DIY Fleece Crib Rail Guard

If you've ever been around a 10 month old baby, you know how much they like to chew on stuff, including their cribs. When Harry started chewing on his crib we put a rubber crib guard along the front so that he wouldn't ruin the wood and wouldn't ingest any of the varnish he might scrape off. It worked well for a while, but this is what it looks like now.

His little teeth are stronger than I thought! I've heard of parents using their regular crib bumpers along the top but ours is so puffy it doesn't lie flat and looked ridiculous when I tried it. So the other day I went to JoAnns and purchased a yard of fleece in hopes of coming up with the perfect solution. It was on sale and cost me just $5.50. This crib rail cover is so easy to make, no sewing required! Here's how I made it.

• First I washed the fabric. I hung it up to dry and it was ready in about an hour.
• I then measured the crib (ours is by Sorelle, but I bet most cribs will have similar measurements) and cut three pieces of fleece, one 15''x50'' and two 16''x26''. When you measure add about six inches to the width of the fabric for the ties.
• Next I folded each piece of fleece "hot dog style" and cut ties three inches long and about an inch wide. If you've ever made a no-sew fleece blanket, this step will be very familiar to you!

• Lastly I tied the guard on to his crib. I double knotted the ties to make sure Harry won't pull it off. I ended up keeping the rubber guard on the crib and just put the fleece on top of it- double protection! 

 
I love how it turned out... cute and functional. I didn't do the back of the crib because Harry isn't tall enough to chew on it and he spends all of his time walking around the other three sides. I would estimate you'd need a yard and a half to cover the entire crib.

Have a wonderful weekend!