One of the most fun and simple DIY pieces you can make for your baby is a braided crib bumper. These are not as difficult to make as they look, and once it is complete you have an aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture to add to your nursery.

These make the edges of the crib safer for your baby while also looking amazing. And, while you can buy one of these pieces, it is so much more efficient and effective to make one yourself.

This way you get to tailor the size perfectly to fit the baby’s crib, and you can get the colors perfect to match your taste and the color story of the nursery. So, if you want to try making one of these adorable crib bumpers yourself, keep reading!

How To Make A Braided Crib Bumper

This guide will go through every step of making the crib bumper in detail so you know exactly what you need to do to get the best result to cover your cribs slats.

While this process is not too difficult, we still recommend closely reading through the guide before you start sewing so you make sure you know exactly what you are doing and how to progress.

Also remember that you will get better results if you use better materials, so make sure to get fabric and filling you are happy with!

Supplies Needed

For this project you will need 3 pieces of fabric to make the 3 braids, we recommend using a stretchy fabric which will be comfy for your baby like a stretch cotton fabric.

Each of these pieces should be 35 x 150 cm. While you do not have to get these fabrics in different colors, this will make the final product more interesting for your baby, and will also make the braiding at the end easier.

You will also need pillow stuffing, usually around 2 kg to fill all the tubes for braiding. We found that to get enough for this project you can use the IKEA SLÅN Pillows and get about 6 of these for the project.

This guide is also written with using a sewing machine in mind, and while this is not a requirement and it can be done by hand, you will have a much easier time with a machine.

You will also need standard pieces like a thread and needle, safety pins and standard pins, as well as a ruler and scissors. You will also want an empty paper towel roll or some cardboard to aid with the stuffing later on.

Step 1 – Cutting Your Pieces

The first step to take after you have gathered all of your materials is to fold your pieces of fabric in half. Do this from the 150 cm width. Then you want to measure 17 cm from the edge and cut out a length of the fabric.

Do this twice for each piece of fabric. Once you are done you will have two pieces of each color of fabric which measure at 17 cm x 150 cm.

Step 2 – Sewing The Tube

Once you have cut all of your fabric, you want to get two pieces of matching fabric and then fix them together inside out with pins. Once you are happy that the pieces are lined up neatly you want to sew them together giving you one long piece of 15 cm x 300 cm.

Then do this with each pair of fabric pieces. You want to form the fabric into a sleeve by folding it in half along its length then you want to pin it.

You want to make sure you are being liberal with your use of the pins as the best fabrics for this project are quite prone to slipping. For example, if you are using velvet, you will need to ensure that the nap will be all going the same way.

Step 3 – Turn The Tube

Once you are happy with the tube that you have sewed, you will want to turn it so you have the tube the right side out. The easiest way to do this is by having a safety pin at the end that is easy to pull.

You want the head of your safety pin to be turned inside of the fabric to make it easy to get to. Then when you have pulled this pin in, then you will be able to pull up the fabric. Do this until you have gotten the tube the right side out.

Step 4 – Stuffing

While you can stuff manually, we have found that the easiest way to do this is to use a paper tube. So, to do this you want to insert the empty towel roll inside of your tube and then you will roll half of your fabric around it.

Then you want to place a small amount of your pillow stuffing into the tube and then push it down using a longer hard object like the ruler, then repeat this until you have stuffed up the whole fabric tube.

Then you want to make sure that the tube is stuffed evenly and leave a few centimeters empty at the end of the tube. Then you close the end using a safety pin so no stuffing escapes.

Step 5 – Braiding

Now, once you have your 3 tubes filled, you want to connect the end of 2 of them using a ladder/slip stitch. This is where you need to start braiding.

The best way to do this is by doing a standard braid alternating bringing the strand from one side into the middle and going side to side.

If you want this to look its best make sure the fabric seam is facing away. Once this is done, secure and hide the ends by hand stitching. Remember that the tighter you braid it, the smaller it will be!

FAQ

Summary

Hopefully this guide has made it clear how you can make your own adorable braided crib bumper, if you are looking for baby safe paint for cribs, take a look at our guide.

Looking for other DYI kid Crafts, check out our How To Make A Nap Mat Easy (DIY Tips)!

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