stain and returned the casters (you can add $15 to cover those if you don’t have ’em).
The nursery is feeling much more complete now that we’ve dealt with that formerly empty wall. And Sherry’s putting the finishing touches on her mobile project for over the crib (this is just a photoshopped version of what she’s going for), so she’ll be back with those details in the next few days. It’s amazing how much more homey a room feels without two big blank walls staring back at you.
Aaaaaand I just realized the fun part of diaper changing is pretty much over. It only gets uglier from here. Speaking of which, we haven’t forgotten that we need to add a place for dirty diapers (we’ve had luck with this method for Clara, so we might go that route again). How’s that for a note to leave off on?
Do you guys use changing tables, or are you bed/floor/random-other-spot folks? Have you done anything fun to an Expedit lately? It’s amazing how many hacks there are. Can you believe Ikea’s retiring them (or at least tweaking and renaming them)? Will the new name stick, or will we all still call them Expedits?
PS: Wanna see another fun furniture hack? Check out this cool paint pattern we added to a thrift store desk.
Update – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint colors we used? Just click on this button:
Erin says
Great job! That piece is so cool, and the prints above really bring it all together. Can’t tell you how much I love this green…I think you guys are going to start a trend here!
We had a boy in 2010 and had another boy last summer. Basically I did nothing with the nursery except a few things and focused mostly on the big boy room. However the current changing table which we used all the time with our first is sitting as a dresser (which it was originally). I had every intention of using it as a changing table but it’s easier to keep a basket stash of diapers/wipes in a couple areas of the house now and change there. This way I can keep an eye on a mischievous three year old…and I admit it’s easier on me too :)
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds smart!
xo
s
Stephanie says
Our daughters room is so small we needed something to function as a dresser, a bookcase and a changing station, so we used the drawer inserts in the middle 4 compartments and left the outside for books and added the changing pad to the top and it worked perfectly (She’s 21 months now). I love how expedit’s are so versatile! We also bought a diaper caddy and to this day I don’t know what I would have done without it! We bought the JJ Cole one, which is a solid box that holds diapers, has a place for wipes, a small drawer for butt cream (etc) and best of all a changing pad that slips into a little pocket. When our daughter was a newborn it allowed us to take the caddy all over the house and change her anywhere we wanted. And then as she got bigger it stayed always by her changing pad to house all the necessities we needed. Highly recommend it! Here’s a link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SEPO8G/ref=twister_B002LH5VC2
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome Stephanie!
xo
s
Claire @ Lemon Jelly Cake says
That looks so awesome! Now that we are going to have two in diapers in separate rooms I am trying to figure out how I want to handle the whole diapering situation. Two changing tables seems excessive for a short period of time, so repurposing shelves or an old dresser is a great idea. :)
Clever Girl Reviews says
Nice hack! The whole room is really charming though!
Kara Lise says
Hey guys!
Not sure if someone mentioned this already but we use an expedit as our change table as well (a 4×4), and we added these drawers to the top two cubbies and they are awesome for storing diapers, sleepers and wipes. They seem to be just the perfect depth to keep everything at our fingertips.
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/40251708/#/90204936
Oh, and we live in a two storey, and for the first month or so we had a changing station downstairs (on the couch to be honest!!) but then once we made the decision and the effort we now change him pretty much always upstairs in the nursery. Keeps the baby invasion to a minimum.
Kara Lise
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Thanks to all the Expedit changing table users for welcoming us to the fold. Love those little temporary drawers!
xo
s
Johanna says
You guys. I absolutely love love LOVE this!!!! Being pregnant with my second baby and due this summer, I look forward to your nursery/baby posts the most lately! This one is so awesome, what a transformation! I have loved watching the nursery evolve like it has.
I do have a question…. Will you be able to use the same cloth diapers for this baby that you used for Clara? Will you be adding to your stash? I’m in the process of convincing my hubby that cloth is not only healthier and natural, but also so economical and will save us tons of $$! Also, I noticed you have Aden and Anais swaddle blankets in the cube shelf, did you use them for Clara as well? I’ve had my eye on them since my first baby almost two years ago but the price tag has me hesitating to just bite the bullet and order them. Once again, bravo on this awesome nursery :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we’re able to use the same 12 dipes we got for Clara and plan to add 6 more to supplement so we have a total of 18.
xo
s
Asha says
What a great hack for the Expedit! And I totally agree. We used a HEMES dresser top for our first born’s changing pad. Hated the idea of buying one piece of furniture for only a year of use or so. Now that our second is here I change diapers just about anywhere! I have mini stations all over the house and a main one in our room (for now). But he has a HEMES dresser drawers/ changing table waiting for him too! What can I say. We love IKEA. Lol.
