If your little one is no longer a baby and has outgrown all her things, it’s time for you to look at these 45 Creative Ways to Repurpose Baby Items!
When you have a baby, you’re likely to be inundated with all kinds of baby stuff as gifts from friends, relatives and neighbors. It is helpful, especially since you’ll be too busy to shop for basics. And some of the baby items can be super cute!
However, the problem with babies is that they grow – too fast in my opinion! Before you can completely enjoy that baby smell, they’ve grown into toddlers and then start running and exploring the world on their own. As a result, they outgrow all those cute baby things soon enough, and you’re left with a lot of good quality items without knowing what to do.
One option is to keep them for your next baby, if you’re planning one. Or you can give it to a sibling or cousin who’s expecting a baby. But if none of these options are available, you can still make use of all those things, by repurposing them. From clothes to toys to furniture, here are 45 creative ways to repurpose baby items so they can be used again and again!
45 Creative Ways to Repurpose Baby Items
Personal Care Items
1. Wipes Lids Sensory Board
One thing all of us use as parents is baby wipes. At least for the first couple of years, every Mom has a pack of wipes in her handbag at all times! This means that you end up with a lot of empty wipes packs, and before you throw them out, save the lids. You can use them to make this cool sensory toy from Motherhood and Other Adventures. It’s a great way to keep toddlers and older babies busy, and is really easy to make!
2. Wipes Lids Peek a Boo House
Here’s another fun toy you can make for your baby with just 3 lids of wipes packs. Fix photos of baby or other family members inside the lids for baby to open and see. You can also place a mirror inside one of the ‘windows’ – your little one will enjoy seeing her own face when she opens it! Get the instructions on making this from I can my Teach my Child.
3. Wipes Box Chalkboard Storage
If you’ve gone heavy duty on the wipes, you may have ended up with quite a few empty wipes boxes. Put them to good use for your toddler or preschooler by doing what A Girl and her Needle did. Stick chalkboard sheets on the front and label each one so you can store your child’s precious toys and stationery in them.
4. Wipes Box Feed the Monster Toy
This DIY toy from I Can Teach my Child is so easy to make, and so cute! You’ll also need to collect at least 26 bottle caps, or you can just make do with those alphabet magnets. This is great for preschoolers who’re learning to identify the alphabet, and as you call out a letter, let him feed it to the monster.
5. Shampoo Bottle Phone Holder
After the first few months, you’ll start ending up with empty shampoo and body wash bottles, and there’s a lot you can do to repurpose those. One idea is a hanging phone holder from Make It & Love It. This is perfect for those plug points that don’t have a surface near it for you to rest your phone while charging it. Make it fun by covering with pretty patterned paper!
6. Shampoo Bottle Vase
Here’s a ‘greener’ use for those empty baby shampoo bottles from Engineer Mommy. Simply paint them and use them as vases! You can paint them in white chalk paint and place them together for a lovely, textured vignette. Adding little strips of burlap gives it a more boho, farmhouse look, if that’s your style.
Food Containers
7. Baby Food Jar Luminaries
Baby food in jars aren’t very popular in India, but you can still get imported ones at some stores. While we recommend fresh homemade baby food for babies, sometimes you can’t help but go for a quick fix. If you have, then you probably have a few of those cute jars, which are perfect for making luminaries, like these from Inspired by Family!
8. Food Jar Spice Storage
If you’ve got quite a few baby food jars and your spices are currently resting in ugly plastic containers, it’s time to switch them up! Unsophisticook uses baby food jars to store all kinds of spices and then uses chalk paint to cover the lids. This makes it easy to label the jars and see what you have right when you open the spice drawer.
9. Baby Food Jar Crayon Organizer
Here’s another fun use for baby food jars – art supplies organizer! Monkey See Monkey Do goes all the way, painting the jar the same color as the crayons – this also doubles up as a color recognition and sorting toy for your toddler! If you don’t have too many baby food jars, you can also use glass jars of different sizes and paint them all the same color for a more stylish look.
10. Formula Storage Boxes
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life, but many parents still get formula to add to purees or porridge to adjust the consistency. Design Improvised shows us a fun way to make use of those empty formula containers. Just cover them in pretty paper and use them to store your child’s things like stationery or small toys.
11. Formula Tin Hairband Organizer
The Organised Housewife has come up with a clever way to utilize empty formula tins – a hairband organizer! Hairbands can be tricky to store, since they occupy a fair bit of space and need to be stored properly so they don’t break. Well, a formula tin is the perfect size for children’s hairbands, so that’s one organization problem solved!
12. Baby Bottle Sensory Toy
Many parents wonder what to do with old baby bottles. They don’t have the heart to throw them out since they’re made of good quality material, but they’re not sure about how to repurpose them. The Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide has a solution – turn them into sensory bottles. We have a list of sensory activities here that you can take inspiration from to make your own versions for your little one.
