A lamp is an important piece of furniture in toddler world.
It makes reading time extra special and appealing (check out my 10 favorite bedtime books to read with my toddler). It also sets the mood for naps or sleep time. I have been on the hunt for a cool lamp for my son’s room for a while, but my search always comes up short. There are just not that many cool lamps on the market for little kids.
And so—like many moms before me—I decided to take things into my own hands.
I perused the web for fun DIY lamps and stumbled across an awesome Avengers style lamp. I quickly learned that all it requires is toy action figures, a glue gun, and gold paint to dress up any boring old lamp and turn it into a toddler bedroom essential. You may have everything you need already at home!
★★★
1. Gather the Basics
My son LOVES the Avengers. Over time I have accumulated quite a collection of these superheroes.. Along with duplicates. So, I “assembled” the extra Avengers I had and rounded out the collection by purchasing a few extra on Amazon. I threw in Wonder Woman and Batman for good measure. Then, I purchased this city skyline lamp shade from Walmart.
2. Map the Action Figure Placement
We decided Batman would hang from the pole true to form, Hulk would lift a car with Black Widow sitting on it, Wonder Woman would hang from a building using her lasso, Super Man would be flying in the sky, and Spiderman would be crawling on a building while shooting a web and eating a slice of pizza. The rest of the guys would be stationary on the lamp base. We also decided we were going to keep them their original color, since we wanted the lamp to be colorful.
3. Glue at the Ready!
We discovered early on that the glue gun alone would not do the trick, especially with curious (and prying) toddler hands. So, after determining the placement for everything and initially tacking everything in place with the glue gun, we reinforced it with Krazy Glue (we tried many kinds of glue and the Krazy stuff did the trick). In order to build out Hulk and attach him to the side of the lamp base, we created a thick pile of glue that resembled the rock he was standing on and attached it to the lamp base.
4. Prepare for Reinforcement
To secure Wonder Woman, Superman and Spiderman to the lampshade, we used needle and thread and reinforced them with the two types of glue. This turned out to be a long process, but well worth the wait. The figures attached to the lampshade really made it an action-packed tableau.
5. Add the Final, Action-Packed Touches
We added a layer of fabric glue
The final result was pretty awe-inspiring, and my toddler was ecstatic about his new creation. The biggest challenge we face now is getting him to stop picking at and playing with the glued-on action figures.
★★★
Engaging in DIY projects with your toddler is a fantastic way to nurture creativity, and to also spend bonding time with your child. My son and I had a blast creating his very own customized superhero lamp. I’m hoping this is a special memory for him. Every time he turns this little light on and off, I hope he smiles remembering how we made it together. Just mommy and me!★
Jamie Parganos started the Wonder Mommy blog to create a community for moms to share their stories and support one another. She is also CEO and Founder of Mommy Hacks, a subscription box service designed to help you win at parenting. Before founding her companies, she worked as a program director in the New York City public school system. A mom who wears many hats, Jamie is also a professional singer. She lives in NYC with her partner and two children, ages 3 and 6 months.
Wonder Mommy 