This Ralph Lauren-Inspired Hack Turns a Stroller into a Family Heirloom (It’s Stunning!)
This Ralph Lauren-inspired DIY might be the sweetest thing on your feed today. Channeling the brand’s blend of heritage Americana and patch-heavy aesthetic — the retailer previously had a customization bar in certain stores where shoppers could trick out their polos with patches, and it also sells patch kits — Instagram creator Baylee Jo Lorick took personalization to the next level with a patch-laden bassinet stroller designed for her baby-to-be, Ford. The result feels straight out of a vintage-themed nursery. Best of all? Each addition tells its own story.
“Instead of buying a new stroller, I reused [one] but I made it feel completely new,” Lorick shares in a Reel. “At my baby shower I had everyone add a patch to the bassinet inspired by the RL custom patch bar and pieces I’ve been collecting for years now. It represents everywhere we’ve been, all the women in my life who support me. So now baby Ford will be surrounded by all that love.”
Patches representing stars and the moon, several American states, schools, and, naturally, the iconic Ralph Lauren Polo bear, can now all be found on the UppaBaby Vista stroller, which Lorick notes she used for her other children. The stroller looks right at home in the nursery where she filmed the Reel, with a vintage American flag hanging over the crib, a Pendleton National Parks Quilt serving as a curtain, and a Southwestern-style rug grounding the space.
The “Ralph Lauren-inspired patch bassinet” has generated more than 10,000 likes on Instagram since it was posted, as well as plenty of fire emojis and kudos in the comments (plus a good amount of commentary around the soccer patches — the creator explains that her husband is a Chelsea FC supporter, which drew a few good-natured pokes). One commenter even wrote, “Please remove this from my eyesight as I am patch-obsessed and also named Ford, but due literally tomorrow. I don’t have time for this obsession.” Another joked about the bassinet, which is usually used just for babies up to six months old, “Can I put my 1-year-old in this?”
For those looking to DIY — and you could totally try this on a regular stroller seat, backpack, and more — Lorick shares some helpful insight. For her stroller, each patch was fabric-glued, sewed, or ironed on. She noted to a commenter that for the most part the various adhesives have been holding up when the hood of the stroller is collapsed, but did offer some additional tips: “I recommend hitting some of the patches with some stitches to reinforce them. For instance, my Coachella safari patch [is] super thick and the iron/fabric glue adhesive might not do the trick so a couple of stitches definitely helps!”
Bassinets, of course, are only used for a limited time. But as Lorick assured her commenters, the stroller has already become something of a keepsake. “I’ll pass it down, family heirloom. We will run this thing til the wheels fall off hahaha.”