13. Baby Bottle Button Organizer
If you have a few small baby bottles, this idea from Small Town Dreamz is perfect! The transparent nature of baby bottles makes them perfect to store craft supplies like buttons, pom poms, googly eyes or other embellishments.
Clothes
14. Baby Romper Teddy Bear
Baby clothes are something no parent wants to part with – they’re so cute and remind us of those beautiful early moments with our babies! However, kids outgrow their clothes, and you have to do something with them. PA Country Crafts’s idea for rompers is just adorable – turn it into a cute little teddy bear! You can do this with all the rompers and give them out as gifts too!
15. Baby Onesie Stuffed Elephant
Here’s another idea for baby clothes that are made of thicker material, like winter wear. Saturday Night Stitch turns a onesie into a stuffed elephant, by cleverly making use of the shape of the onesie. You can skip the button eyes if you fear a choking hazard. Instead, just sew on fabric scraps or embroider the eyes in.
16. Baby Clothes Memory Quilt
We absolutely love this idea from Martha Stewart that is a one stop solution for all those little baby dresses. Use up all the fabric in those clothes and make a quilt from it. You can make the quilt as big as you like, and it’ll be a lovely keepsake that you can treasure forever – without throwing anything out!
17. Baby Clothes Ribbon Block
If your baby clothes have cute motifs or appliques on them, this idea from Born Imaginative is a good one to make use of those elements. Cut out those parts from the baby outfits and use them to create a cute little ribbon block that baby can play around with till she becomes a toddler! You can also place a couple of bells inside for a more sensory experience.
18. Baby Clothes Book
How cute is this clothes book from Forty Two Roads? Use baby’s first clothes and turn it into an adorable little fabric book. Not only does this act as a durable keepsake, it’s also a fun book for your toddler when he’s learning the names of different clothing items. Yes, making the book does require a bit of effort, but it is so worth it!
19. Baby Pants Headband
Babies outgrow their clothes quite fast, and often before the clothes actually wear out. The result is that you’re likely to have baby pajamas with elastic that is in good condition, which you can make use of as hairbands. Alisa Burke shows us how you can use the elastic to create soft headbands that are ideal for babies, without having to spend a bomb on buying new ones.
20. Baby Outfit Shadow Box
This idea from Lamberts Lately is a great gift idea for a baby’s first birthday. If your nephew or niece has some beautiful dresses they’ve outgrown, save them – without letting the parents know! Turn them into a lovely shadow box and gift it to the parents on the child’s first birthday – they’ll love it!
21. Burp Cloths Rags
Babies spit up – there’s no way around it, and that’s why every parent has a good stash of burp cloths! Mom explains that these cloths are often made of highly absorbent material, making them perfect to use as cleaning rags. Their little size makes them great to store in every part of the house too – now you’ll never run out of something to dust or wipe your surfaces!
22. Baby Outfit Bibs
If you have baby outfits that are made of slightly thicker material, it’s a good idea to convert them into bibs. Scratch and Stitch shows use exactly how to go about this with step by step instructions. You can use onesies, sleepsuits, rompers or any other clothing item for this purpose. Avoid thin cotton jablas since they won’t serve the purpose of a bib.
23. Socks Coin Purse
These little coin purses from Repeat Crafter Me are too cute for words! Baby socks are something that will make anyone go ‘Awww’ just looking at them, and now you can preserve the cuteness in the form of little purses. These will be fun to make and give your family members to store little things instead of buying pouches.
24. Baby Sock Pouch
Babies tend to have lots of baby socks, especially in the early days when they’re straight out of hospital. They outgrow the socks quickly, which means you’re left with many cute little socks that don’t fit those chubby feet! Turn them into adorable little pouches to store anything from keys to spare change to medicines to jewelry while traveling. Check out the instructions to do this over at Fine Craft Guild.
25. Baby Sock Christmas Ornaments
We can’t handle all the cuteness here! True to their name, Cutesy Crafts turns outgrown baby socks into cute little Christmas ornaments which you can hang on your tree or gift to your friends. If you have older kids at home, you can also use these to place small toys or candy inside.
Blankets and Towels
26. Blanket Pillow
This idea from Me Sew Crazy is probably the easiest DIY with a baby blanket – turn it into a pillow! All you need to do is to fold it and sew the edges together. Don’t forget to leave out one side for stuffing, and then seal it when you’re done. You can add applique or embellishments as you like to customize the pillow.
27. Swaddle Blanket Container
Once your baby is past the swaddling stage and is kicking her arms and legs free, you’re left with swaddle blankets you have no use for. If that’s the case, try out this idea from DIY Network to convert those blankets into storage baskets. These baskets are perfect for large items like stuffed toys or big toy vehicles like trucks.
28. Baby Blanket Bunnies
If you’d like to make a little keepsake from your baby’s first blanket that she was brought in from the hospital, try making these bunnies from Parenting in Moments. You can keep one as a keepsake and make more for your older kids to play with. They also make great gifts for grandparents!
