CREATE A UNIQUE BABY KEEPSAKE WITH LIFE CASTING TECHNIQUES

Foot and hand casting (also know as life casting) enables parents to create a forever keepsake that captures that short period of time when their baby was tiny. Using safe and simple materials you can create a 3D replica of your baby’s hands and feet to treasure forever.

Creating a life cast is really very simple. There are just two essential steps.

Step One: Making an Impression Mould

The first step is to create a mould of the hand or foot using moulding material. Alginate is the material most commonly used by professional and DIY life casters.

With the main ingredient being seaweed, a good quality alginate like BabyRice Skin Safe Dental-Grade Alginate is completely safe to use on skin. When comparing baby casting kits, we recommend buying a kit that contains dental-grade alginate. That way, you know it conforms to rigorous safety standards.

great job at reproducing the fine detail; however, it is quite soft, which is not great for an item that will be handled. After all, you don’t want to pull off a pinkie when removing your hand cast from the alginate mould!

Another tip when shopping for a baby casting kit is to buy fast setting alginate. BabyRice Skin Safe Alginate is formulated to set quickly - after all babies do not tend to stay still for too long!

Step Two: Use the Mould to Make the Cast

This bit couldn’t be easier. Simply pour plaster into your alginate impression moulds. Once the plaster has set, the alginate is broken away from the plaster and you have your baby’s cast.

Some casting kits contain fine casting plaster, which is one of the cheapest types of casting plaster. This will do a

Instead, you should look for a baby casting kit that includes a stronger plaster, such as Herculite II. Herculite produces a harder and more durable surface than fine casting plaster, making it a more suitable option for a life cast. Another advantage of Herculite II is that it produces a very white cast, making it the perfect base for a lovely paint finish should you decide to paint your cast. All BabyRice hand casting kits contain Herculite II.

Step Three (Optional): Finishing your Cast

While some people like the raw and rustic look, most