Your nursery is so inspiring! xo
Kate says
Even though we have stairs, I use the changing table (which is actually a dresser with the changing pad) religiously, and I know it’s because we cloth diaper. All of my diapers are in a dresser drawer, my cloth wipes are in solution in the wipe warmer, and the diaper sprayer and pail are all upstairs. It’s always made more sense for me to go where all of the supplies are!
Kelsey S. says
I still religiously use my changing table (or changing dresser, rather) with my 18-month old, despite predictions from everyone that I wouldn’t use it at all or that it would fall out of favor as he got bigger. I use cloth diapers, so I find it much easier to keep everything in one place, and since I have a single story home I’m never far away from it. I’ve also found that it’s much easier to corral a wiggly toddler on the table than trying to pin him down on the floor, plus my pregnant belly makes getting up and down a little difficult. I’m so glad I went ahead with the table despite all the naysayers.
I love the Expedit upgrade! The wood and white combo gives it a classy, custom look. The only potential downside I see to the open cubbies is that once Barnacle is mobile the diaper supplies might be on the floor more often than not. ;) A basket on top might be good for stashing diapers and wipes out of reach. Re: dirty diaper storage, the best thing I’ve found is a plain old kitchen trash can with a washable pail liner. Not the cutest option, but it works great!
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tips Kelsey, thanks!
xo
s
Cheryl says
I love the hack and I really loved the casters. Perhaps down the line when you no longer need it for diaper changing the casters can go back on.
I love the way the Barnacle’s room is coming together. He’s going to be a lucky little boy!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a great idea!
xo
s
Dana@chocolateandsunshine says
Can’t wait for an Ikea to finally hit our area next year (St. Louis)! For now, I drive 5 hours to Chicago once a year and always forget something or run out of room.
Anything you personalize is awesome. Yes, you don’t need a changing table for long,but when you do, isn’t it nice to have all of your supplies in one spot and also to save your back. You can always keep an extra stash in a basket in your bedroom or the family room.
Nothing like creating a nursery! Much happiness.
Sharon says
I love this project. I cant believe what a difference the stained wood makes on this changing table. It looks totally custom. Good job guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Sharon!
xo
s
Jolene says
This is brilliant! I was thoroughly expecting a “paint it green” post, which would have looked good, but this is just so sophisticated and looks perfect!!! Yes, the bikes will get peed on – lol! My son peed EVERY time we took off his diaper. His grandma called it an Irish blessing. :) We just had baby washcloths or a burp rag handy to “catch the spray”. But the peepee teepees are indeed hilarious!
The nursery is looking SO great! Very sophisticated.
YoungHouseLove says
The Irish blessing thing is hilarious! I love your grandma.
xo
s
Grace says
Love the change table! I always found that when babies where tiny, I always used a change table. As they got/get bigger we use the floor more. The best thing we ever did in our two story house was turn the small stretch of counter in our laundry room downstairs into a diaper changing station. We cloth diaper too so it’s been pretty amazing to have everything all in one room. I just decided having full diaper changing capabilities on both floors was a must and it has definitely been one of the smartest things I’ve done!
Kaitlyn says
Gah! It turned out so beautifully! Kudos!
Haley says
I like picturing John lugging this around the whole house… especially up the steps. I love what you did with the shelf! I also love that you put the Barnacle doll on the changing pad and changed outfits mid photo shoot.
We redid a dresser (http://halestorm23.blogspot.com/2013/06/gradient-dresser.html) to use as a changing table. We probably only use it about 10% of the time since we’re the change-her-where-she-is kind of people… which is lazy since we live in a one bedroom apartment
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Stephanie Jones says
Hi guys,
We have the white expedite for our little man’s change table and it’s the best thing. You’ll love it. Oh and we have an upstairs too. At first I did what you guys are doing with the double changing stations but I found it hard to deal wig the dirty cloth diapers on the main floor (always forgetting to put them in the right spot) so I ended up carrying our baby upstairs every time. It’s not as annoying as you think. Good luck and I can’t wait to see how this all turns out!
Stephanie
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome Stephanie! Thanks for the tip!
xo
s
Kayla says
Perfect timing, we are working on our nursery right now, and working on finding a changing table/dresser of some sort. However we lack other storage in the room, so I think dresser might be our solution. We do have a small 2×2 expedit for books and toys and other kid storage to put in their. Love the hack!! =)
caroline [the diy nurse] says
I love it- so spot on. It looks so good with the frames- it really mimics them! I love the castors- too bad they won’t work. I pinned this- thought it would make a good TV stand idea too :)
Leigh says
I love your Ikea hack!!! It looks perfect. For our first, we changed him either on his changing pad that was attached to his dresser or if we didn’t want to trek upstairs, we kept an extra stash of changing supplies in the pack-n-play. We actually only used the pack-n-play as a changing table and nothing else. He hated the thick. With boy #2 due early summer, I think we will likely do something similar. Although now I want to get 2 of those dressers from Ikea and a soon to be gone expedit!
