Home Made Baby Toys
Home Made Baby Toys
Adding a new member to your family can really stretch the budget so saving money wherever possible is paramount.
These toys can be just as fun and educational for your baby (maybe even more so!) than store-bought toys with lights and sounds and are more Eco friendly to boot.
Bottle Rattles
Part fill clean plastic bottles with various small items such as rice, buttons, peppercorns, pebbles, etc.
Watch your baby explore the different sounds each bottle makes and discover how the items move when they manipulate the bottle in different ways.
As babies get bigger the bottle rattles can be re-purposed into skittles for bowling tournaments.
Glue the lids in place with a non-toxic adhesive and ensure the lids are secure before every play session.
Sensory Mats
Glue or sew different fabrics, sponges, leaves, and other items to a sturdy piece of card or up-cycled plastic.
Let your baby explore them with their hands (and mouth, if suitable!). To step it up to another level, create a simple blanket with pockets, loops, and fuzzy patches for babies to move around while they explore each area.
Discovery Box
Fill a tub or cardboard box with safe kitchen utensils, washcloths, hats, etc. Let your baby pull each item out and study it.
Add new items regularly to keep it interesting and engage their curiosity. This ‘toy’ can buy you some time each day to make a coffee or go to the toilet!
Playpen Tangle
Babies are wired to explore so playpens are a source of great frustration to little adventurers hoping to find new playthings beyond the fence line.
Add interest to the barriers keeping your baby out of mischief. Tying different fabrics through the bars, and adding a rubber teether or plush toy every here and there keep it interesting.
Make sure that any play with lengths of fabric or similar is supervised so the baby can’t get into trouble with it.
Baby Drums
Unleash your baby’s inner musician by presenting them with ‘drums’ made of upturned washing baskets, food containers, cardboard boxes, etc.
Let them go wild creating a symphony just for you! Show them a beat or tap out a tune and see if they can match it.
Making sounds with objects is as much a mental activity as it is a physical one, even if the sounds they’re making don’t sound very musical just yet!
