Now that Mikey is 14 months he is sitting up a lot more with assistance from his seating systems. I recently realised I didn’t really have anything to entertain Mikey so he could play independently while seated. I am always sitting with him and putting toys in front of him to play with. I normally have to hold toys at the right angle for him, or continually put toys back within his reach.

For this reason I created a simple frame to hang toys that would be the perfect height to keep him entertained while seated.

What you will need

20mm PVC pipe – 1 bought 3 1m lengths and used most of it
2 curved edge connectors
2 T shape connectors
4 PVC pipe caps
Handsaw

I bought all of this from the gardening section at Bunnings for about $20.

To make the frame firstly seat your child in the seating system they will use the frame with. Place the pipe either side of the seat and mark the height you want. Use another pipe and mark the width the frame will need to be.
Carefully use a handsaw to cut the pipe where you have marked it. You should have 2 even lengths for the sides and another length for the top of the frame, in my case it was just slightly longer than the sides. Use the off cuts to make the feet to keep the frame stable. You will need 4 even lengths for this which will require more measuring and cutting.

Once everything is cut to size join the pipes together using the appropriate connectors. You might want to glue the pieces together so they don;t come apart when you’re moving it around.

Use connecting rings, cable ties, ribbons, string or whatever you like to attach toys, fabric, beads etc. to the frame. I like to change them regularly using different textures, colours and sounds.

Dimensions

The dimensions of Mikey’s frame are:
Side pipes 600mm x 2
Top pipe 700mm x 1
Feet 200mm x 4

Benefits

• Great for reaching practice
• Great for grasping practice
• Can help bring the arms together into the mid-line if toys are just in the middle
• The frame easily pulls apart so it can be stored away or taken with you
• It is light weight and easy to move around
• Super easy to make

       
I bought extra T connectors as I plan to add another bar across the middle for practice reaching and holding on.