How to Make a Bed for American Girl Dolls

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 5, 2021 References Approved

Making a bed for your American Girl Doll is a great way to get creative and create a unique piece of furniture for her! You can make the bed using only a few simple things like cardboard, glue, duct tape or craft paper, and doll bedding. Use your imagination and decorate your doll’s bed with lots of bright colors and fabrics. This craft doesn’t take too long and before you know it your doll will have her very own handmade bed!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Cardboard Base and Headboard

1
Get a large cardboard box that your American Girl Doll can fit inside. Look for a box that is a minimum of 20 in (51 cm) long, 6 in (15 cm) wide, and 2 in (5.1 cm) deep. This will become the base of the bed. A cardboard soda tray works well for this part.^{[1]
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- The depth of your cardboard box isn’t particularly important. However, the depth of the cardboard box will be the height that the bed is off the ground. If you think that your cardboard box is too deep, use scissors to cut the box down to make it shorter.
- The box doesn’t need to have a top, as you will be removing this anyway. This means that your box only needs to have 5 sides rather than 6.
- If you don’t have a cardboard box that is large enough, you can tape or glue several smaller boxes together.^{[2]
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2
Cut the top off the cardboard box if it has 6 sides. Use scissors to carefully remove the top of your cardboard box. Leave behind the 4 edges of the box and the base. This means that the box will be open at the top and that you can see inside without opening it.^{[3]
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3
Find a cardboard box that is the same length as the width of the larger box. This smaller and thinner box will form the headboard for your doll’s bed. A cereal box will probably be an ideal length.^{[4]
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- Don’t worry if your headboard is slightly shorter than the base of the bed. Once you decorate it and add bedding, you won’t be able to tell.^{[5]
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4
Use a hot glue gun to secure the headboard to the bed base. Carefully place hot glue on the headboard and line it up at the top of the bed base. The top of the bed base is 1 of the shorter edges of the box. Hold the 2 parts together firmly for approximately 1 minute, until the hot glue dries.^{[6]
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- Check that the headboard and bed base feel secure. If the headboard seems wobbly, add more hot glue.
- Alternatively, you can use tape instead of hot glue to attach the headboard.^{[7]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Decorating the Bed and Adding Bedding

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Cover the outside edges of the bed base with duct tape. Use colored and patterned duct tape to decorate the outside edges of the box. Don’t worry about decorating inside the box or the bottom part of the base, as these parts won’t be seen once the bed is complete.^{[8]
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- Alternatively, you can use craft paper to cover the outside edges of the bed. You can also print patterns from a computer to stick onto your box if you prefer. Use a glue stick to attach the paper.^{[9]
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- There are also plenty of other ways that you can decorate the edges of the bed base. You can use stickers, stamps, acrylic paint, glitter, or rhinestones that you glue on.^{[10]
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Decorate the headboard with craft paper and duct tape. Cover the cardboard with the colors and patterns of your choosing. Use a different duct tape for the headboard than what you used for the bed base if you want to make the bed bright and colorful. If you want a simple bed, choose the same duct tape or craft paper.^{[11]
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- Use a glue stick to attach the craft paper to the headboard.
3
Fill the bed base with polyester stuffing. Place enough polyester stuffing into the bed base to fill it up to 1 in (2.5 cm) above the top of the cardboard. This is the mattress of the bed. Make sure that the polyester stuffing is evenly spread out or the mattress will be lumpy.^{[12]
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- You can buy polyester stuffing from craft stores.
- You don’t need to make your own mattress if you already have a doll’s mattress or a small, flat cushion that fits into the bed.
- Don’t worry that the polyester stuffing is too tall and rises above the base of the bed. It will be pushed down slightly when the mattress is complete.
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Tuck a pillowcase over the stuffing. Find an old, standard size (18.9 in × 28.7 in (48 cm × 73 cm)) pillowcase that you can use as the mattress cover for your doll’s bed. Place the pillowcase over the stuffing and tuck the edges of the pillowcase into the bed base so that the polyester stuffing is held in place. This creates a soft mattress for the bed.^{[13]
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- Alternatively, instead of a pillowcase you can use a piece of fabric that is slightly larger than the bed base if you prefer.
- Make sure to tuck the pillowcase or fabric tightly into the bed base so that the mattress stays in place.
5
Make the bed with doll bed accessories. If you already have American Girl Doll bed accessories, such as a duvet and pillows, add these to the bed now. You can also use different doll bedding for the bed if you have some.^{[14]
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- If you don’t already have bed accessories, you can get creative and make some! Use a piece of thick, pretty fabric to make a duvet. If you know how to sew or if you can get an adult to help you, you can easily make a simple pillow. Sew together 2 squares or rectangles of the same size along 3 sides. Stuff the pillow with polyester stuffing and then sew the last side together.^{[15]
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- You can also add a small stuffed animal to the bed to make it cozy for your doll.^{[16]
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Write your doll’s name on the headboard to personalize it. Write your doll’s name across the headboard of the bed using a permanent marker. You can also print your doll’s name off from a computer if you want to try out different fonts and colors.^{[17]
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- You may want to print off pictures from a computer or cut pictures out of a magazine to glue to your doll’s headboard.

Community Q&A

Question

What if you dont have small blankets or fabric?

Kaitlyn Wislang

Community Answer

Look around your home or ask an adult to help you find some. You can even use an old towel or a tea towel if you like!
Question

Can you show us how to make a bed without using Paint?💬📬

Kaitlyn Wislang

Community Answer

You don't need to use paint to decorate your doll's bed. You can use whatever you like! Try using duct tape, craft paper, printer paper, stickers, glitter, ribbon, or stamps instead.
Question

What about a shoe box that was decorated ALREADY?

Kaitlyn Wislang

Community Answer

It's okay if the box has already been decorated. You can add your own decorations over the top or leave the box as it is if you like it.

Warnings

Be very careful when you use a hot glue gun. Get an adult to help you if you need.

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Helpful 11 Not Helpful 4
It might be helpful to have an adult help you to make the bed, especially with the tricky parts. They can help you to cut out the cardboard and sew the bedding.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 9 Not Helpful 5