How to Make Your Own Baby Board Book With Thick Cardboard Pages
If you have a baby, you probably have stacks of board books that your baby likes to look through, touch and have you read to her from. You may also have lots of ideas for books that would pique your baby's interest, perhaps a story about her favorite animal or her family, or even a book of shapes in different colors. Whatever the idea may be, creating a personalized baby board book is a simple, fun craft that will bring you and your baby hours of pleasure.
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Things You'll Need
- Thick cardboard, at least 1/16 inch thick
- Hole punch
- Yarn or string
- Pictures or illustrations
- Glue, tape or other non-toxic adhesive
- Laminating plastic
- Scissors or utility knife
- Fabric
- Decorative paper
Instructions
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Decide on the size of the book, as well as the number of pages it will have. Add an extra 1/2 to 1 inch to the width for the binding. Add two additional pages to your total page count for the front and back covers.
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Cut your pages, including the covers, into a square or rectangle using sharp scissors or a utility knife. You may want to round the top and bottom right-hand corners for a more professional look.
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Stack the pages on top of each other, all facing the same direction, and trim so that all the edges line up as exactly as possible.
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Decorate your pages as desired, gluing on photos, drawing pictures or writing a story. Be sure to use non-toxic materials whenever possible, as board books often end up in a baby's mouth. Note that the left 1/2 to 1 inch of the page will be used to bind the book, so do not put any pictures or text in this area. You do not need to decorate the covers yet.
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Cover the pages with laminating paper if desired, following the product instructions.
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Punch holes through one page, approximately 1/2 inch from the left edge of the page. Punch a hole every inch or so.
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Trace the holes you punched in the first page onto your other pages to ensure that the holes line up exactly. Punch holes into all of your other pages, including the covers.
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Stack all of the pages together in the order you want the book to be read, carefully aligning the edges of the book and the holes you punched.
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Push a piece of yarn or string through the top hole from front to back. Make sure that the string is tight, but that the pages can still open to lay flat. Tie the ends in a tight knot against the spine of the book. Trim the edges. Repeat with the bottom hole, then alternate from top to bottom to keep the pages properly aligned.
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Open your book so that it lays flat.
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Cut a piece of fabric to fit from the open edge of the front cover to the open edge of the back cover, leaving about an inch on all four sides free for gluing.
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Lay the fabric right side down in a horizontal rectangle. Open your book on top of the fabric with the spine of the book laying vertically near the middle of the fabric. Turn all the pages of the book to the left, exposing the inside of the back cover.
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Apply glue to the edges of the inside back cover, covering about an inch of each edge with glue, and fold the right short edge of the fabric over onto the inside edge of the book.
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Lift the book carefully and apply glue to the back cover, except for the spine. Lay the book down and press against the cover to glue the fabric to the cover, pulling the fabric taut to remove wrinkles.
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Turn all of the pages to the right, exposing the inside of the front cover. Apply glue to the edge of the front cover farthest from the spine of the book. Again, cover about an inch of each edge with glue. Do not fold the fabric over yet.
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Close the cover nearly all the way, keeping the edge of the book with the glue just barely open.
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Apply glue all over the front of the cover.
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Pull the fabric tight around the book and press the fabric onto the glue on the outside and inside of the front cover, pulling the fabric taut to remove any wrinkles. It is okay if extra fabric extends past the glued part. Trim excess fabric after the glue has dried.
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Open the book again and lay it flat. Pull the excess edges of fabric on the top and bottom over the inside edges of the front and back covers and glue them in place, snipping a small cut at the corners to help them lay flat.
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Cut squares of decorative paper to glue over the fabric edges on the inside front and back covers if desired. Glue the squares of paper into place.
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Let all parts of the book dry completely before allowing your baby to handle it.
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Tips & Warnings
Check the fabric-covered board book periodically to ensure that all parts of the book are intact to avoid creating a choking hazard for your baby.
References
- Photo Credit grandfather read book with children image by Pavel Losevsky from Fotolia.com
