If you always want to remember what your belly looked like while you were pregnant, consider making a pregnancy belly cast. A plaster cast of your baby bump will serve as a one-of-a-kind pregnancy memento. After your pregnancy belly cast is complete, you can decorate it and hang it on your baby-to-be’s nursery wall or store it away to show your baby when he is older. Regardless of what you do with it, it will be a keepsake you will treasure.
Step 1
Recruit an assistant. Having an assistant to help cast your belly will make the project much easier to complete.
Step 2
Set up your work area. Since this project can be messy, place a large plastic tarp on the floor to protect your work area. If you choose to sit when doing your cast, you’ll also want to drape a tarp over the chair.
Step 3
Gather your supplies. Having everything within arm’s reach to contain the mess. Place your bucket of warm water on old newspapers to keep your work surface free from drips of plaster.
Step 4
Cut the tape into strips with the scissors. Using 6-to-8 inch long strips will ensure that the strips lay flat, and you are able to best capture your belly’s shape.
Step 5
Prepare your belly. Once you are topless, you will want to cover the area you are going to cast with olive oil. Plaster can have a drying effect on the skin, so coating your belly with olive oil will protect and moisturize your skin and make removing the finished cast easier.
Step 6
Get comfortable. Assume the position that you want to have your casting done in. You will be in this position for awhile, so be sure it is comfortable.
Step 7
Dip the strips of plaster tape into the warm bucket of water, one at a time. Gently pull each strip out between your two fingers to keep it from twisting and to remove excess water.
Step 8
Place the wet plaster strips across your belly. Continue adding layers of wet plaster tape to your belly until you’ve covered the entire area you wish to cast. Working from the top of your belly down is often easiest.
Step 9
Let it dry. The belly cast will take 10 to 20 minutes to dry. Once it is dry, have your assistant gently pull it off you and place it down on top of newspaper and in a safe place so it can set.
Step 10
Clean up. After your cast is removed, take a shower to remove any plaster remnants and to remove any excess olive oil. Dispose of or store any unused material, throw away the newspaper, rinse off the tarps, if needed, and wash out your bucket.
