As a parent, one of the top considerations you address when buying things for your child is safety. When furnishing your child's bedroom, you'll likely be looking for a dresser that you can secure to the wall and bed rails that stop a middle-of-the-night topple out of bed. A safety analysis may leave you questioning if floating shelvesare safe for use in your child's bedroom. The answer is yes!
How to Safely Use Floating Shelves in Your Child's Bedroom
- Carefully read the manufacturer's instructions before installing the floating shelves. Make sure you have the proper tools and verify that the screws and drywall anchors included are heavy-duty enough for the job. It may even be beneficial to purchase your own heavy-duty hardware.
- Use the studs in your wall for maximum holding strength. When hanging narrower shelves, it might be possible to use only one stud. In this case, drywall anchors are acceptable. Utilize as many wall studs as possible when you hang longer shelves.
- Know the weight limit of the shelf. Distribute the weight of the items you place on it as evenly as space allows and avoid concentrating the weight either in the middle or to one side. A floating shelf's strongest, sturdiest part is where it meets the wall, so it's best to place heavier items near the back.
- Consider your child's age and activity level when deciding where to hang the floating shelves. Toddlers and young children tend to climb on everything, especially if unsupervised. Knowing this, it’s best to hang your shelves high enough so they're out of reach until your child understands that they're not part of an obstacle course.
- Don't allow objects to hang over the sides or front of the shelves, especially if they’re large or heavy. This may cause the item to fall off and land on your child.
Ideas to Use Floating Shelves in Your Child's Bedroom
Now that we've covered how to safely use floating shelves in your child's bedroom, let's look at a few ways you can use them.
- Floating shelves are a great way to store books. Use a 10-inch or deeper shelf to hold your books facing spine-out. If you'd like your child to be able to see the covers of their favorite books, use a shallow shelf as a book display.
- Display your favorite mementos of your child with items like their baby shadow box, first-year pictures, and other items that are special to you.
- Floating shelves can be fun to hold your child's favorite stuffed animals.
- Storage space is often limited on the changing table. Adding a floating shelf or two on the wall above the table is an easy way to add extra storage by using the vertical space in your room. Plus, as your child grows, they can add their own items to the shelves as they please.
- Hang several floating shelves vertically on one wall to create a bookcase effect. Use it as an accent wall to place all the above-mentioned items as a focal point for the room.
Floating Shelves are an excellent addition to your child's bedroom when installed and used correctly. There are many stains, colors, lengths, and depths available to guarantee you'll be able to find the perfect shelf for your room.
Interested in adding shelves to your child’s bedroom? Order online or contact us today! Still have questions? We love troubleshooting, answering questions, and offering tips and tricks, so email us at customerservice@jthomashome.com.
Locals interested in purchasing a collection of handcrafted shelves for a renovation can schedule an appointment with us to get started.