Sarah says
so usually if you link something, I finish reading YOUR post before going back and getting distracted with other links. but oh man, when you said the expedit was going I just about panicked..right then and there and had to go chasing links! Glad that it’s not totally gone….scared me;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! So sorry to scare you!
xo
s
Kati says
Love this!! One of my favorite projects! I love the whole room–great job!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Kati!
xo
s
Meg says
Love your hack and how you always find the perfect function for your expedit! Funny timing, I was brainstorming how to more efficiently use mine and I came across these baskets, would look too great in an expedit not to share!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-and-Gardens-Medium-Wire-Basket-with-Chalkboard-Black/24534322?action=product_interest&action_type=image&placement_id=irs_middle&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id=68065385154&category=0%3A4044%3A90828%3A163961&client_guid=38966bfe-97e8-4a39-ac9d-9657cb74fa76&config_id=0&parent_item_id=24534321&guid=7ebb6c30-1b87-46d7-8981-aeaa919fcaf4&bucket_id=irsbucket014&findingMethod=p13n.
YoungHouseLove says
Those are really cute!
xo
s
Michelle says
I love this project! I can’t belive how much it changes the look.
As I was scrolling down, I was all, “hey, look – it is already done!” Don’t you wish it were really that easy? If only, ha ha
YoungHouseLove says
If only!
xo
s
Tess says
I love this idea, you guys! I just might try it on my huge Expedit I have in my living room.
When my boys were still in diapers, we lived in a two story house. To me it was more convenient to have a changing table on both levels of the house. I was definitely not one of those that changed the babies all over the house, I always used the changing table to save my back!
Caz says
For our first child, we converted an old desk. Our first was a non-stop wriggler/kicker who hated being changed, so bending over the desk was not as easy on our backs as we’d hoped.
One day, before we had even decided to have a second kiddo, we spotted an ugly but functional folding change table for $10 in a thrift store. We bought it just in case. When we had ours second, we set the change table up in a bathroom, and every time I used it, my back was grateful.
I think a lot of whether you “need” a change table depends on how young you are and what condition your back is in! :)
Yael says
I come off your website always so depressed!!!! You make stunning stuff, and you seem to have it all figured out somehow. Without spending a fortune…. I’m jealous… I know this is prob the weirdest comment u ever got… I also usually don’t comment, just know that I love your site and wish I had the talent and time to at least copy what u show… My kids would be luckiest of all!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Yael, you’re so sweet! We hope that by sharing exactly how we do things (and where we buy things and photos of the process, etc) that you can recreate everything at home! We’d love for you to leave feeling excited to dive in and upgrade/make/build/paint something in your own home – it really is addicting once you get started ;)
xo
s
Lindsay says
You guys are my fave. This is amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Lindsay.
-John
Kendra C says
We have two changing tables, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. We use a dresser in the baby’s bedroom and a recycled TV stand in the family room so we don’t have to hike up and down the stairs with a poopy baby!
Allie says
Just wanted to give my 2 cents on 2nd floor diaper changes, even though you’ve had a few already. I initially kept a bag downstairs full of diapering supplies in addition to our changing table upstairs. However I didn’t end up changing him downstairs because we were cloth diapering and the wet bags were upstairs. I think it’s probably more practical if you use disposable to have a downstairs changing station.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip Allie!
xo
s
Ortisse says
I love love love this expedit hacking!
Kate says
HA! I just saw this same ikea hack online and went to pin it last night and thought “man that would look great on casters” … great minds think alike :) It all looks great and oh so sweet.. nice job… keep it up,,, cause if not I will have nothing awesome to read :(
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Thanks Kate!
xo
s
Lee Ann says
I ONLY used the upstairs changing table – even after everyone told me I wouldn’t. I figured some days that’s the only exercise I got – climbing stairs to change a diaper.
Jenna Sue says
Looks great. Don’t you love it when those “Aha!” moments materialize like this? It definitely brought it up a notch.
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
Love this! The stained wood adds so much to what might otherwise be just a plain piece — great idea!
Meg says
This looks AMAZING!! What a clever upgrade. You really inspire me to want to saw things… but alas, no garage in NOVA. :)
Heather G says
We were told the same thing-that we’d never use the changing able. We always changed our son on it. Even used it past diapers to get my son dressed. I love the Expedit idea-which I love and own several of. Definitely something to keep in mind if we ever have another child.
