diy – Minimally Montessori

Ikea Hack and Toddler Closets

H has been super interested by clothing lately. She throws her laundry in the hamper, she loves putting her hat on, and she’ll now throw dirty diapers into the diaper bin. She loves helping out. So, naturally, I jumped (head first) into a project: a DIY toddler-sized closet!

I originally wanted to use a new Ikea Flisat, but I won’t lie, the cost plus shipping really kept me from actually pressing go. I instead found this 2×2 Kallax for $15 on NextDoor. Much thriftier. some of the panels were popping off, so I fixed it with tacky glue. Just like new.

To customize this Kallax, I had to remove a side in order to take out one of the small shelves. I wanted a hanging section for shirts, and two storage sections for pants, shoes, etc. After it was removed, I put the side panel back on, and tightened all screws. Then I cut off the protruding pegs leftover by the shelf using a small saw (drywall, since it was what we had). I then used pliers to wiggle out the remaining pegs on the outer piece.

Once the pegs were removed, I put up this tension rod. It’s sturdy, and came in a 3-pack, so I’ll have backups for a while.

For a grand total of $24.99, I have H’s very own toddler-sized wardrobe. For now, we keep it closed off except for outfit change times. Then we’ll open it up for her. She loves playing with the hangers, and more often than not, I have to pick up multiple hangers and put them back. But I love the independence this grants her, and I see that she’s already starting to make choices in her outfits. I plan on buying a small mirror to put on the wall next to the closet, and putting some self care items in, and that will complete her setup!

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The Beginnings of a Bathroom Station

I was browsing Pinterest one day, when I saw it: a tiny bathroom sink set up in someone’s bathroom. Everything in me lost it when I saw the tiny cups with tiny baby soap, a tiny baby toothbrush, and tiny baby wash cloth. I knew I had to do this. Yes, part of it was just because I wanted to see something so tiny and adorable in my house, but most of my longing for this set up was for my kiddo. I’m short, and struggle with bathroom counters; I can only imagine how difficult it would be for her.

The search started with the perfect base. I had seen an example with an IKEA Rast nightstand. When my husband and I moved out of our apartment, we donated our two. I was kicking myself. However, the power of thrifting came through, the spirits of secondhand shopping prevailed, and I scored a used Rast table from NextDoor. With some vision and a Magic Eraser, I was able to revive the dirty garage nightstand. I began to see my concept come to life.

It was dirty, it was used, but it was mine

I originally intended on setting the bathroom station up much later, closer to when H was 14-16 months. She, however, had other plans. Up until now, our post-meal hand cleaning routine involved setting her on the bathroom counter, pouring water on her hands with a cup, and dry them off with a washcloth. Recently, she decided that hand washing time was torture, and would screech and flail nonstop until we were done. Then she would run off, babbling happily. I ended up covered in all the food it had removed from her. It was then that I knew we had to move to the next level of hand washing routine. She had forced my hand.

As of today, we are three days into the bathroom station setup. I grabbed a bowl from the kitchen to use as a basin, and stuck a spare IKEA mirror in a frame, and hung it above the station. I still need to buy the necessary parts for finishing. Our trials have been (mostly) a success. The biggest issue currently is the extremely attractive temptation of dumping the bowl of water over, so we’ll have to address that. H has dumped it once, so far. I also have to figure out how store her belongings in a sanitary manner. At some point, I also want to hang up a shelf below the mirror.