How to Make Newborn Wraps | DIY Newborn Photography Prop | San Diego Newborn Photographer

I finally found a use for kool-aid and it isn’t for a drink.  I am super excited to do more newborn photography sessions this year and wanted to make beautiful newborn wraps to add a pop of color to the photographs as well as keep the newborn comfortable during the session. Newborns are best photographed within the first 10 days of birth. At this time, the baby falls deep into sleep and is most comfortable when curled up, which makes it possible to pose the newborn into the lovely, sleeping poses that we love. Newborn wraps are not only a gorgeous prop for newborn photography, they also make the baby feel more comfortable during and between certain poses.

Here are instructions for super easy DIY project on how to make colorful newborn wraps for newborn photography. It’s one of the easiest crafts and DIY newborn photography props that you can do. Read on to learn how to dye cheesecloth wraps for newborn photos using household items that you probably already have in your kitchen.

Before starting the craft project, decide what colors you want the the newborn cheesecloth wraps to be. You may not need all of the items below, depending on the colors that you want.

Suggested Household Items That You Can Use to Dye Cheesecloth for Newborn Wraps:

• Kool-aid — I recommend red, purple, and orange. Blue, yellow, and green kool-aid does not dye the cheesecloth well.
• Brewed coffee —hold the cream and sugar.
• Tea packets
• Soy sauce
• Red wine
• Boysenberry jam

The above household items from my kitchen are the things that I used to dye my DIY cheesecloth wraps. If you don’t have all of the items, check your pantry and your fridge. There are lots of things in your kitchen that you can use to organically dye cheesecloth for your upcoming newborn photography session. For example: fresh strawberries, blackberries, cherries, even the skin of brown onions!

The Supplies:

You can find all of these items in a grocery store, including cheesecloth. You can also find cheesecloth at a craft store, or Wal-Mart.

• Cheesecloth (36 inches x 6 yards) — I package yields 4 dyed newborn cheesecloth wraps
• White vinegar — (This is optional. A chemical reaction using the acidity of white vinegar allows the “dye” to set better and adhere to the cheesecloth wraps.  Essentially, it is supposed to help the staining process. )
• Boiling hot water
• Scissors
• Bowls
• Sea salt (This is optional.  Sea salt should also help set the dye. It also softens the cheesecloth wraps a bit to make them more comfortable for newborns.)

Instructions on How to Dye Cheesecloth for Newborn Wraps:

1. Let’s start with dying the cheesecloth wraps with kool-aid first. Boil water. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, take one bowl and empty the packet of kool-aid, (add a tablespoon of sea salt, and some vinegar if you wish). Helpful tip: for every four cups of water, add one cup of vinegar.
2. Open the packet of cheesecloth. Cut it into four pieces with your scissors.
3. When the water has boiled, pour the hot water into a bowl. Allow the kool-aid mixture to mix well with the kool-aid and vinegar. Then, add one of the pieces of cheesecloth to the bowl and swirl it around.
4. Let the cheesecloth sit in the mixture for at least 10-30 minutes. How long you keep the cheesecloth sit in the mixture, depends on how deep of a stain you want. Stir the cheesecloth in the mixture every 10 minutes or so.
5. After at least twenty minutes, remove the cheesecloth from the mixture and gently squeeze the liquid. Run the cheesecloth in cold water until the water runs clear.  Hand-wash the cheesecloth using a little bit of fabric detergent. Wring the cheesecloth and hang it to dry. (Helpful tip: If you want a more vibrant color, throw the cheesecloth back into the mixture and let it soak in more of the dye.) If you want softer newborn cheesecloth wraps, throw it in the dryer for a few minutes.

Repeat steps 1-5 for other colors of “dye”. Substitute the kool-aid for other items. For coffee, I used about 4 cups of brewed black coffee. For a darker color, I added half a cup of soy sauce. Don’t worry so much about measuring.  Just have fun with it! Pour yourself a cup of coffee to drink or a glass of wine while you wait for your newborn cheesecloth wraps to soak in the dye.

I dyed the cheesecloth for longer than 20 minutes for many of the newborn wraps. I even let some soak overnight!

Below are more photos of the crafting process and the finished newborn cheesecloth wraps. I can’t wait to use these for my upcoming newborn photography session!

I hope that you enjoyed learning about how to dye cheesecloths for newborn photography props. Be sure to let me know how your DIY newborn wraps turn out!

xoxo,