Is wiggling a problem while creating the mold?
The alginate is generally very user-friendly. Some movement is actually helpful once a hand or foot enters the molding powder as this helps to coat all areas, minimize surface bubbles, and get alginate into the tiniest creases and spaces. Movement in the initial 20 seconds or so is no problem at all. Near the 60-90 second mark, there is a “setting window” where the alginate begins to harden from a liquid into a rubbery gel around the hand (this feels much like a hard boiled egg to the touch). During and after the setting window, it is best to keep the hand as still as possible. This is why we recommend actually holding a baby or toddler’s wrist securely, to keep them from pulling a hand or foot out prematurely as the top of the mold will set before the inside. In general, unless a child has been vigorously uncooperative, or completely ruins a mold by clenching an open hand into a fist after the setting window, or yanks the hand out before the mold has completely set, the molding compou
