HANGING CRADLE FOR A BABY

  This hanging cradle cost me around ten bucks altogether. Major savings in money, I´d say. I thought about it for quite long, but thought I´d never come up with a clever way to make one, easily.
  But here it is, from design to finish, all made by me (so anyone can make one too!).

Situated between mom and dad´s beds, so we can equally take care of the baby at nights. (Yes, separate beds. The secret to a lasting happiness in our relationship   =)

Made simply of a spare cardboard box. I slightly decorated it with a piece of an old cotton curtain, to give the cradle a touch of  aged romantic look.

The ruffle hides all the ugly screws and hooks used to bolting it in the ceiling. The bands the cradle hangs by are made of an old, very sturdy, table cloth I once got from my grandmother as an early "heritage" (she knows I love to make stuff, and wanted to make use of it).

I cut a piece of  my older child´s baby mattress to fit the box. The bed linens I have also saved from since my first-born was a baby (seven years ago! How time flies...).

This cutie awaits for someone to hug it and drool on it! The string around the teddybear´s neck is secured with stitches, to prevent opening and causing any danger to my coming baby.

This teddy bear is made by Tilda´s instructions.

  Everything, except bolts and hooks used to attach the cradle into the ceiling, is made of old, already existing material. I just checked that, if store-bought, these kind of cradles cost 200 bucks and up! Some examples you can see here and here.

  The recipe:

a cardboard box, big enough to fit a baby in for the first weeks/months
4 pieces of board, short enough to fit into the box (any kind will do, but not too thick and heavy)
glue (and a stapler)
2 long and strong bands (old safety belts would be awesome!)
screws and hooks to attach the cradle into the ceiling

+ Cut the boards so they reach from end to end of the bottom of the cardboard box. One to each side: 2 long and 2 shorter ones. Place these in the bottom of the box so that they form a square around the edges, ends overlapping. Glue in place, underneath the box. This will reinforce the base of the box, so it will hold for sure.
  Measure the distance from the ceiling to the desired height of the cradle, and make two strong bands according to your measurements. The bands need to be somewhat wide to hold in place well.( I made mine a bit wider than the boards in the bottom, so I could hide them.)
  Screw hooks in the ceiling, check the precise length needed for the bands by fitting it in place, and sew the ends together tightly. Place the bands around the cradle so that they go along the crossing boards underneath. Staple/glue in place. This is very important, so the cradle won´t slip out!

  There you have it! Now the most fun part can start: decorating the cradle. Tune it to your own linking which ever way you feel best, and what suits your style. Just remember not to add anything that might come loose or off, and cause any harm to the baby by accident.

  This cradle is easy and cheap to make, compared to what it looks like! Custom-made to suit your bedroom, or a great gift to anyone having a baby!