We hated almost all the nursery furniture we saw. Why isn't there a cool industrial-style, crib or changing table or dresser, we thought? Even the bassinet-on-wheels they showed us on the hospital tour would be cooler than the tole-painted schlock.
Then one day at work, my wife realized the steel lab carts they used to move satellite equipment around (she works at NASA) might make a great changing table. Things we took into consideration, besides coolness: decent work height (between 32"-35"), child safety (watch for sharp edges and corners, exposed bolts), and compatibility with some kind of standard changing pad (including enough of a lip around the top shelf to hold the pad in place).
A mobile steel (changing) table from Motion Savers
Motion Savers sells several types of heavy-duty, welded tables and steel carts, including a 35" high deck cart, the tallest I found. They cost from between $172 and $300, plus shipping. Many of these could work, but they're bigger than we wanted.
Then we found a 16x30" steel service cart at Harbor Freight, 33" high, two shelves below, and painted bright red. (It's also available with a drawer.) We bought two. Cost: $49.99, plus $5 shipping (that's not a typo).
We added (swallow-proof) safety caps on the inward-facing bolt ends, but we left the heads exposed for now. The smaller, 2-sided Mini Contoured Changing Pad from Colgate [16" x 30", two inches shorter than most of the standard issue pads] fits right inside the top tray. One industrial-strength tip: plan a few well-ventilated days for the wheel bearings' petroleum smell to dissipate.
I really liked your idea. I am very curious to know what kind of baby crip you bought which I guess as stylish as this industrial changing tables.
Love this idea! Can you say more about the swallow-proof safety caps? Where do I find those?
These "swallow-proof" nuts are actually called acorn nuts or cap nuts. They look and work great, but strangely, they only come in small bags; I bought every 4-pack in two Home Depots to put our two carts together.
Ultimately, while we feel safer, the kid has never ventured anywhere near these things.
I'm trying to track down the changing pad for the industrial cart from Harbor Freight. Can you specify the Colgate Pad you purchased? I'm finding a High Rise, which is too large, a 2 Sided Contour Changing Pad and a 3 Sided Mini Contour Changing Pad.
Most of the sites that sell these, along with the Colgate site don't include dimensions. Unless they're buried somewhere.
it's the 2-sided mini contoured pad. I think "3-sided" is a typo on the retailer's site. But the key is the "mini".
We decided upon a restaurant-type utility cart from Sam's Club. A standard changing pad fits perfectly into the top and it has two more shelves for wipes, diapers, etc. Target seems to be carrying an almost identical one for $71.99. Just search the Target site for "All Purpose Utility Cart" and you should find it. We opted not to install the handle because it would just get in the way, but we can always put it on later.