Updated January, 2022
Welcoming a new baby into your home can be a challenge for older children. So I wanted to come up with creative activities to help my older children become excited about the baby. So I came up with an art project to do at home. It is fun for the whole family, easy painting for kids, and there is no wrong way to do it. This is exactly my kind of project.
Supplies
My mom was always of the belief that you could never have too many white onesies. I was of the belief that a baby didn’t need any white onesies at all. So I had a pile of onesies that I had to decide what to do with. As a family, we decided to paint them.
We obtained white onesies for newborn and 0-3 months. You want enough for everyone to be able to do at least one, but not so many that your baby won’t have a chance to wear them.
Depending on the level of detail and artistry, you may want to use squeeze paints (this would be me and my toddler) or nicer fabric paint (this would be my roomie). Either way, get something that won’t wash off.
Details
If you want to do detail painting, you are going to need some paint brushes. I feel like we ended up ruining all of our paint brushes though, so maybe get some cheap ones?
We also used cardboard and put it between the two layers of shirt so that they wouldn’t get stuck to each other. Fabric paint bleeds, so plan accordingly.
Process
Fabric paint is meant to stick, so we covered our table with cardboard to protect it. We also inserted cardboard between the onesie layers to prevent bleeding through. Small humans wore paint shirts with nothing on under them so that we didn’t add extra designs to their clothes as well.
Everyone painting got a onesie and we went to town. My sister, nephew, partner, toddler, and bestie each made one. As I’ve said, there was no wrong way to do it. Some of the more creative designs were done by my bestie, who can draw freehand. My nephew and I were definitely more in the shapes and designs camp. And my toddler was happy just to play with paint and talk about the new baby.
This project can be as long or as short as you want it to be. When done painting, put the shirts somewhere safe to dry, where they won’t be pulled down by small children or rubbed up against with a hip. We were extra cautious and gave the paint a solid 72 hours to dry before washing. Once washed, they joined the rest of Sprinkles clothes.
Results
These works are modeled by Rainbow Sprinkle after their birth.
A few of these designs are available for purchase in our shop. If you have an idea but need the artist, please email us at FreedomInsidetheBox@gmail.com to request a commission work.