Marissa says
Gotta heart that bike print! ;)
Laurie says
Just a thought and may have already been covered but I think the cubbies could use some color in the back to break up the white. Even if it’s just foamcore with fabric and only every other one or some paint it just looks like it needs a pop. Love the overall look!
YoungHouseLove says
That would be fun!
xo
s
Ann says
Are you losing a lot of storage in the office? Are you planning on working on that room soon?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re hoping to get back downstairs to the office and the dining room (the only two rooms with blue trim that remain in our house) after we wrap things up in the nursery!
xo
s
Holly Hoffman says
We have a two-story and cloth diaper. It was definitely too much to haul the baby upstairs 8+ times a day just for a change. We had a pack n play set up downstairs with a wet bag, extra diapers, and dry wipes and a spray bottle with wipe solution (upstairs we used a wipe warmer with pre-dampened cloth wipes). The pack n play was such a space sucker though! I’m due in early July with #2 and will probably do a tote/basket under the coffee table with our CD supplies instead. I do like the dedicated space though. Especially in those early days. Our son was definitely did “fire-at-will” in the pee dept!!! Those tepees don’t help either! I suggest a few spare prefold cloth diapers for covering the area until you get good and fast. Something about air hitting the area that makes pee fly! ;)
Sherri says
Love how you trimmed the Expedit with wood. Genius. Everything has come together perfectly. All the special touches are precious. The best is yet to come: when Barnacle gets to take up residence there. So exciting! When is the little guy due?
YoungHouseLove says
He’s due in the middle of April, so we have around 7 weeks left!
xo
s
JESS says
You guys are awesome! Such a great solution to the matchy matchy white wall! I think this room is becoming my fave! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jess!
xo
s
Lydia says
Did you guys consider using the top of one of your built-in dressers as a changing table? We have a similar built-in set up in our bedroom and we’ve used the top of one side of it as a changing table with great success. We just threw it together the day we got home from the hospital and I can’t tell you how convenient that space has been as a changing station. The bookshelves are great places for stashing wipes, etc. Maybe it’s a bit messier, and will deny you the chance to style the shelves to your liking…but seriously, very convenient to have the shelves above the changing area. Also it’s deeper than the expedit, which I find useful. The expedit looks great though!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome! In our case, the pad fit on the built-ins but it felt a bit tight with the shelf above it along with being a little too high for us.
xo
s
TaraMcK says
Question… can you paint an expedit? And i love this hack!
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve seen people paint it using a sander to scuff it up, some great gripping primer and some good quality paint. I would google “how to paint laminate” to see if a good tutorial comes up for you. Good luck!
xo
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Clarissa says
Hello! The nursery is shaping up beautifully! We have a two story condo, when my two and half ear old was itty nitty I changed him religiously upstairs (which prob helped me shed the baby weight). Now I have a four month old and because I need to keep an eye on my son, she get changed in a pack n play downstairs where we spend most of our time. We did however purchase an Ikea Malm dresser as her changer and love it for her room. We also happen to have an expedition in my sons room and it is perfect for his pull ups, books and toys!
Casey says
Sherry, I am totally digging that scruffy face (in the most non-creepy way possible). My husband’s been doing the same thing for the last year or so and I love it so so much–even when it’s nearly a full beard–which really surprised me at first! He finally started shaving with clippers at a 2 because I grew so accustomed to it that I’m not a fan of a clean shave on him anymore.
Also, I love this Ikea hack, it looks great! Especially with the bike posters. We have two boys and the little one is newly potty trained (so hard to believe that phase in life is over)–we used a changing table (dresser + pad) religiously as well. And by the way, by some freak of nature, neither of them EVER peed while being changed. Like, at all. So maybe those posters will stay nice and clean. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow, that’s some sort of record Casey! I love it! And I agree- scruffy guys are pretty cute ;)
xo
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Alina says
Love this Ikea hack and LOVE how the room is coming along! I must admit, I couldn’t quite see how the built-ins were going to fit in at the beginning (har-har) but I never should have doubted YHL, it’s looking fab up in there!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Alina!
xo
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Reshma Sanjeev says
This is one of the best IKEA hack. The Expedit looks perfect for the nursery with the art above. You guys are genius.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Reshma!
-John
Janet @ ordinary mom says
We had a two storey house with our babies. (Still do but different house) and I kept a basket in the kitchen filled with diapers and wipes. It was the best thing especially with the youngest because it was much harder to head upstairs every time I needed to change a diaper.