DIY Baby Handprint Craft

Pretty much since the moment I brought Scoops home from the hospital, I've been pining for a keepsake handprint. We got her footprints from the hospital, and my doula made a cute footprint keepsake for us when Scoops was a few weeks old, but I wanted a handprint to remind me when she is bigger of just how tiny those little hands and fingers were when they first wrapped around my finger. I bought one of those mess-free impression kits to try to make a handprint around Christmas time, before Scoops was 2 months old. Those of you who are not new at this parenting thing are laughing at me right now. That's fine, I deserve it. For those of you who haven't had a baby yet, let me just tell you how freaking impossible it is to get a newborn to open up her hand. So I tried that impression kit, the one sold at big box stores, the one "they" encourage expecting moms to add to the baby registry. I tried a good several times, but the kit failed me. If I managed to get a decent print, it wasn't deep enough and faded away within a few minutes. Most of the times I tried it, though, Scoops just closed her fist, grabbing the material and gouging a huge chunk out of the center. I thought about trying homemade salt dough, but the benefit to the kit is that it was mess-free. I'm pretty sure that using salt dough would have resulted in a fistful of sticky mess between my kid's fingers and palm. (Plus, at 2 months postpartum, I didn't really have the energy for a salt dough project.)

So I've been waiting, semi-patiently, for the first possible opportunity to get a handprint from Scoops. I told my husband that's all I want for my first Mother's Day, actually. But recently I noticed Scoops getting a little more focused and thoughtful with her grasping technique, and I thought maybe I could use that to my advantage. I started thinking of objects she could gently grab that would allow me to get a quick handprint, and came up with the idea to have her grab a papier-mâché Easter egg. Too bad I couldn't find one, but at Easter brunch my Aunt gave me a nice, large decorative egg for this project (it's lightweight, so... foam?). Fantastic! Free craft supplies! I decided a toilet paper tube would be the perfect thing for a test run, and my test prints actually turned out better than the final product, in my opinion. 

Just like my Christmas craft from January, I created this Easter craft after the actual holiday. It's less stressful that way, and you can get supplies on sale. If you don't have a holiday coming up and you're itching for a handprint like I was, you can just use a toilet paper tube for this craft (stay with me). Here's what you'll need for this project:

• a small paintbrush (mine is about 1/2" wide)
• something in which to mix paint - e.g. a palette, carryout container or lid, clean yogurt cup, paper plate
• paint (I used acrylic - white mixed with a little gold)
• baby wipes, or damp paper towels or rags
• toilet paper tube
• decorative egg or other rounded object (optional)
• optional - drinking glass (to hold your egg while it dries)

Step 1
Pull out at least a couple baby wipes (or damp paper towels or rags) and have them ready to tackle a certain small painted hand that'll undoubtedly be heading straight for a certain small curious mouth. As a frame of reference, I ended up using 7 baby wipes.

Step 2
In your palette or other mixing container, mix up your paint a few drops at a time until you get a color you like. I ended up with about a tablespoon of paint. (If you found a color you like, you can of course use it straight out of the bottle. Just give yourself a tablespoon or so in a palette so it's easier to dip your brush.)

Step 3
Holding baby's wrist with your non-dominant hand, use the paintbrush to spread a little paint onto baby's palm. If her hand is closed, brushing a little paint at the very base of the palm will likely get those fingers to relax and open up. It's ok if baby tries to grab the brush and squishes the paint around a bit, just make sure you get paint all the way to the ends of the fingers. 

Step 3
Still holding on to baby's wrist set your paintbrush aside. Present your toilet paper tube to baby and entice her to open up her hand and grab it. You may want to try this a couple times to get a feel for how firmly your baby will grasp, and how long she'll hold her grasp before she starts to move her fingers around (I did 2 test prints, both on the same tube). If the tube is your final project, you may want to have a backup tube or 2 on hand in case you're not happy with the results of your first attempt(s).

Step 4
If you're using another object for your final project, add a little more paint to baby's hand to make sure it's well covered, then still holding on to baby's wrist present the decorative egg (or other roundish object) to baby. Once baby grasps the object, gently but immediately remove it from baby's hand. *Note: my egg was covered in a lovely metallic foil, which made it much more slippery than a cardboard toilet paper tube. The downside of this is that it was harder to get a good print before Scoops' fingers started slipping all over the thing. The upside is that it was super easy to wipe the paint off with a baby wipe and start over. 

Step 5
Once you're satisfied with your print, set it aside (I balanced my egg on top of the toilet paper tube so it wouldn't roll around, but you could use a drinking glass if you want something more sturdy) and wipe baby's hand thoroughly with the baby wipe. When you don't see any more paint on baby's hand, head to the sink to wash off any residue that you might have missed. 

Step 6
When the paint is dry, you can personalize your project even further by using a permanent marker, or extra paint if you're artistically inclined, to add baby's name and the date or occasion to the back of your object. If the toilet paper tube is your final project, you can use scissors to cut a line up the back of the tube, flatten the tube into a rectangle, and then cut out the print you want to keep. Paste the cut out print onto decorative paper or card stock and frame it, add it to a shadow box, or put it in a scrapbook.

A few tips to make this project less of a headache:

I guess I should mention that I had Scoops in her high chair for this, and used the kitchen table to hold all my supplies. I honestly can't think of a better way to do this project. You really probably want your kid strapped into a chair that's at a reasonable height for you to stand next to, and near a table or other work surface.

If you have someone to help you with this either by handing you items as you need them or holding baby's paint-covered hand for you, that's ideal. I did this on my own, so it can be done, but it would have been much easier if I'd had another adult helping me! 

I highly recommend removing baby's clothes and having her wear a large bib you don't care about ruining. You probably want to wear clothes you don't care about as well.

Protect your work area with old towels, a drop-cloth, or newspaper, or do this project outside. (Honestly, I skipped this step, but that's because I'm incredibly impatient and kinda DGAF. I did at least lay down a paper towel on which to set my damp, painty supplies.) You may also want to do this near a sink, or have a bowl of clean water nearby to wash up baby and yourself immediately after.

Don't try this with a baby that hasn't been working on grasping much yet. Scoops is just under 6 months old, and I really don't think we could have pulled this off any sooner.

Let go of the illusion that this might come out perfectly. I don't know where those clever marketing people at Pearhead got their images, but I'm guessing it's either Photoshop or witchcraft. You'll get a handprint, and it'll likely be smudgy and imperfect. Accept and love that. I had a near-perfect print the first time, but decided it wasn't perfect enough and ended up causing myself and Scoops major frustration by wiping it off and trying another 5 times before I got a print that was almost as good as the first one.

If you try this project, let me know how it went! I'd love to read your stories (successful or otherwise) in the comments and see photos if you'd like to share!