Belly Casting Ideas

Cast your baby bump and create a lifelong memory.

A belly cast is a creative way to permanently capture the beauty of your pregnancy. Long after your precious bundle of joy has made his long-awaited debut, a belly cast will serve as a daily reminder of the miracle of life that began his journey inside your womb. DIY belly casting kits allow you to create the cast in your home. Once the cast is complete, the fun of decorating the belly cast begins. A special activity for the entire family, belly casting can enlist the help of your partner and the baby's siblings to create a special pregnancy keepsake.

Welcome Baby

Dedicate the belly mold to your baby to create the ultimate mother to baby gift. Paint the belly mold in pink and add pretty pastel flowers and butterflies for a baby girl. For boys, paint the cast in baby blues and greens. Add some cute insects and reptiles or planes and cars. If you already have the baby's name picked out, stencil it across the belly and paint it a darker shade of the base color. Adorn the cast with jewels, stickers and fabrics to add even more depth to the belly. You can also wait until the baby is born and decorate the cast as a birth announcement. Add the baby's name and birth statistics to the decorated cast.

Baby Shower

If you know you are having a baby shower, consider molding your belly a week before the event. Speak with the host and let her know you would like to have the attendees at the shower sign the cast as a memento for the baby to be. Paint the cast at home and pass it along to the host. Ask her to provide fancy writing pens in a variety of colors. Guests can scroll a quick message for the baby and sign their name. The expecting parents will enjoy reading well wishes left by family and friends, and it makes a beautiful keepsake.

Mom Art

Rather than make the belly cast entirely about the baby, some moms choose to create an art piece for the home. Paint artsy images on the cast in colors that complement the room it will be hung in. Use the painted belly cast as a large vase and place artificial flowers in the top of the mold, allowing them to cascade over the belly. Create a 3D shadow box by placing the decorated cast in an oversized frame, along with some strips of fabric or flowers.

Decoupage Time Capsule

Turn the belly cast into a dimensional time capsule for baby to be. Gather current newspaper headlines and decoupage them onto the belly cast. collect photographs of mom and dad from infancy through adulthood and decoupage them onto the cast, making sure to leave room to add baby to be's photos later on. Choose images of items relevant today, such as popular recipes, CD covers, movie reviews and current events and decoupage them onto the cast. This creative keepsake can be hung in the nursery or anywhere in the home.

References

• Mother and Child Health: Belly Casting