Changing table or chest of drawers, which is better and how to choose

A changing table is necessary for infants and toddlers. With the help of a changing table, you can swaddle your baby, change clothes, change a diaper, do massage and gymnastics. A baby changing table must have a hard, reliable surface.

The photograph clearly shows the table top of the changing table; it can be made of wood or plastic, with protective guards: flat sides and rounded bolsters.

Many new parents make their own changing tables. This has its advantages, the table will turn out to be what parents need, corresponding to their tastes and preferences, and it will also be unique.

Types and features of a changing table

Folding table. Looks like an ironing board. It consists of a metal frame with folding legs that can be fixed at the desired height. On top there is a plastic surface with sides for changing. On the sides there are sections for children's accessories, at the bottom there are shelves for children's clothing, for example, diapers, bodysuits, rompers, socks. This table can also have a bath located under the changing surface.

This type is very convenient due to its compactness, it folds easily, can be carried, and even taken with you on a trip. Perfect for a small apartment.

Wall table. The table is attached to the wall. For use, it reclines, when the table is not needed, it closes, pressing against the wall. Inside there are shelves for necessary children's things.

Changing board. The board has edges along the edges. Attaches to a baby cot. This board is durable and solid. There are pockets on the sides for children's cosmetics.

Changing mat, mattress. It consists of oilcloth material and filler, and has low sides. You can place it wherever you want: in the crib, on the washing machine, on the chest of drawers.

Whatnot. This changing table comes in wood, metal or plastic. It has wheels, shelves, drawers, and a bathtub. Pros: compact and very roomy.

Chest of drawers with changing table. Looking at the photo of a children's chest of drawers, you can see drawers and a changing table, usually a folding one, on which you can put a mattress. This option is practical, roomy and popular, but cumbersome. It is the Stuva chest of drawers from Ikea that has a transformation, that is, in the future, the changing chest of drawers can be used as a regular wardrobe or desk.

Changing table with bath. Very easy to use, everything is at hand. It’s comfortable for both the baby, who will be bathed and swaddled here, and for the mother, she won’t strain her back.

Baby cot with changing pad. Built into a convertible crib, which also has a chest of drawers.

Secrets of the master

I wish all visitors of my small resource “Secrets of the Master” good health! I present to your attention a product that, in my opinion, deserves special attention among married couples. Couples who are absolutely not indifferent to the process of giving birth to a child and then caring for him. Therefore, the main thing for them remains comfort, i.e. convenience and functionality of the process itself. Now a whole industry is working in this direction and it should be noted that it works very well, offering parents all kinds of products. So I decided to also take part in this necessary work. But, since we are limited in funds and capabilities compared to the industry, we will do it our own way. Let's make an ordinary chest of drawers for changing, which differs from the classic chest of drawers in the presence of a special attachment - an additional table top, which, when unfolded, provides a comfortable bed for your baby. This is also a place where you can give him a massage or other treatments. The advantage of a DIY changing chest is that the height and width are completely subject to your wishes. Of course, I am not advocating for self-production. You can order it at any furniture workshop or buy it ready-made in a specialized store. It is your right. Simply, I personally have a life credo : “If you want to do it well, do it yourself!” In everything possible. I wish the same for you. Let's start manufacturing. Tool for the job.

• Drill with a set of drills + universal drill for confirmation.
• Belt sander.
• Jigsaw with file for clean cuts.
• Angle clamp for assembly.
• Cutters ø35 mm for inserting hinges into the door and ø15 mm for installing minifixes to connect the tabletop to the body of the chest of drawers.

