| Awaiting the arrival of a baby can involve a variety | | | | safety came first, cost should not matter and I |
| of activities. Among those are deciding whether it is | | | | opted for mahogany. |
| better to purchase a ready made commercial cradle | | | | Of course, the type of wood you choose will be |
| or learn how to build a baby cradle yourself for your | | | | your own personal choice, but you must take into |
| bundle of joy. In my case, since I do a little | | | | account factors such as strength and durability and |
| woodworking on the side and basic DIY fix it up | | | | how long the cradle will be used. Maybe you will use |
| around, I've always known that there is nothing more | | | | the cradle for additional children. Softwoods may not |
| special than something that has been built with his | | | | be able to support the increased weight of your |
| own hands. | | | | baby. |
| So, I was determined to put in the time and effort | | | | It is imperative to apply enough finish to the new |
| to learn how to build a baby cradle. After all, that is | | | | cradle. The surface finish should be smooth and it |
| what my baby will use for the many months after | | | | should seal the wood and bind the wood fibers well. |
| they are born. While I was learning to build a baby | | | | Thus, security for your baby is guaranteed and |
| bed, I always knew that the safety of my baby | | | | fragmentation can be prevented. |
| would be the highest priority. | | | | All finishes are not toxic once cured. But as a parent, |
| Here are some safety measures that you can | | | | I know babies chew anything, especially when they |
| implement for building a cradle: | | | | are in the age of teething. So when it comes to |
| (1) Wood strips are not more than 2 inches apart. | | | | finishing, I sometimes like to use baked caramel |
| (2) I made sure there were no rough edges and | | | | shellac coating. It is as nontoxic as I like to be. |
| added some padding in the corners for more | | | | I also learned that you should use a very good cradle |
| protection. | | | | plan to build a cradle. Talking to other woodworkers, |
| (3) The height of rail is at least 26 inches high. If the | | | | I knew it would save me some problems and |
| height of the rail is less than three quarters of the | | | | headaches. The best plans should have a complete |
| height of the baby, the baby will no longer be 100% | | | | list of materials you need to purchase in advance. |
| safe. | | | | This will allow you to anticipate the total cost of the |
| In learning how to build a baby bed, I knew I had to | | | | crib and the best plans have detailed, step by step |
| choose the right timber. I had the option to choose | | | | instructions. The plans I used left nothing to the |
| soft or hard wood. In general, the cost of hardwood | | | | imagination on how to go about building a crib for our |
| is more expensive than soft woods, but knowing | | | | baby. |