If you are considering booking your casting session and have a question about our services, then please take a look through our frequently asked questions. These are the questions we are asked most often, and hopefully in answering them here, we can help others who are not sure about the casting process. If you can’t find the answer to your question here then please head over to the Contact Us page and let us know!
What types of frame or casting arrangements are available?
We offer many different framing arrangements. Please see our Shop page for our most common types. We can do custom castings too so if you’ve seen something elsewhere on the internet simply let me know what you’re after and I will work out a price. Typically we are cheaper than all other baby casting websites, and just as good quality.
Will the process hurt or irritate my baby?
No, the material I use is completely safe and leaves very little mess if any at all on babies skin.
Does my baby have to be asleep, so they don’t move too much and mess up the casting?
No not at all! It’s true that the stiller a baby or toddler is, the better the result, but we certainly can’t expect all children to be asleep 🙂 We always try to put your child at ease and make them feel as comfortable as possible, but some children are more fidgity than others. If we think a child has moved too much during a casting we will do it again straight after.
What is used in the mixture to make baby casts?
We use chromatic alginate to make all casts. This is completely skin-safe and ideal for baby hand and foot moulds and suitable for all lifecasting work. The formulation we use is dental grade alginate. The final cast is made from plaster of paris, which we pour into the newly created mould.
How long does the baby casting process take?
The appointment will take approx 20-60 minutes depending on how many casts are required. The actual moulds take a few minutes each to set.
What happens at a baby casting appointment?
Firstly I will explain the whole process before starting the casting. We can discuss the options available and will show you example frame styles/colours and mount options for you to view and choose. Try not to have anything tight/elasticated around your baby’s wrists/ankles on the day as this can leave indentation marks which can show on the casts.
Does my child have to be a certain age to have a cast or print made?
No, I work with newborns, toddlers and older children. I also do castings of adult hands too.
Is the cast/impression going to be ready for me to take home straight away?
No, I will aim to get your completed framed casts back to you within 3-4 weeks. This time is needed to clean, prepare and paint the casts, fit them into the frames and add the name plate. Once ready we will inform you and the frame can be picked up or delivered depending on your chosen preference.
Can I choose the colour of the cast/impression?
The actual cast is white, and then painted to your choice afterwards. Typical paint options include silver, bronze or gold metallic. Other paint options are available, just ask.
Do you offer different styles of frame?
Yes, we offer many different styles of frame. Certain frame types are included for no extra cost, whilst edged trim and bevelled frames can be chosen for £10 extra. Please see here for all our current frame options. If you wish to have babies name and age engraved on a silver/gold plate it’s an additional £5. Otherwise it will be printed in black ink onto card as standard within the frame.
Do you do castings for family pets, such as dogs and cats?
Yes we do! Get in touch and let me know what you want and I can tailor the quote to suit.
Can I have multiple casts made from one mould?
No, unfortunately not. Due to way the alginate casting material needs to be pulled away from the final cast, it’s only possible to produce a single cast from a single mould.
What happens if my baby won’t open their hand to have the cast made?
Babies can open or close their hand – it doesn’t matter each way. It’s always really interesting to see the final cast, and it’s simply down to luck (or a well behaved / prepared baby) as to what the final outcome is. It’s something that is always interesting to see for any castings we do 🙂
Can a photo of my baby be included on the framed cast?
Yes, all our frames have options with and without photos.
Do you offer a photography service?
Currently we don’t. We ask each customer to supply either a printed photo or send across a hi-res, good quality and clear photo that we will print for you free of charge. Professional ones look great but don’t worry if you don’t have any. Either a 6×4 or 7×5 photo works best.
Is the process going to be messy?
Not really. We’ll typically moisturise / oil your babies hands or feet beforehand to make it easier to slip out afterwards, and then you can just wash their hands/feet afterwards. The messy bit comes afterwards when we have to pour the plaster into the mould, and then peel the finished cast away from the mould at the end. That’s our job though 🙂
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept cash, BACS, paypal and standard debit/credit cards via our website.