I’ve added a few things to the nursery since the Final Reveal, so at this point it is virtually complete ( unless I decide to add pom-poms). Alexis is still sleeping in our bedroom and I see that continuing for a while, so the nursery is currently just a very pretty room to walk into.
The hardest thing to find to my surprise were the bookshelves. I wanted front facing bookshelves, because they enable kids to pick out their own books easier as well as be more drawn to books than if they were displayed in a traditional bookshelf. After searching high and low, I decided that the only way to get what I want is to make it. I pinned a tutorial on how to make front-facing bookshelf out of GUTTERS, but ended up scratching that idea, since hubby doesn’t like (or have time) to “make” things.
Recently, I accidentally bumped into the new Boon bookshelves (they’re currently on sale btw) and I was instantly IN LOVE! I really really liked the green one, because it looks like grass, but green just didn’t work with the colors of our nursery. So here’s what we have now:
If you’d like to see what the nursery looks like and you missed the last post, check out Nursery Final Reveal
Nursery progress: Nursery Part I and  Part II
The bookshelves look great! With them being metal though, are they sharp? I love front facing book shelves as it’s so much easier to pick out the book you want.
No, all the corners are rounded.
We bought these but the instructions indicate they must be mounted at least 3 feet above the ground for safety. Even rounded steel corners are going to do some major damage to little ones when they stumble into them. My husband thought they’d be fine mounted closer to the floor…less than 48 hours later we were in the ER and our 2 year old was getting stitches right below her eye. Worst experience ever. We ripped them down that night and remounted them 4 feet up. No problems since them, although the younger kids do need help getting books down, and the older ones are happy to comply.
OH! Thank you so much! That’s really good to know. Once she starts crawling we’ll have to rehang them!
Yeah I was thinking seeing the pictures that even though they’re rounded I could totally see my wobbly toddler falling face first into one and jabbing himself. He caught himself under the chin the other day with a sippy cup and it really hurt. Can’t imagine if he crashed into one of the blades on these. They sure are cute, though! But yes, mount higher up, for sure.
I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer but they look awfully dangerous. My 10 month old will grab and pull herself up on anything. I can totally see an impailed chin or pinched fingers. We put her favorite books in a basket on her floor and she grabs books out of that to have me read to her. I feel that if you read to a child daily that is the best possible way to get them interested in books. If the shelves are 3 feet from the ground, they are no longer eye level to a toddler anyway.
Love the shelves!
I actually never even thought about the front facing ones, like ever :))))
Is there a study that says the front facing bookshelves are better for the kids to get their own books? Only asking because we actually just have all of our books for my son in some fabric bins, with the spines up, and he has no problem picking out the book he wants. I was just curious if there is actual research about this.
You know I don’t honestly know if there was a study or it is just a common sense suggestion. I read about it quite a long time ago. The reasoning behind it was that it “encourages” kids to read more because the fronts of the books catch their attention which I totally see that happening. A kid that is interested in reading should have to problem pulling a book out of a bin or traditional shelf.
I also have a question about these mystical “front facing bookshelves”. Doesn’t it, at least on some level, defeat the purpose of letting the kid choose their own books, when they can’t reach it? Or, like another reader pointed out, even SEE it? Hmm. Failing to see the “common sense” in this suggestion.
Also, there ARE bookcases out there that face the books forward without looking like a device of torture. And look – the kid can reach the books! 🙂 http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=538393&cmSource=Search
Yes it does defeat the purpose in this case because they have to be mounted so high.
So what we’ll do in this case is pick our baby up to help her choose.
That is going to get very old very fast when you have a toddler screaming to do it “all by myself!” Plus it looks like Alexis is going to be very heavy for her age, so it won’t be long before you tire of lifting a 25 pound cranky toddler up to see her books over and over all day! Trust me. It’s WAY worth it to have bookshelves that are safe and accessible for kids to do themselves, such as the sling canvas shelves. Those shelves you have look very non-practical for real life use, as pretty as they may be. I would put them in my elementary aged child’s room, but never for a baby or toddler.
She’s already 21 pounds ( which is perfectly proportionate for her height which is in 97th %, not “heavy” as you say. Just like my actual poundage is bigger than one of a 5’1 girl, because I am 5’11), and I carry her all day long. So i don’t see 4 extra pounds making a difference when I have to “Boo, lift her up a couple times a day”.
The do it all by myself stage, though, is a different story. I can see where that might be a problem. But since she can’t reach the shelves by “herself”, she’ll have no choice but to get picked up. Besides, considering her and my love for books, there will be millions of books scattered all over the house at all times, so the bookshelf will only get approached when something new needs to be “retrieved”.
Very cute nursery! Do you happen to know where your neighbors purchased the blue/pink picture frame from? I love it!
Thanks!
LOL! I wasn’t saying she was a fatty or anything, chill out girl. This has nothing to do with weight and height proportions. I’m saying toddlers get to be heavy very fast, and lifting them up to access all of their stuff gets tiresome…both physically and mentally. It’s easy now, but in a few months, you’ll have a talking, squirming, tantruming toddler who is not going to be happy having her books higher than she can reach them! I mean, the whole point of having front-facing bookshelves is for easy access to books. If she needs a lift every time, that kind of defeats the purpose.
And no offense, but you should think about keeping an open mind when your followers who are experienced parents try to help you, or suggest more practical things we’ve found through the course of raising our kids. 🙂 It’s okay to not have all of the answers yet…you’re a first-timer! There’s no need to be so defensive all the time when people are just trying to help you.
Help is one thing, nitpicking is another. The two are phrased differently. I’ve never refused help but I abhor negativity for the sake of negativity.