A belly cast is a fun and unique way to preserve your pregnant belly for posterity. If you haven’t seen one, a belly cast is just as it sounds a plaster cast of your pregnant belly. This can be done at any time during the last months of pregnancy.
Making a belly cast is easy. It takes about an hour. Making a cast is a fun thing to do with your partner or older children. If you don’t have other children, this can be a wonderful bonding moment for you and your spouse as you both anticipate the end of the pregnancy.
Kits for making belly casts are sold in baby stores and on the internet. The kits generally come with about four rolls of plaster casting material, a sanding screen and a pair of gloves. You will also need a drop cloth, a container of warm water, a chair and a jar of petroleum jelly. Don’t forget your partner, a friend or other family member to help you with the casting material.
Most women make one cast of both the belly and the breasts. One tip for the pregnant mother, go to the bathroom before starting the process. Making a cast takes about an hour. Protect the floor and chair with drop clothes or newspaper before you get started. You will need a shallow container of luke warm water to wet the strips. Cut three large squares for the belly and the breasts. Cut two rolls of the casting material into strips that are about twelve inches long. Detailed directions will be included with your kit. Take some time to read through them before you get started.
You will need to remove your clothes and cover the area to be cast with petroleum jelly. This prevents the casting material from sticking to your skin. You will sit close to the edge of the chair, in a comfortable position for the casting. The casting material will then be applied, according to the package directions. You will want at least two layers of casting material, or more, in each area.
Once the cast has hardened, you can smooth it with the sanding screen. Once it has been sanded, it can be decorated in a variety of ways. Paint, decoupage and shellac are commonly used to decorate the cast. When it is finished, it can be displayed any where in your home. They look great in the baby’s bedroom or in yours.
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