Photo: Nissa Brehmer
Our challenge for you this week is slather your baby’s feet with paint and commemorate their tiny size. Many paint-your-own-pottery places know how to help you get cute baby footprints on plates and mugs. This is your sixth challenge.
When my son was a newborn, we made trivets (because the cheapest pottery available was a flat tile). I recommend tackling the cheaper pieces instead of taking on the set of pasta bowls, but suit yourself.
At Berkeley’s Brushstrokes Studio, they have seen their fair share of Moms’ Group outings and newborns squishing their hands and feet into paint and onto ceramic and had a few tips for us:
- Paint and stamp feet instead of hands because babies clench their fists when they freak out. (Also they stick their hands in their mouths with much greater ease! So, Yuck.)
- If you’re going to decorate the piece, do that BEFORE waking up your baby, because your baby may freak out necessitating a hasty retreat.
- If the little footprint is less than perfect, you can use a paintbrush to fill in missing toes.
Again, I will stress to you: Paint everything you want on your piece while baby sleeps (or friend holds him) then do the feet and race out the door, because he’s likely to be pissed off. My baby was super angry when he woke up.
Did you complete this challenge? Love it or hate it, tell us how it went:
- Comment below.
- Share a picture with us on Facebook.
- Name your destination on Twitter or Instagram and use hashtag #rookiemoms.
- Or, link in the comments to your own blog post about this challenge.
This is a great idea and sounds like a fun outing.
Looking for a cheap alternative? I was at loss for father’s day gifts a few weeks back. My son Carter was only a couple weeks old and I wanted to do something personal and keepsake worthy, but wasn’t sure I wanted to dish out $30 bucks at a craft store, only to have the whole project melt down to a big blob. Instead, I invested $6 in washable inkpads of multiple colors and dug up some old picture frames. I set Carter up on a big bath towel. Using a clipboard and some plain white computer paper, I stamped each foot with the ink pad and then brought the clipboard with computer paper to each foot. After a few practice trials, we perfected the process, and I settled on a couple prints that I felt were “frame worthy.” Using a plain ol’ sharpie pen and some fancy penmanship, I labeled the masterpiece with his name and age at the time of the impression. We made one for Dad, and one for each new grandpa. Priceless!
We did this for my mother in law and did every grandchild’s footprint on a plate with their name.
Making a notable piece of pottery with footprints is important, fun, messy and so joyfully painful to look at in 4 or 5 years when their giant seeming feet are all over everything.
Good challenge.
So far so good, I pick up the finished products this weekend. I found it easy to keep my little one in his carseat, paint his foot and bring the tile up to stamp it. He stirred, but went back to sleep- success! I’m hoping they make good grandparent gifts for the holidays. Looking forward to more activities!
I tried this with her hands. Terrible idea. The feet, however, seem like they might be a LOT easier. Maybe we’ll try that instead. Hands seem to go in the mouth more often than feet. And fingers curl more than toes…feet cannot make fists. I should have thought of this!
We’re making butterflies with the footprints like this http://www.myforgetmenotwalk.org/Site/Ways_To_Remember_files/magfo4.jpg
What kind of paint do u use
Great question @Brenda, I use whatever paint they offer at the paint your own pottery place and then wash it off right away. Sorry I don’t have better info.
Hello, My little girl is 7 months and I have been doing her feet on plates and decorating them with acrylic paints but recently I done a flower pot for Mother’s day and noticed that the prints are coming off or even chipping. What else can I use that is safe but will stay on the surface? Because I have even baked the items and I am still getting all of the chipping and wearing off :o( HELP!!!