Crib Rail Protector Tutuorial

 

I have to say this is one of those baby things that I should have made or bought

that never crossed my mind. Its a crib gaurd.  A gaurd against what you may ask?

Well My 15 month olds teeth. For some odd reason she started chewing on her crib rails,

either before she goes to bed or when she wakes up, im not really shure. It honestly grosses

me out in a "nails-on-a-chalk-board" kind of way. I just imagine the grittyness of splinters of

wood in my mouth and get all tense and yuck feeling. I really didnt know what I could do to stop

 it either. I couldnt really catch her doing it or anything because i've never once walked in

when she was doing it. I threw around the idea of rubbing something nasty tasting on the rail

 so she would never want to do it again. I figured that anything gross enough to make her not

chew on it would probably take the varnish right off and ruin the wood.....soooo

I kinda just didnt figured i would'nt end up doing anything. Yesterday while dinking around on
Pinterest
I saw a pin that caught my eye. It looked like a tie on crib rail cushion, it was just on the front rail

so im assuming it was for mommy's arms when shes leaning over to lay her baby down.

The cushion sparked an idea and that same A.M. I was measuring and cutting fabric

for this teething gaurd. For some very odd reason my daughter has only marked one side as her

chewing territory so I just made one rail gaurd for my crib.

Crib Protector Tutorial

What You Will Need:

Measuring tape

Sewing machine

Fabric

Buttons

1/4" Elastic

Step 1:

Measure the length of the rail(s)

[mine was 27"]

then

Measure the wrap-around width of the rail, take your measuring tape and 

from one side of the rail wrap completley around to the other side of that same rail. This is going to be the part of the rail protector that hugs/wraps around the rail

 [mine was 7"]

Add a 1/4" to each measurement for seam allowance

So my measurment for rail gaurd was 27" long by 7" wide

Step 2:

You can go two ways with this part. You can either do a patchwork one like I did.

To do this you simply cut a bunch of fabric and sew them together.

I just cut the fabric chunks 7-1/4" long and made a bunch of varying widths that

equalled, sewn together, 27-1/4" long

or

Cut one piece of fabric to the exact measurement you needed.

It really just depends on the look youre going for.

Step 3:

Cut a second stip of fabric the size of your measurement (add 1/4" seam allowance to both sides).

I used a fleece material just so it would have some padding to it.

[again mine was 27-1/4" by 7-1/4"]

Step 4:

Lay the first piece of fabric flat, facing up. Then lay, face down, your second piece of fabric ontop of

your other piece. match your corners. Pin together.

Sew together LEAVING one of the short sides unsewn. (my short side was my 7" side)

Step 5:

Turn right side out by reaching into your unsewn short side and pulling outward.

To finish sewing your short side take the top of the fabric and tuck it into itself a 1/4"

Tuck/ fold it inward all the way around that short, unsewn side. pin the tucked part.

Sew the tucked part.

Step 6:

Now take it to your crib and set it on the rail.

Mark 4 spots to put your buttons that are not blocked by the rails that are

running up and down.

(If your making a rail protector for the longest front of back rails add 6 spots for buttons)

Now sew your buttons onto your marked spots, on the outside top part of your fabric, the long end. You'll want the buttons to show and thats why I said top part.

Step 7:

Cut 4 strips of  a 1-1/2"  elastic.

On the back side of the oppostite end from your buttons lay your elastic.

Loop it so that when you sew your elastic down it will make a loop.

Sew all your elastic down.

You're done!

Now just Wrap it on your rail by taking your elastic loops and wrapping them under the rail then around the buttons.

See 3rd photo from the top for a close up of what I mean