When hanging art over a crib, safety is of the utmost importance. You’ll want to ensure that the piece is out of reach of your child, hung securely to the wall, and that if–despite your best efforts–it does fall, that it won’t break, shatter or otherwise bring harm to your baby.
We often get called in by parents who are decorating their nurseries and want to make sure that the art they choose creates a soothing haven for their baby, both in a safety sense and an aesthetic one. Here are a few of the top tips on hanging art over a crib, gained from years of experience.
1. Hang it out of reach. Your child may be an infant now, but soon, she’ll be standing–and curious. Make sure the art is hung well out of reach of little hands. It’s better to be safe than sorry in this case, so go a little higher than you think you need to.
2. Use the right hardware. If the picture is hung with the right hardware, it should stay put. Use safety hardware, like a secure “T” screw on the back bottom and two brackets behind the frame at the top.
3. Don’t use glass. Instead of framing art with a sheet of glass over it, opt for a frame with a plexiglass insert. Just in case the art is ever knocked off of the wall, the plexiglass will not shatter like a regular glass frame could. It’s also not as heavy. Another option? Don’t use a frame at all. Hang a decal or poster, or foam core art above the crib instead.
4. Pull the crib out from the wall just a bit. That way, if the frame were to fall, it would go behind the crib, and not into it.
5. Choose the right art. If you’re going to go through the process of hanging art over a crib in the first place, make sure it’s something that your baby can actually appreciate. (No, we’re not saying to try and decipher your six month old’s preference for contemporary versus baroque art!). But, since their eyesight is still developing, they’ll find art that is bold and graphic the most captivating.
6. Call in the pros. Your best bet for hanging art safely above a crib is to call a professional picture hanger (we know a good one if you need a recommendation! 🙂 ).
Want to discuss plans for your nursery? Give us a call.