Materials for changing chest. Parts for the main body made of laminated chipboard (16 mm thickness): ✓875×410 mm – 3 pcs. These are the left and right lateral, as well as the middle vertical partition. ✓905×410 mm – 1 pc. This is the base (bottom) of the chest of drawers. ✓908×455 mm – 1 pc. This is the main tabletop. ✓867×320 mm – 1 pc. This is an additional (folding) tabletop. ✓365×365 mm – 2 pcs. These are parts for installing an additional table top. ✓425×100 mm – 2 pcs. and 908×100 mm – 1 pc. These are the sides for the main table top. ✓427×400 mm – 2 pcs. These are shelves. ✓900×905 mm – 1 pc. This is a laminated fiberboard back wall. You can use regular one. Parts for drawers (4 pcs.) made of laminated chipboard (16 mm): ✓400×150 mm – 8 pcs. ✓365×150 mm – 8 pcs. ✓395×395 mm – 4 pcs. This is the bottom for laminated fiberboard boxes. And also: ✓880×450 – 1 pc. This is a front door. ✓218×450 – 4 pcs. These are fronts for drawers. Components and fittings: ✓Screw 30 mm long with countersunk (mortise) nut thread M 6 – 2 pcs. For connecting the folding attachment to the table top.

You can use regular through ties. ✓Drawer mechanisms for drawers 400 mm long – 4 sets. You can use others - telescopic.

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✓Confirmations – 50 pcs.
for assembling the entire structure and boxes. ✓Edging – 40 meters of blue and 70 cm of different flowers for the fronts of the drawers. These sizes are for this changing chest and they are with a margin. ✓Adjustable support legs, height not lower than 50 mm – 4 pcs. Please note that adjustable legs are a must because the chest of drawers must be resistant to tipping over . ✓External hinges (canopies) – 2 pcs. ✓Handles for doors and drawers – 5 pcs. It is better to purchase in the form of animals and fish or fairy-tale characters, because... The changing chest is still a child's one.

✓Eccentric ties (minifix) – 4 pcs. for connecting the table top to the body. You can use plastic or metal furniture corners. ✓Screws 3.5×16 mm for fastening hinges (canopies) and retractable mechanisms, as well as for legs – 80 pcs. Assembling a chest of drawers for changing .

1. We make markings.
2. We assemble small structures from the beginning (folding additional table top and drawers).

   
   All roundings are made using a jigsaw and grinder.

   

3. We mark and attach the second halves of the retractable mechanisms. Please note that the markings for fastening mechanisms must be the same on the right side and on the partition.
4. We mark and attach the shelf supports. I made the height distance between the shelves uniform.
   In the left and right side at the top I made holes 13.5 mm deep for the minifix eccentric to connect the main table top to the body.

   
   Distances from the vertical plane are 50 mm, and from the horizontal plane – 34 mm. In the tabletop itself I attached counter rods for the minifix. More detailed information on installing this type of fastener can be found here and here.

5. We fasten the bottom (base) with the side parts and the jumper using confirmations.
6. We attach the tabletop.
7. We nail the back wall made of HDF (900×905 mm) to stiffen the entire chest of drawers.
8. Screw on the support legs.
9. We insert the boxes.
10. We attach the facades to them. The recommended distance between facades is at least 2-3 mm.
11. We put up shelves.
12. We install the door.

After the chest of drawers is ready, we attach the folding tabletop to it using a screw with a countersunk (mortise) nut.

Please note that the gaps are adjusted using intermediate washers. The top of the chest of drawers must have restrictive sides to prevent the baby or things from sliding off.

The final touch is installing the handles. Advice . It is advisable that the fastening screw pass through the front and wall of the box for reliability. In this case, the length of the screw should be 35 mm.

I got a chest of drawers for changing with the following overall dimensions: 950 mm – height, 908 mm – width, 450 mm – depth. In this product, the main dimension is height . In most cases, for people of average height, the height should be at least 850 mm. In general, you need to decide at what height it will be convenient for the person who will do this most often to swaddle the baby. Please note that based on these parameters you need to set the height of the chest of drawers. During swaddling, a person's back should be freely straightened, and his arms bent at right angles should be comfortably placed on the tabletop. If you follow these rules, you will not be overworked and your back will not hurt. Take care of your health. And one more thing I would like to add to the advantages of this product. Later, when you no longer need to swaddle the baby, the upper part can be easily disassembled and used like a regular chest of drawers. Where there will be enough space to store children's clothes and necessary accessories. You don’t need to go anywhere, leaving your child alone; everything you need is always at your fingertips. That's all.

