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5 DIY baby toys that will make your wallet and the planet happy

diy baby toys
diy baby toys

Baby toys can be expensive, and what’s worse, they often end up polluting our environment and oceans once their life cycle comes to an end.

Instead of spending a fortune buying new baby toys from the store, consider these 5 safe and sustainable homemade toys made from objects you already have at home.

A DIY rattle made from a plastic bottle

Credit: SimplePlayIdeas.com
Credit: SimplePlayIdeas.com

Take a dry, empty bottle and fill it up with rice or beads. Glue on the cap and make sure it’s tightly secured, so that it cannot be opened, and so that none of the small pieces can come out of the rattle (which can be dangerous choking hazards for little ones). Feel free to decorate the bottle as you wish, and get ready for a whole lotta shakin’!

Rain sticks made from upcycled cardboard

Credit: TheImaginationTree.com
Credit: TheImaginationTree.com

Make it rain by taking a cardboard tube (like a paper towel tube) and filling it with rice. Then layer some strong tape on the ends, and wrap some decorative paper around the tube. You can make multiple tubes, each with a different filling, to achieve different sounds.

A drumming kit made from tins

Credit: TheTrainDriversWife.com
Credit: TheTrainDriversWife.com

Your future rock star deserves their own drum set! Take an old tin (like a coffee tin) and wrap it with soft foam. This mom included an old cake pan as the “bass drum,” but you don’t need to go that far. If you are feeling extra crafty, you can even make your own drumsticks. You might want to look up “DIY earplugs” while you’re at it.

A fabric box made from an old wipes container

Credit: HandsOnAsWeGrow.com
Credit: HandsOnAsWeGrow.com

Instead of watching your baby remove all the tissues from your tissue box, surprise them with a fun fabric container. Take an old tissue box or wipes container, clean it out, and load it up with pieces of fabric or washcloths. Babies will love touching the different fabrics. Seeing your baby so happy might make you emotional, and now you’ll actually have tissues to wipe your tears of joy.

A TV remote, made from… an old TV remote!

Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images

Parents know that babies love pushing buttons (literally, of course) so why make crafting a toy more complicated than it needs to be? Just take an old TV remote, remove the batteries, ensure the battery compartment is firmly closed and sealed, clean it up well, and check for any loose buttons. This is one of the simplest DIYs you’ll ever see, but your baby definitely won’t mind.

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