Toys that promote natural growth, encourage interest, and provide comfort for youngsters are ideal. They do not replace interaction but rather enrich it and do not overwhelm but assist the senses.
You may use items from around the house to make toys for newborns with a little bit of ingenuity. Here are some of our favorite DIY toys and activities that you can make or utilize with everyday objects.
DIY baby toys are inexpensive and simple to construct from objects found in your recycling bins or junk drawer. A good rule of thumb when making homemade baby toys is to keep each item basic and safe. Wallets, car keys, sunglasses, smartphones, and even a plain old plastic water bottle are far more fun and exciting to babies and toddlers than the most expensive toys money can buy.
Homemade Baby Toys Which You Can Make By Yourself With The Help Of Some Tutorials
Sensory Board Stimulator
DIY sensory boards are popular baby toys because they are easy to make, great for motor skills, and filled with materials that excite an infant’s mind. Attach a heavy-duty wooden board to a location in your home where it will not become dislodged and injure your youngster.
Add any number of knobs, pulls, switches, buttons, and patterns to the board. Replace the things on the whiteboard with more cognitively appropriate ones as your baby develops to increase their abilities and interest.
Stowed away
Many babies are pleased to squeeze, squash, and crumple an empty plastic water bottle. Fix the cap with masking tape, or detach it completely and discard it. You may also build a shaker toy by filling the unfilled water bottle with tiny, loud things.
If your infant like sparkly things, pack empty water bottles with gift-wrap ribbons or bows. (If your children are older, you may use these shaker maracas.) However, keep these tiny things away from newborns.)
Ice, baby, ice
This exercise is more suited for warmer days than winter, but it’s simple and inexpensive: put some ice cubes in a mixing basin, give your kid a wooden spoon, and let him swirl the crystals around as they melt.
You might wish to put a towel or a bathmat on the kitchen floor. You may even do this on a highchair tray, keeping your baby occupied and restrained.
Board with a Zipper
When newborns reach a certain age, they improve their fine motor abilities, gripping and pulling on items around them. Zippers are fantastic tools for assisting toddlers in perfecting the pincer grasp and pulling stuff upwards and downwards. Remove zippers from outdated goods that are no longer in use.
Look for colorful zippers in backpacks, pencil bags, and hoodies that may be repurposed. Using hot glue, adhere the zippers to a solid piece of cardboard. Make careful you glue the area around the zipper so it may move freely back and forth.
All Shapes and Sizes of Blocks
Blocks are classic toys for both newborns and older children. While wooden and plastic blocks are popular toys, they are hard-surfaced and may not be appropriate for little newborns who can be injured by sharp edges and heavy wood or other material.
Soft blocks may be made from common materials. Look around your house for little boxes. Consider the packaging of tea and other culinary products. Fill the boxes halfway with newspaper or similar materials to give them some weight, but not too much.
Cover them in felt, cloth, or any other material you’d use to cover a book. Make blocks of various shapes and sizes.
Tissue Extraction
Tissue pulling is an all-time favorite pastime. You can do this at home with an old tissue box instead of having the baby take all the wipes out of the container.
Once the box is clear of tissue, cut strips of fabric from blankets or shirts and place them in the box for one delightful pull after another. This is an excellent approach for children aged 9 to 12 months to practice their developing pincer grasp.f
Tunnel Made with Cardboard
You may make a short tunnel out of old moving boxes, appliance boxes, or huge diapers by opening up either side of the box. Crawling improves shoulder stability and is great for hand growth. This will aid in the finer movements of transferring food from the plate to the mouth.
A Tugging Case
Babies like exploring objects that they can pull and tug on. A cardboard box and various materials like ribbons, pipe cleaners, and scarves can be used to make a tug box. It would be best if you poked holes all around the box.
Make knots at the ends of the materials to be dragged through the holes. Babies may keep themselves entertained by revolving the ribbons, scarves, and pipe cleaners. Before playing, examine the box to ensure that no part of the knotting is undone and that there are no rips.
Conclusion
DIY baby toys must be non-toxic and safe for youngsters. Never utilise little bits that might lead to a choking danger. To manufacture soft toys, you should consult Trading Standards on toy safety. It is difficult to test for flammability without lighting your toy on fire, so our only recommendation is to keep handcrafted toys away from any potential sources of fire.