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Features of the material in the manufacture of changing tables

The basic rule is durable, reliable and safe furniture. The best material is wood. Metal and plastic are also used, but here you need to carefully choose the manufacturer. Only natural dyes should be used in production.

Which is better?

You can determine which changing chest is better by reading reviews of various models:

• Women who purchased a changing chest are unanimous in their opinion that this piece of furniture is irreplaceable; they share their experience of use and note the pros and cons that emerged during use. Quite a lot of reviews have been written about chests of drawers from the Gandylyan brand.
• Buyers recommend a model such as Silvia Lux , noting that it has a convenient height (almost a meter), a comfortable changing pad, spacious drawers, without being bulky. Another plus is the material (solid beech) and the fact that the chest of drawers has legs in front and wheels in the back, making it easy to move while cleaning. It is noted that after the changing board has already been dismantled, the holes from it can be closed with the supplied plugs.
• Feretti brand models , made of beech and MDF and equipped with an anatomical bathtub, are rated very highly. They note the presence of closers, the opening of drawers by simply pressing the facade, the presence of wheels and the refined European design with a fairly moderate price tag.

• There are good reviews about the "Mozhga" ("Red Star") , made of solid birch. Buyers are satisfied with the size (chests from this manufacturer are 106 cm high) and the depth of the drawers. They also note the quality of the material and the very moderate cost of these chests of drawers for an array.
• Papaloni changing chests made of a complex of materials (chipboard, MDF and beech wood), have very conflicting reviews. There are complaints about the difficulty of self-assembly due to the discrepancy between the holes prepared in production, which leads to the drawers not fitting neatly, gaps appearing, and opening is difficult. Buyers are satisfied with the appearance of the chests of drawers, but they recommend inviting a specialist for assembly.

• Lel changing chest made of MDF and beech, has complaints about poorly made racks, from which the drawer fastenings begin to fall out (photos are included in the review, so there is no need to talk about anti-advertising). Buyers are also dissatisfied with the protruding bottoms of the drawers, which prevents them from being pulled out. There are complaints about the lack of replacement of low-quality goods, which was required due to paint defects discovered during unpacking. The percentage of such reviews is small, otherwise buyers are satisfied with chests of drawers of this brand, noting the large changing surface and the shelf lock that allows the drawers to not fall out when fully opened.
• Fairy chests of drawers , made from chipboard, have very average reviews. They are noted for their good balance of price and quality. They say that the folding surface is convenient for changing, the drawers are spacious, and the design is interesting. Some of the shortcomings include rotating handles, sagging drawers, sharp corners of the sides of the changing board, unprotected by the edge, which should be covered with a blanket to avoid injury to the child.

There are also complaints about the instability of the structure with an open changing table. This refers to models with a width of 60 cm.

Photos of baby changing chests

When buying furniture for a child, you need to pay attention to what it is made of. Traditionally , changing chests are made from wood. The wood has good wear resistance, does not harm the baby’s health and fits perfectly into the interior. The most preferred species are walnut, beech, and alder. The board is usually coated with clear varnish or special paints.

The changing table, in turn, can be made of either wood or plastic. We recommend giving preference to traditional materials, because... they are more environmentally friendly. And furniture made from homogeneous raw materials looks more attractive, which is clearly demonstrated by numerous photographs.

Mattresses for children are made from standard materials. The filler is padding polyester, folded in several layers and stitched along certain lines, and oilcloth. A mattress cover is sewn from it to prevent moisture from entering the inner layers of the product. For greater comfort, you can lay a cotton diaper on top of the soft bedding. The mattress parameters indicated above are standard. It completely covers the changing board on the chest of drawers , preventing the wooden base from deteriorating.

To buy a changing chest of drawers , you can look through message boards for the sale of used furniture. The diaper wears out extremely slowly, so when buying a used product you don’t have to worry about its quality. The only thing we would recommend purchasing in a store is a mattress.