Build Children's Furniture Yourself: DIY Kids' Washstand

If you want to save money and do something good for the environment, you can build your own children's furniture with a bit of craftsmanship. But why are self-made children's furniture pieces more sustainable? And is it really cheaper? We clarify these questions in the following blog article. We also have an original construction guide for a small children's washstand ready for you. With a bit of craftsmanship, you can easily recreate it.

In most cases, expectant or new parents look forward to furnishing the children's room. From the cradle to the changing table, everything is newly purchased, and because this can be quite expensive, furniture is often bought from discount stores. When the child gets older, parents have to replace the entire setup. Let's be honest: mass-produced furniture often has a short lifespan because it is heavily used in the children's room. With self-made and sustainable children's furniture, it's a different story. We reveal what you should pay attention to when buying.

Sustainable children's furniture – what you should look out for

Sustainable materials are especially popular in children's rooms. This is mainly because mass-produced furniture often contains harmful substances. This means they create a poor indoor climate in the children's room. We therefore recommend avoiding chipboard, PVC plastic furniture, or other chemically treated materials. Instead, you should opt for solid wood such as pine or beech. When buying sustainable children's furniture, you can also look for the FSC label or the quality seal PEFC.

Build children's furniture yourself – the best construction guides

Even if you want to build children's furniture yourself, you should prefer solid wood. This way, you can decorate the children's room with your handcrafted furniture with a clear conscience. From the changing table to the baby crib, the internet offers numerous construction guides.

Do you want to build children's furniture yourself and are looking for a particularly original idea? We have collected the top 5 ideas from the internet for you. By clicking on the link, you will be taken to the respective construction guide:

1. Build a house bed for children yourself
2. Rainbow rocker for the children's room
3. DIY wardrobe for children
4. Build a book house for the children's room yourself
5. Fold-up changing table

Construction guide for a children's washstand

We have also prepared a guide for you to build children's furniture yourself, namely a children's washstand. Here, the little ones can try out their own care routine. From brushing teeth to washing hands – it’s especially fun at their own children's washstand. On top of that, the piece of furniture can look very pretty in the bathroom. What you need to recreate it:

• Children's chair made of solid wood
• Small metal washbasin
• Drill with hole saw
• Jigsaw
• Sandpaper

Build a children's washstand yourself – here’s how:

Step 1: Drill the opening for the washstand

First, you need to measure the diameter of your washbasin. Once you have the measurements, use the drill and jigsaw. With these, you cut an appropriate opening in the seat of the chair. First, use the hole saw to cut a circular hole. Then, use the jigsaw to adjust the opening to the size of the washbasin.

Step 2: Sand everything smooth

If you want to build children's furniture yourself, you should especially think about child safety. Therefore, in the next step, thoroughly sand all edges with sandpaper. Once everything is nice and smooth, you can insert the washbasin into the opening.

Step 3: Decoration

Overall, your washstand is now almost finished. Now you can, for example, give your piece of furniture a new coat of paint. Make sure the paints used are child-safe. For the final touch, you can decorate the children's washstand with some pretty accessories. We recommend placing a small soap, towel, and toothbrush. Depending on your preference, you can also attach a small decorative mirror above the chair. Voila: the pretty unique piece is ready. By the way, the washstand can also be easily repurposed as a toy.

Can’t quite imagine the steps? Here we have linked a YouTube video that clearly explains all the steps. This children's washstand is entirely handmade from wood:

Are you interested in sustainability? Then also check out our recent blog posts. Here we reveal how you can easily make ecological baby care products yourself. We also have some helpful tips regarding ecological children's clothing for you.

Image rights: © iStock / Katarzyna Bialasiewicz