31 for 21: How to Make a Baby Bench

This week in PT Max started sitting (with some very active spotting) on a little bench.  It's good practice for him sitting (there's less surface area there for him to support himself, so he's gotta work that core) and getting some weight on his feet to work toward standing.  And unlike the therapy ball, I feel like I can do bench exercise with Max without dropping him.  Our PT has several kiddos his size using the bench right now, so she couldn't leave hers with us.  She encouraged us to find something the right height around our house.

She suggested a shoe box.  I think that sounds like a wonderful reason to go out and buy some shoes.  But until that happens, we found a Priority Mail box that was sitting around.

(Side note: I once got lectured at the post office for REUSING a free Priority Mail box, covering it in butcher paper to hide the old address, and trying to mail it--gasp--FIRST CLASS!  The clerk watched as I unpacked my whole box and repacked it in a new box, and payed priority shipping, all while toddler-Toby was running amok.  So, yeah, I know that these boxes are provided for free ONLY to be used for shipping.  I'm pretty sure this post shows me breaking a federal law.  Luckily, the government is shut down, so no one will come after me.)

We filled it full of stuffed up newspaper.  We crumpled the newspaper, rather than putting it in flat, because I didn't want a big heavy bench landing on baby's toes.  So, crumple, crumple, squish, squish--Toby and Max enjoyed this part of the project.

Then, the fun part.  Max, he's a spitter.  So we went to work laminating the whole box with duct tape.  Yay for pretty colored tape!  Toby decided it also needed to be decorated with Max's name.

Ta-da!  Bench!  Here we are using it.

C'mon, Toby, back up a little so that we can actually see the bench.

That's better.  Sort of.

The bench is about half an inch too tall--we want Max's feet flat on the ground when he uses it.  So I haven't given up on the idea of buying some shoes just to make another, shorter bench.  But until then (or until he grows a bit) we've had good luck putting a thick book under Max's feet.

There you go, there's your therapy craft project for the day!