How to Customize Baby Football Jerseys

Customize a New Jersey Online

• 1

  Find a website that allows you to customize football jerseys. The most difficult part of this process is finding a website that sells jerseys in infant sizes; most retailers start at children's size small. For college jerseys, the official store of the NCAA (see Resources) offers jerseys as small as zero to three months. The NFL's online store (see Resources) also offers jerseys in infant sizes. Both of these websites offer licensed apparel; that means their jerseys have been approved by the NCAA or NFL.

• 2

  Select the "Customize" option from the retailer's website.

• 3

  Choose your jersey's colors, If you're working through the NCAA or NFL, you will be able to select only color combinations worn by current teams; other websites not affiliated with a football organization may allow you to pick from a larger range of colors.

• 4

  Select a number for your customized jersey. For instance, if you were customizing an Indianapolis Colts jersey, you might choose number 18 for Peyton Manning. Or, you might choose a number that's more personal -- such as the date or year of your baby's birth.

• 5

  Add a name to the back of your jersey. Again, you could choose to add the name of a current or former player from your favorite team, or you could add your baby's name or nickname.

Customizing a Jersey You Already Own

• 6

  Remove any unwanted numbers or lettering from your baby's jersey. If the numbers or letters were sewn on, remove them using a seam ripper. If the numbers or letters are iron-on decals, simply run a hot iron over them; the heat from the iron will loosen the glue holding the decals onto the jersey. After a few minutes, you should be able to peel the decals right off. Be careful not to melt the letters themselves; this could make it more difficult to remove them. You may need a razorblade to help you lift up the corner of each letter or number. Apply nailpolish remover, hairspray or rubbing alcohol to remove any glue left behind by the decals.

• 7

  Run your jersey -- now free from letters or numbers -- through the wash before customizing the jersey.

• 8

  Purchase iron-on decals designed for fabric; you should be able to find these at a crafts store. If you're working with a newborn jersey, you'll want to use smaller letters--roughly 1 inch in height. If you're working with a jersey sized for older babies, you'll be able to use larger letters for the back of your jersey. Buy two copies of numbers for the jersey -- one set for the front and one for the back. You'll be able to use larger decals for the numbers than for the letters; however, their ultimate size will still depend on the size of the jersey. Take the jersey with you to the crafts store to compare letters and numbers for best results.

• 9

  Place the decals on the jersey, in the position you'd like them to be. Especially with small jerseys, you may find you don't have enough room for a long name on the back and may have to improvise with a shorter nickname. Once you are satisfied with the placement of the letters and numbers, remove any fabric, plastic or paper backing they may have and place them back onto the jersey. Placing a sheet of wax paper between the iron and the jersey, iron the decals onto the jersey until they stick completely.