I had been keeping an eye on this item since before I found out I was pregnant, so as soon as I was expecting I bought a kit.

The home casting kit provides all the items you need to produce up to 8 casts and paint the finished product to display in the finished display frame.

The kit provides a moulding material which is made of flour like substance which you add water to. You then have approximately 30 seconds to mix this and then pour into the bag provided in order to then put the limb into it. I made sure that I measured out all the ingredients in advance so that all I had to do is add them together and mix.

One tip I will give is to put your hand inside the bag and scoop the mixed product from the mixing bowl in order to have it ready quickly to put the limb inside. Another method of doing this is to use a Jey cloth or a double sheet of kitchen towel instead of a bag - then just fold the cloth or paper around the limb.

You must make sure that fingers or toes are not touching the edge as it will not make a correct impression and will leave a hole or missing digit. It does take a couple of goes to get it right but with a little practice, the moulding is the easier part.

It is best to cast the mould the same day but allow at least one hour for the mould to set. Another tip for when pouring the casting material inside the mould is to fill it halfway, then tap the mould gently to allow bubbles to rise to the surface. Then use the end of a paint brush or cocktail stick to gently push inside the casting material (but do not push to the end, otherwise you will make a hole in the mould). This gets rid of the bubbles that forms in the casting material - then carefully pour the rest of the casting material inside and let it set.

Once set, you can gently peel the mould from the cast and you can then see the results. I would advise to leave the cast to completely set for up to two weeks before painting - however that is personal choice.

The tips I have given are due to errors I made. There were bubbles in my initial moulds and also due to pouring the whole of the casting material inside at once, it did not get to the ends of the fingers - thus missing ends of the fingers in the finished product.

When my Daughter was 6 weeks old, we did the moulding when she was asleep, but I did it again at 3, 4 and 6 months whilst she was awake and she sat perfectly still. It does take at least two people to do this - one to hold the baby and the other to do the moulding. As long as you keep s/he occupied they should be still long enough for the mould to set.

I have so far made 6 sets of my Daughter's feet and hands at various ages and given two sets away as gifts to the Grandparents. They really do make a wonderful keepsake and the ingredients used to make the moulds are the same as what Dentists use to make impressions of teeth - so are perfectly safe to use.

Another great casting kit I have used is made by Creative Casting - which is very similar to this kit and follows similar instructions.

After I made the initial casts of my Daughter's hands and feet, I was not sure whether I would be able to make successful moulds. I then paid for a professional from the company to produce these for me and having since made further attempts, I can honestly say that the ones that I produced were of a similar finish - so it really can be done at home!