Introduction: Wooden Baby Gym
DIY wooden baby gym. I hate the look of the plastic baby gyms and this wasn't too hard to make. If you have all the tools, your biggest expense is two pieces of wood and some screws.
Step 1: Items You Will Need
I went to Lowe's and bought one 8 foot piece of 2.5 inch pine and cut it into 4 equal pieces. I cut the ends at 45 degree angles using a miter saw.
Dowel: 3/4" by 48 inches long- could go shorter but the shortest Lowe's had was 48 inches.
Respirator
Orbital sander
Drill or preferably a drill press if you have it
Baby safe paint, paint brush, painters tape
Rope
4 stainless steel eye hooks
2 philips head bolt and locking nut for the end of the dowel
Step 2: Drill Holes for the Dowel
After you cut your ends at 45 deg with the miter saw, you need to drill holes at the other end that are at least 3/4" in diameter for your dowel to fit through. A drill press works best here if you have it
Step 3: Paint Your Boards
Make sure all cut edges are first sanded- including the cuts made with the miter saw and the holes you drilled at the top.
Use painters tape to make a clean line for your wooden posts, if you'd like to paint the ends. I used Lullaby baby safe paint that I had leftover from painting the baby's crib
Step 4: Attach Rope
We used 4 stainless steel screw eye rings to attach the rope. This prevents the baby gym from falling down so make sure your knots are very secure and the eye rings are firmly embeded within the wood.
Step 5: Screw in a Stop
We used a screw and a nut at the end of the dowel so that the baby gym does not fall apart. You could add one on the inside as well if you'd like more stability, however the one on the end is the most important.
Step 6: Attach Toys
I bought some baby safe rubber bath toys, but also cute felt toys will work. We went for an under the sea theme. I attached the toys with twine. Voila, you have your baby gym!