We've done a lot of research and testing on what lubricant to use in our kit to provide the best barrier between mom's skin and the casting material. We considered Vaseline®, generic petroleum jelly, unpetroleum jelly and oils. We concluded that Vaseline® is simply the best product available to make the belly casting process safe and comfortable for mom. Vaseline® is expensive, but it is a trusted name in providing safe, high-quality skin-care products and provides an excellent barrier between mom's skin and the casting material. In addition, Vaseline® contains no colors, fragrances or irritants, is hypo-allergenic and will not clog pores. Of the available oils we considered including in our kit, we found negative reports on some of them. None of the oils we tested provided the kind of protection to the skin that Vaseline® does. No matter what kind of oil we tried and how thick we applied the oil, the casting material still stuck a bit and it was uncomfortable pulling off the cast. Some people are allergic to nuts so we had to rule out the use of all nut oils. Of the remaining available oils, we found some bad press on soy oil as well as olive oil (pomace).

Some people object to using petroleum jelly just because it is a petroleum product. We believe that Vaseline® has the longest and best documented history for being used successfully and safely at home and in all types of medical settings. Physicians and hospitals recommend and use Vaseline® on all their patients from newborns to the elderly and have been doing so for many years. No other product can make that same claim. Many people mistakenly assume that a product labeled "organic" or "all natural" is somehow a safer or better alternative. When you run across these sorts of claims, ask the company for the safety data for their product. We think that you will find, as we did, that they will not have any information available.

Making a ProudBelly Cast is great fun, but also is messy! We provide a 9 x 12 drop cloth to spread to keep the drips off your floor and to make clean up after the casting very simple. We chose one with an embossed texture to minimize the chance of any one slipping on it during the belly casting session.

Medium grit sanding screen is used to lightly sand your dried ProudBelly Cast to make a smoother finishing surface if you desire.

More expensive than either latex or vinyl gloves, nitrile gloves are made from 100% soft nitrile polymer, eliminating any probability for allergic reaction to the natural rubber proteins found in latex gloves. Nitrile gloves have excellent tensile strength and durability compared to vinyl gloves. They also conform well with excellent elasticity compared to vinyl gloves.

The most frequent question we get asked is "is it hard to make a belly cast and am I going to mess it up?" Making a ProudBelly Cast is a very simple craft. We provide step-by-step detailed instructions to guide you along the way. Our instructions also include belly cast making tips as well as decorating and hanging ideas. In about 30 minutes, you will create a perfect 3D memento of your beautiful pregnant form and a wonderful family heirloom.

Each kit contains a decorating sheet printed in color containing hundreds of ideas for decorating your completed pregnancy belly cast.