Making A Waterproof Vinyl Changing Pad Cover: a house log

When we last left off in the nursery, we had painted the closet door green, but still had a few lingering functional things that we needed (like a changing pad cover, a hamper, and a bin for dirty diapers) as well as a plan for the wall behind the crib that we had been debating.

Update #1. You likely remember when we were considering this lively arrow wallpaper for that spot (among others) but thought it might be a little busy on that side with all the built-ins, so imagine our surprise to find a changing pad cover in the same pattern on Etsy. Teddy loves it. So much, in fact, that he has already peed on it a whole bunch of times. You know, to mark his territory.

We have heard a ton of pointers (washcloth, wipe, clean diaper) to block the spray, but even with those methods we found that it still managed to run down and pool on the changing pad cover, meaning that we had to strip it off and wash it more times than we hoped in the first few days of being home from the hospital. To the point that even if we had 4 spares we’d still be washing them constantly. We had the same problem with baby Clara (good genes I guess) so we used a wipeable changing pad cover over her cloth changing pad during that phase (it was so much easier to wipe that down than constantly be washing the cover itself).

Which brings us to Update #2. Now that we use that vinyl pad in the car for changes on the go, I thought I’d make one for the house from oilcloth. Here was my process in a nutshell:

1. I grabbed half of a yard of “marine coat vinyl” in white from JoAnn for $6 (they did not have white oilcloth), and I in fact got two changing pad covers out of that half a yard (so we can use one downstairs when we change Teddy on the ottoman as well)

2. I laid out our existing car pad by Skip Hop (the front is the shiny vinyl part and looks like this, so the black fabric is the back) and traced the shape onto the back of the white marine coat vinyl fabric with a sharpie (twice since there was room for two).

3. Then I simply cut them out. Vinyl does not have a fraying edge, so I did not even need to hem them or anything

So far it has been excellent. Simply look at Teddy modeling his new waterproof cover. He in fact peed through his diaper and his onesie while we took this shot. True story. It is like he hoped to test simply how waterproof it was. Thankfully, it worked like a charm. And it has been saving us a little bit of laundry (every little bit helps!) ever since.

Update #3. You can also see the plain white trash can that we grabbed at Ikea for diapers (we are using disposables until Teddy grows into our cloth ones, simply like we did with Clara). So far it is working well. The lid (with the step-to-open mechanism) keeps smells in, and makes for hands-free opening, which is truly convenient.

Update #4. In other “I will take all the small conveniences I can get while running on a lot less sleep” category, we also got this adorable navy and white Boppy cover from John’s sister as a baby gift (it was also from Etsy). I know some folks skip the Boppy and simply use a pillow or something but I use it so much in these early days when the baby’s so small and nursing all the time. We debated bringing ours to the hospital and I said “nah, that is overkill” and I in fact wished I had it instead of using wadded up blankets and pillows, which surprised me.

Please avert your gaze from my dirty nails and focus on the cute baby.

Update #5. This is a little craft fair item that we picked up here in Richmond at the annual Spring Bada Bing event (we have blogged about it a few times before). It is consistently lively to support small businesses and browse homemade wares – and this one is made by The Little Bandit Shop. It is an embroidery hoop with discontinued fabric (from Ikea a while back) that she hand-stitched with some cute green vines on each side. We thought it was so charming, and a strong idea for a Hands-on project too.

Update #6. We also realized we needed a clothes hamper, so we grabbed a basket from HomeGoods that is around the same size as the hamper that we use in Clara’s room and I swiftly sewed a little inside-out pillowcase to create a liner. Why inside out? That way when you fold the edges over the side of the basket, they face the right way (and when you look down at the inside of the hamper the patterned side shows). It is straightforward to pull out and wash, and I got half a yard of this soft gray ticking fabric at JoAnn for $4.

Update #7. Now for our little plan behind the crib wall, which we did not in fact do yet – but we think we are set on this idea. John came up with a repeating pattern of T’s (for Teddy of course). Although this photoshopped version leaves a lot to be desired in the “realistic” department, in our minds it’ll look excellent.

It is subtle and sweet sufficient for both of us to like it best of all the other options we have considered, so now we are simply debating if we will end up making a stencil to paint the T’s on the wall like Clara’s raindrops, or if we will use contact paper or some other method to add them. Will keep you posted!

Oh and I at last remembered to snap a picture of the fourth wall of the room (it briefly flashed by in this video tour, but I do not think I ever took a photo of that angle). Right now there is simply a floor lamp for function (it works on the wall switch, so we can flip it on when we enter the room) but eventually we’d enjoy an overhead light on a dimmer and we think we will use that wall to make a lively little play area once Teddy’s a little older, like we did on this wall in Clara’s room.

Are you rallying to add a flurry of small things to a space that is mostly complete? Buying anything lively from Etsy or at a local craft show? Peeing on changing pads, simply for lively?

Psst- To read about all of the nursery updates from the beginning, here is how we painted all the pink trim, laid new hardwood floors, got a rug, painted the walls & ceiling, brought in built-ins, tackled some baby bedding, hung extra thick crown molding, filled up the built-ins, brought in a storage cabinet/changing table, made a mobile, and made art & painted the closet door green.