Savvy Mum Creates On-Trend £75 Wicker Changing Basket Herself For FREE
- Kyerah Laird, 24, wanted the wicker changing basket influencers love
- But she didn’t want to spend up to £75 on a brand new one
- Instead, she transformed an old Moses basket she got for free on Facebook Marketplace
As any new parent will know, it’s incredibly tempting to spend thousands on fancy prams, high chairs, playmats and changing mats that will only last a couple of years at most until our kids outgrow them.
But one mum resisted the temptation to splurge on a beautiful £75 wicker changing basket, deciding to try to make it herself.
Kyerah Laird, 24, a receptionist and mum from Northamptonshire, had her eye on the on-trend product, which is a favourite of influencers, but didn’t want to splurge.
Instead, she decided to make her own out of an old Moses basket she got for free on Facebook Marketplace.
Kyerah told money-saving Facebook group DIY On A Budget UK: "I was looking online and really desperately wanted one of the wicket changing baskets to match my daughter's room decor and I just couldn’t justify £75 on a changing mat that she would outgrow in a year.
"On Facebook Marketplace I was keeping an eye out for cheap wicker baskets that I could give it a go attempting making one myself.
“Even if it was £10 I lost and it looked rubbish, that’s better than being £75 out of pocket.
"I kept a lookout for a few days and saw a lady listing one for free - even better!
"I started by removing the handles and putting them to one side.
"I then began cutting the wicker down to five lines high as I thought I could always make it smaller if I wanted to.
"Once I had done this, it was quite sharp around the edges from where I had cut the wicker.
"So then I began to unravel the sharp wicker and discard this as it left me with a nice smooth edge all the way around.
"After this, I attached the handles again with the string I had removed from them originally and kept them to one side.
“I didn’t like the look of the handles in the middle of the basket, so I took them off again and reattached them to the top and bottom instead inspired by the look I’d seen online and fallen in love with.
"It was just like the baskets online at £50 plus - and I had made it for nothing!
"I was so impressed and now won’t mind her outgrowing it in a year or so!!
"My tips would be to always start higher than cutting it too short right away because you can always go shorter, but you can’t go higher once you’ve cut it.
“I’d also say keep the handles to one side - don’t just cut them off because you’ll be reattaching these later.
"I am so happy now it’s done and I feel good looking at that basket now knowing I made it rather than spending an unnecessary amount I didn’t want to in the first place. I feel so accomplished!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “I have recently become a parent myself, so I know only too well how tempting it is to spend loads of money on things that will only really last for a few months until the baby outgrows it.
“The wicker changing basket is a favourite on Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, and fits right in with cool, Scandi decor - but it comes with a price tag to match.
“Good on Kyerah for getting the changing mat she wants, but at a wallet-friendly budget!
“If you fancy a DIY transformation of your own, keep your eyes peeled for free materials on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or Freecycle that you can adapt to make whatever you want.”
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