Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Crib bumper to teething rail in 5 minutes or less!

Today I am crafting for Christian.  He is the first of my four children who has decided to rub his teeth on his crib railing. I guess this make me lucky?  His poor little face is getting splinters, and even worse, he is eating the chemical laden wood finish; that cannot be healthy.  I originally thought to look for one of those clear, plastic teething bars to snap on the top rail.  Our problem is that our crib has a wider railing than most cribs, so the few things that I can find, are not going to work.  I don’t really want him chewing on mystery plastic anyway.  While I tried to sleep last night, I thought to myself, I will just repurpose his bumper pad!

See the red marks from splinters.  Ouch!
If you were unaware, bumper pads have been linked to SIDS.  Take a look at My Precious Kid Child Safety Blog for details on safe sleeping; it is loaded with great information.
You can link to her store toward the bottom of that information.  Here is the link to the breathable bumpers if you want to get straight to the breathable bumper.  They are dedicated to child safety and amazing customer service. (Anyone else fed up with big box stores?) 
Okay, back to changing your crib bumper to something useful.  It is almost nap time, so I came up with this quick fix.  I do plan on making some adjustments later in the day, I just had to put an end to the eating wood finish this very nap.  I simply took the bumper pad and tied it to the top rail of the crib, starting on the left back corner. 
Bumper pads have two rows of ties; one along the top length, and one along the bottom length.  I placed the bumper pad over the top rail, pulling the narrow edge around it. 
At each pre-attached tie, I knotted what used to be the top two with the bottom two. I used simple knot, like tying your shoes, because I plan on taking this off later to make some adjustments. 
Continue this all around the crib.  If your crib is not standard (taller in the back), the new teething pad will not make it all the way around.  I squeezed the excess behind the crib for now, but I have ideas coming soon.

Here is what is coming up when baby is awake, and I have a few minutes free (this means when daddy is home):
I am going to cut the extra off, and add some new ties so it fits even more tightly against the railing.  ~SAFETY FIRST~ If you are going to attempt this before my new post with directions, please keep in mind that your baby will likely be pulling at this, and chewing on it.  Only use child safe fabric, and sew securely.  It is far better to have an ugly seam than to have your baby choke; that extra back stitch or two will not hurt anyone.

Part Two Is Finally Here!  Just follow the link for the details!

6 comments:

  1. What a great idea!
    Thanks so much for linking up at http://raisingmy5sons.com blog bounce. I am following you! :)

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  2. What an awesome idea! We're not there yet, as our DD is only 3 1/2 months, but I'm actually looking right at our crib bumpers. We were gifted them as a bedding set and had them on her crib because they look cute and she was still sleeping in a bassinet in our room until two days ago. I've been wondering what to do with them for the last two days and I think we may do this. Even though she isn't teething or standing up yet, this is a way that we can still keep the cute design on her crib and if she does decide to teeth on her bed we'll avoid nibbles on the rail. Can't wait to see the update later :)

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  3. Great idea! I'm your newest follower!

    www.thefloweringdogwood.com

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  4. I am glad you all like this. I am going to work on the customizing when I am not is so much pain. I am still recovering from multiple car accident injuries, so I craft when it is tolerable. Bear with me; I just had to share this quick fix because I was so excited and it works for Christian.

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  5. I am your newest follower from the "Raising my 5 Sons" Blog Bounce. That is a great idea.
    I would love for you to follow me back at http://andersonsangels.blogspot.com
    Also make sure to check out the current giveaways that are posted.

    ~Thanks,
    Trista

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  6. Awesome idea! I got some BEAUTIFUL crib bumpers that match a crib skirt and an adorable monogrammed blanket that I also love as a baby shower gift...and I feel bad that I don't know what to do with them!

    This'll be perfect if my almost-1-year-old ever manages to pop out a tooth and start doing actual damage to his crib. lol

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