Now that DJ is crawling all over the place and pulling up, we knew it was time to tackle the baby proofing. The smaller stuff was easy to do including plug outlet covers and locking the cabinets. We did have one unfortunate lamp that was pulled over so cords are now tied and tucked away. However, we still had one looming thing to baby proof. Our giant brick hearth on the fireplace.
I knew pretty early on that I didn’t want to mess with options from the store like little foam bumpers that cover the edge. I didn’t think they would stay on well and didn’t think they would really protect from scratches and bumps on the sides and top of the brick.
So, we came up with a DIY idea. We built a frame out of some cheap wood and covered in foam and fabric. It really wasn’t that hard although a bit more expensive then we anticipated (we didn’t really feel like we had a choice so we just built it without thinking about budget before hand).
First, we built the frame in the garage based on some measurements. We had to account for a small cutout in the top for the actual fireplace.
Sorry, J wouldn’t stop working for a picture so its blurry!
Here is the frame once its almost done on the fireplace. We added a few more supports on the top just so it helped keep its shape.
After the frame was done we took some rough measurements and went to the store to get some foam (I think we got 1″ foam) and some fabric that was on clearance (3 yards I think). We stapled the foam to the frame which was hard because the foam was so thick but just enough to hold it in place under the fabric. We covered the top, front, and sides with foam. After that, we laid out the fabric on the foam and then I hand sewed a side panel on either side. Its not the prettiest thing but it certainly does its job!
Overall, I think we spent about $100 on this, but I did find other similar options that were thousands of dollars so we feel it was well spent. It adds more seating to our room and we don’t have to worry at all with DJ crawls over and pulls up!
The History of Us 