DIY Wooden Baby Gym

My baby seester had her first baby at the end of September, and I’m so smitten with my sweet little niece Parker Penny! Now that my boys are getting older I have some serious baby fever and I could snuggle with that lil baber all day! Parker had a baby gym on her Christmas wish list 😉 and I thought it would be fun if Mike & I made one for her. I wanted to keep it simple and most importantly, have it be able to fold up so that it was easy to store. I know how overwhelming the baby gear/toy situation can get fast, and it’s nice to have things you can hide away when not in use. It also makes it nice for traveling with. Parker seemed pretty fascinated with her new gym and happily modeled it’s use for us to share with you!DIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtDIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtsupplies:
– pine board
wood dowel – 3/4” diameter
leather lace
wood rings
– wooden beads (we used a 2-1/2″ ball, 1-inch beads, and 1/2-inch beads)
– table saw
– miter box
– power planer
– belt sander
– drill
wood glue
– clampsDIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtDIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtDIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtDIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtdirections:
Cut your board to width for legs using the table saw – 1 3/4” wide. Cut boards to length using miter box – 26.5”. Cut dowel to length using miter box – 25.5”. Clean the saw marks off the edge of the board using planer (or use sandpaper). Use a circle template to mark the ends of the legs for rounding the corners. Measure and mark where the dowel hole will go at the top of the legs – 7/8” in and 7/8” down. Drill hole for dowel using 3/4” drill bit – drill all the way through for the two inside legs, drill only part way through in the two outside legs. Make sure dowel fits through holes. Round over the ends of legs using the belt sander. Sand all the pieces as needed. Put the inside legs on the dowel. Add wood glue to outside leg dowel holes. Clamp together making sure the legs stay square with the dowel. Once glue is dry, remove clamps. Drill holes in all four legs, down 11” from the top, centered, just being sure that the hole is big enough for the leather lace to fit through. Tie a knot in the leather lace, feed it through the holes, tying off on the other side. Repeat with other leg. With the legs spread apart, drill three holes in the dowel, one in the center and then 5.5” apart.
Thread wooden rings/beads onto leather lace, leaving a long piece of leather on the ends. Feed the end of lace through the dowel hole and securely knot. DIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtDIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtEven when it was folded up, Parker couldn’t stop staring at it! A good sign that she approves our of work! 🙂DIY Wooden Baby Gym @themerrythoughtJust look at that sweet face – I could munch on those baby cheeks all day! Have you ever attempted any baby gear/toy DIYs? I think it’s so fun and only wish that as new parents we could have had time to make things like these for our kiddos! Oh well, we can have fun spoiling our nieces & nephews! Here’s a few of the toys/toy-related projects we’ve made if you’re anxious to try making something else too: DIY Wooden Hamburger | DIY Wooden Toy Bins | DIY Slingshots | DIY Cork Drums.

– Manda

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