How to Make a Cover for a Baby Mobile

Crib mobiles should be removed when baby can push up on his or her arms.

Baby mobiles are used for the environmental stimulation of very small infants. Bright colors and pleasant music combine to provide a rich experience for baby. Since baby mobiles are only used until baby can push up onto his or her arms, most mobiles are used for a short time, making them a popular hand-me-down from mother to mother. Revamp a standard loop-frame baby mobile, or change the colors, by fashioning a quick, no-sew cover.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Fabric - ½-yard cotton or satin
• Chalk
• Scissors
• Glue gun
• Glue sticks
• Gathered lace

Instructions

1. Place the fabric on a flat surface with the wrong side facing you. If possible remove the hanging accessories from the baby mobile.

2. 

   Make a baby mobile cover from a circle of fabric.

   Center the loop of the baby mobile on top of the fabric. According to "Consumer Reports," “Crib mobiles are for looking at, not for touching. They often have string or small attached pieces. Make sure your little one cannot reach the mobile so he can't become entangled or pull anything off. When he is able to push himself up on his hands and knees, the mobile should be removed from the crib.”

3. Use scissors to poke a hole in the center of the fabric small enough for the connecting portion of the baby mobile, usually a hook or clip, to fit through the fabric. Pull the hook through the hole.

4. 

   Lightweight cottons or satins work best for baby mobile covers.

   Hold the baby mobile in the air so the fabric drapes over the mobile loop. Pull it so there are no wrinkles or folds. The fabric is “inside out”. Use chalk to indicate where the fabric hits the bottom edge of the baby mobile loop. Remove baby mobile from the fabric circle.

5. Place the fabric on a flat surface with the wrong side facing you again. Using the chalk mark from Step Four as your guide, draw a circle around the fabric returning to the chalk mark. If you have trouble keeping the circle curve, try using a dinner plate or pizza pan to trace the edge as you move along the fabric.

6. Cut out the fabric circle with scissors along the chalk line.

7. 

   Remove baby from crib while working on the mobile cover.

   Hang the baby mobile from the crib. Remove the baby from the crib. Place the fabric circle over the baby mobile loop through the hole poked in the fabric’s center in Step Three.

8. Use a glue gun to draw a fine line of glue around the fabric circle edge and press gathered lace, such as nylon or eyelet cotton, around the edge of the fabric circle. If you don’t like the raw edge beneath the mobile, you can also glue a row of gathered lace to the inside of the fabric mobile cover.

Tips & Warnings

• Ribbon roses or bows or small embellishments can be securely glued to the baby mobile cover for decoration, but make sure they do not come loose to pose a choking hazard for the infant in the crib.

• According to REKA, if your skin makes contact with the hot glue, “cool it cold water immediately. Do not try to remove hot melt from the skin first. If necessary consult your doctor.”

References

• Consumer Reports: Crib Safety Tips
• REKA:Operating Instructions for Hot-Melt Glue Gun