Vintage Baby Cradle

If nothing else, at least Baby Blackwood has a place to sleep when he comes home for the first time.

All of these projects have been so slow moving because 1) I procrastinate…my mom will attest to this and 2) I’m a perfectionist. However, I am absolutely IN LOVE with this little corner of our master bedroom for baby. Everything about it is very simple, just the way I like it!

I started with a vintage cradle, which was actually used by both of my little sisters! I love this, that Landon will use something passed down from Auntie Nikki and Auntie Mae Mae 🙂

I was searching baby cradles online before I started this project. I found this exact same cradle for sale on a common baby website for $480…my mom bought this cradle for $60 over 25 years ago!

To update the cradle I painted it with…you guessed it…white chalk paint. Surprise, surprise!
I painted the cradle with 3 coats of paint…
Heirloom Traditions Chalk Paint in A La Mode
Then topped it with a layer of protective wax…
Heirloom Traditions Clear Soft Wax
Finally, I used 150grit sandpaper to distress and rough up the edges.

I used a simple cradle mattress and sheet, knowing that I was going to order a DockATot for the baby to sleep on.
Babies R Us Cradle Pad
Babies R Us Knit Cradle Sheet – 2 Pack

I have heard AMAZING things about DockATot and how they make baby comfortable, mimic the feeling of the womb and help babies sleep better and longer. Those all sound like positives in my book so I thought we’d give it a shot. They are a little spendy but it is essentially a spot for baby to sleep that can be moved to our bed, the couch, his crib, it can basically be taken anywhere. This way, he will feel like he is in his bed no matter what!

I bought the DockATot Deluxe in Dream Weaver. The Deluxe is for Newborn through 8 months old, there is a Grand size for 9 to 36 months. You can also buy different covers to change up the color and designs.

For a little added décor, I hung up the super adorable mobile that we got from Restoration Hardware, the Chambray Animal Mobile and then added a faux garland, the Fern Garland from Michael’s, for a little green.