- Baby hysterically screaming at the top of her lungs until she starts coughing.
- Parents' fan turned up loud to drown out said screaming.
- The Big Bang Theory Season 4 reruns playing in a desperate attempt to distract said parents.
Ugggghhh.
Don't assume we're horrible, negligent parents, please. Our daughter has been sleeping peacefully through the night for some time, and only recently decided to scream about it due to even more teeth (HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE SHE ALREADY HAS SO MANY?!) Besides loudly vocalizing how much she hates sleep, these new teeth have also given her the equally great idea of chewing on all parts of her crib. Bah, why did I not see that coming BEFORE it happened? #momfail
So, last week, I brainstormed a solution. Thank you, Pinterest, for inspiration and multiple detailed tutorials. I especially found these two helpful as I tried to create my own:
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| Tutorial found here: http://craftgawker.com/post/2011/11/14/26292/ |
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| Tutorial found here: http://augustjoystudios.com/crib-teething-rail-guard-tutorial/ |
First, I cut both fabrics (one flannel, one terrycloth) to match the dimensions of the crib front and sides, leaving a small extra margin for seams. I also cut and measured strips from a fat quarter (100% cotton) that were 1.75" wide and 10" long. For the front of the crib, I chose how far apart I wanted the ties to be and decided on 5 places (10 ties). For both sides I decided 3 places would be sufficient (6 ties).
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| After the strips are cut for your ties, fold them with your fingers to form a crease (right sides together). |
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| Then. press the ties to secure the crease. |
A thin paint brush made turning the ties right-side-out MUCH faster!
Be sure to press the ties again once they are finished to get a nice, clean look!
To put everything together, I pinned the right sides of the fabrics together, inserting the ties at the intervals I had measured. It was a little tricky for my brain to figure out how to pin the ties so that they would be in the right spot when I flipped the fabric right-side-out. I think the best way I found was to roll the ties up a little bit and stuff them into the center of the fabric, with only allowing the unfinished tips of the ties to peak out.
Next, carefully stitch all the way around the fabric, careful to include the ties, stopping short to leave enough room to turn the fabric right-side-out.
Once again, turn the completed crib-pad right-side-out. Trust me, this will be WAYYY easier than the tiny paint brush and the cotton ties earlier :)
For the finishing touch, I pressed the end product again and stitched around the outside closing up the spot where I turned it. Good to note that, especially in the corners, I had to decrease the tension in my machine as it was a very thick piece of fabric to get through.
When I tied it on the crib I used the first and last ties to anchor the fabric to the sides of the crib and then the remaining 3 ties just normally. It is also worth noting that, since I know my sneaky, curious little daughter, I decided to tie them below and above the crib rail, so there weren't huge strings hanging down for her to play with. Also, double knots are my friends.
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| Anchored to the sides of the crib. |
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| Ties tied first on bottom (double knot) then again on top (double knot). |
Since it has been completed, I have continued to notice my daughter chewing, slobbering and playing with her crib...but at least this time she isn't creating divots in the wood! If I could do it all over again, I would add additional batting or a thicker towel on the back, just to be safe.
Ta-dahh! Take that, teething.
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| This is how I'm greeted every time I get her out of her crib. |
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| *Baby Girl approved!* |
Also...a hush just fell over the living room. #success
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