How to make a bed frame for a baby or a kid

It was getting complicated to put our 1 year old girl in her crib, she was crying a lot. So we read about montessori and various other alternatives and i decided to build her a simple low bed frame.

I started with an existing mattress and slatted base. They are 120cm x 60cm. I build the bed around them.

Get some wooden board, about 10' wide, depending on the thickness of your mattress, and some 1x1.

Mark and cut the 1x1 at the lenght of the sides.

Screw them from the outside, make sure the screws are flush.

Draw the cut on the side to help the baby get out of the bed.

Drill holes at the angles to make the transition smooth. I used a 40mm hole saw.

Finish cutting the side with a jigsaw.

Sand down the edge, make it smooth.

Then screw all 4 sides together.

Test fit the slatted base.

I added small pièces of 1x1 in the corners to help keep the bed rigid and square.

Start padding the frame, fixing the padding with a stapler.

Finished padding.

Cover the padding with fabric. We used leftovers from the curtains.

Fabric stapled tight on the padding.

Finished bed.

She loved it right away. She did fell from it a few times but we had cushions on the floor. Now, at night, we sit her on the bed. She lies down by herself and she stays in the bed. No more crying.