29. Towel Flat Mop Cover
Baby towels are incredibly soft and highly absorbent, and if your little one has got bigger towels now, it’s time to put the baby ones to use! DIY Everywhere shows us how making a flat mop cover is a great idea – the mop will catch all wet and dry dirt from the floor and look cute while at it!
Books and Toys
30. Stuffed Animal Purse
You’re likely to get lots of stuffed toys as gifts when you have a baby, and there are only so many that you can spread on your child’s bed! However, if you have a loved soft toy that you don’t have the heart to throw, consider turning it into a cute little purse, like this one from Over the Apple Tree.
31. Picture Book White Board Chalk Board
This idea from Design Dazzle works well with large picture books that have hard covers. By putting a white board on one side and a chalk board on the other side, you’ll ensure that you have a fun, travel-friendly drawing or scribble board for toddlers and preschoolers.
32. Story Book Block Puzzle
If you have a book with good, high quality images that you love, and parts of the books are damaged, you can make use of the good pages by turning them into a puzzle. All you need are some basic blocks that your baby has outgrown and for the instructions you can check out Kids Creative Chaos.
33. Bath Toys Wreath
Got lots of rubber duckies and other bath toys and wondering what to do with them? Well, you can turn them into garden decor or construct a cute little wreath like this one from Parenting Patch! The best part is that you can make it festive-themed or just a general wreath.
34. Building Blocks Hooks
Plain wooden blocks are among the best toys for babies and toddlers since they’re open ended and kids can use their imagination to play with them in multiple ways. However, your baby may get tired of them at some point after which they may be lying around. Wooden blocks look elegant, which makes them great as decor accents as Remodelista has done here.
35. Book Pinwheels
We try our best, but sometimes we just can’t help books from getting damaged! If you have a baby book of which parts are damaged, you can use the undamaged colorful pages to make these fun pinwheels. If you have similar pages, you can even turn them into decor for a themed party. Check out Weekend Craft for more details on making these pinwheels.
36. Book Photo Frame
We love this idea from It’s Always Autumn that is perfect for hard cover books, especially ones that have a thick spine. You may need a sharp cutter for this, but otherwise the procedure to make these frames is really easy, and you can have some pretty interesting photo frames for your child’s room!
Furniture and Gear
37. Crib Mattress Reading Nook
Baby mattresses are incredibly soft – unfortunately, they’re too small for us to lie down on! However, you can turn them into a floor cushion for a reading nook for your child, so that your little one can continue to use it as he grows. Set it up on the floor or on a bench, install some shelves on the wall beside it, add his favorite Teddy and you’re good to go! Get more instructions over at A Spotted Pony.
38. Cot Desk
This is an amazing idea from A Little Learning for Two and is the perfect way to make use of a crib once your little one is no longer a baby. All you need to do is to remove one side, put in height appropriate chairs and you have a desk that has in built space to stick hooks and hang things!
39. Changing Table Beverage Stand
If you entertain frequently or live in a joint family, you may find it useful to have a beverage counter which can also double up as a tea/coffee station. Twelve O Eight shows us that you don’t have to buy any new furniture for this purpose – you just need to repurpose your baby’s crib smartly, and you’ll have a ready made counter you can use.
40. Crib Daybed
So your baby can’t sleep in the crib anymore, but you can certainly rest in it! 2 Little Hooligans shows us how you can convert a crib into a daybed that is perfect for a porch or veranda. It’s also great as additional seating in the living room or in the bedroom if you have enough space to spare.
41. Crib Springs Photo Display
The bases of many cribs are made with springs, which can come in very handy when you separate the base from the rest of the crib. The springs offer the perfect spot to hang some cute pictures of your little one, as shown in Allen Mowery. Another option is to hang your little Picasso’s works of art or even fun quotes or posters in your teenager’s room.
42. Crib Toy Chest
If you’re drowning in toys and the small toy boxes are just not cutting it, check out this idea from Handmade by Meg K. With a little bit of work, you can turn a crib into a toy chest, which will become a solid resting spot for all your munchkin’s toys. You can also use the top to display your child’s current favorites!
43. Stroller Bat Mobile
Pretend play is an important part of a child’s development, especially for toddlers and preschoolers. Now, your little one can imagine himself to be Batman by repurposing his old stroller into a Bat Mobile! Just a Girl and her Blog shows us that all you really need is cardboard to create a vehicle worthy of a superhero.
44. Bathtub Planter
Many parents are stumped when it comes to reusing baby bathtubs. They are rather large and unwieldy, and it’s not easy to tuck into a cupboard. Hobby Farms comes up with a great idea – just turn it into a planter! You can grow anything in this tub from simple greenery to even vegetables and herbs.
45. Bathtub Aquarium
If you don’t want to grow plants in your baby bathtub, no problem – it can still work as garden decor! DIY Joy turns a plain bathtub into an aquarium. This tutorial features sticking stones and painting over the tub, but you can decorate it in any way you like.
Be sure to check out our other posts on reusing baby/kid items:
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