Toddler Toys--Wipes Case

Has your little one ever gotten hold of the wipes?  Then you know what a mistake it was for me to ask Parker to hold the wipes package for a minute...  :)

A few months ago we were in a store and I handed it to him to keep him busy. I was hoping he would just enjoy the crinkling of the package. Um, no. When I checked on him a minute later, he was surrounded by wet, sweet-smelling wipes and was happily pulling out even more!


With all the toddler toy ideas I've found, I came across one where you pull scarves or fabric squares out of a wipes case. Great idea!! I usually buy wipes in a plastic package because the cases are big and bulky. But I had gotten a free sample of cottonelle wipes and they came in a nice little compact-size pop-up container. It's the perfect size for Parker to hold and the hole in the top is a flexible rubber strip so it's also easy to get his little hands inside.


I wasn't sure what to use for fabric... I tried cotton, but it bunched up and the thickness made it hard to pull through. Then I remembered I had some thin, sheer fabric that was left over from our wedding so I got that out. It was soft and really easy to pull through the hole.


Since the squares were just going to be pulled out of a box, I wasn't worried about making them look pretty. I cut out five square-ish shapes and crammed them into the little container. I showed Parker how to pull on the first piece and he quickly yanked it out and reached in for the other ones. How fun!  :)

But I wasn't actually finished. Turns out that the fabric I used frays terribly so after Parker pulled the pieces out a couple times he and the floor were covered in little silver threads. So I needed to hem the edges. Again, I didn't measure anything. I just folded them under twice and sewed a wide, quick hem on all the raw edges.


It only took a few minutes but, as you can see, Parker was a little anxious to have them back to play with!

Toddler Toys--Lacing Beads (or Rings)

I made this toy a few weeks ago but never got around to posting it. I saw some sets of lacing beads online and they had good reviews from parents of both boys and girls, so I was thinking about buying a set. It's basically a length of thin rope and jumbo wooden beads to string, to help teach toddlers motor skills. But ordering them and paying shipping was a little pricey, so I saw some ideas for making a set instead.
I checked Joann's for large beads but even though they were big, they were still small enough that Parker could put them in his mouth so I opted not to get them. I was going to put it on hold for a while, however, I was in Target shortly after that and I happened to walk past a box of foam pool noodles--perfect!

We picked out a bright blue one and paid $2 for it. Kyle already had some thin red rope left over from another project so I was all set. The only 'tools' I needed were a serrated knife and a cutting board.
I started cutting the noodle into rings, making them different widths.

It cut really easily with a knife! I only used about half of the noodle and I got a pretty good pile of rings.

I cut a piece of rope about 3' long and tied a loopy knot in one end so the rings wouldn't fall off as easily. The last step was to light a match and hold the ends of the rope up to the flame just for a second. This melted the fibers together so the ends can't fray and come apart.
That's it!

Although I don't think Parker is old enough for this one just yet... he didn't quite get it when I showed him what to do--he tossed the rope aside and wanted to stack the little rings! Since then he's enjoyed playing with them and scattering them throughout the house. I tried showing him again last week how to string them and he actually did okay, as long as I held the rope for him. So I guess this may be one for when he's a little older. :)

Memory Game

While I was at Michael's a couple weeks ago getting pompoms for Parker's little 'toddler toy' bucket, I came across bags of wooden shapes. Did I need wooden shapes for anything? No. But as I picked up a package of small, round wooden discs and wondered what I could make with them I had an idea.... these would make cute memory tiles! Memory was one of my favorite games as a child, so I thought it would be fun to make my own version.

I bought a package of wooden discs that were 1.5" wide, a bottle of mod-podge for glue and a 1.25" round paper punch. The punch was a little expensive but I've been wanting a round one anyway, so I figured this would be a good time to get it. And I already had a ton of scrapbooking paper at home, so I was ready to start!

I had 22 wooden discs so I chose 11 different designs and colors of scrapbook paper to use for the game. I cut two circles out of each sheet. Since the circles are so small I was able to use up some scrap pieces of paper

The next step was to glue the paper circles onto the wooden discs. I kept hearing that mod-podge is great for craft projects, so I tried it out on these. I brushed a little onto the wood and stuck the paper circle on top. Then I brushed over the entire surface to smooth and seal it. The pieces dried within a few minutes, so I turned them over and brushed over the bottom to give both sides a nice glossy look. I thought that might be enough, so I put them aside for the night. But when I pulled them out the next day to check on them, several of the discs were stuck together. The glue was also supposed to be a sealer but it had left the tiles just tacky enough that they stuck together. Bummer. I went back to Michaels and bought a small bottle of varnish and a brush that ended up shedding bristles all over. Those kind are my favorite.
I should also mention that since this for little kids, I used non-toxic glue and varnish. I can't vouch for the random bristles, though...

I brushed a coat of varnish on the front and back of each tile and, once they were dry, brushed a second coat onto the front of each one. I left them out for an hour to thoroughly dry and they had a nice smooth, glossy feel when I checked them later! It worked! Here are all the sets...

I'm sure everyone knows how to play this super simple game, but here are the basic rules: Lay out the tiles upside-down in rows. The first player takes his turn by flipping over two tiles. If they match, he removes that pair and turns over two more. If he turns over two tiles that don't match, they are turned upside-down again and the next person takes their turn. Once all the tiles have been matched and removed the game is over. The person with the most pairs of tiles wins.

Toddler Toys - Velcro

The first toddler toy I made Parker was a hit, so I thought I'd try another one! Most of these ideas are from Pinterest but I mainly just look at the pictures and then make up my own version. The toy for today is velcro sticks! Because what kid doesn't love to tear velcro apart?! Velcro is still fun for for me and I'm, well...let's just say I'm a lot older than Parker! :)

I found a package of jumbo craft sticks (like popsicle sticks, but bigger) at Target for $2. I had to go to Joann's for the velcro. I bought the kind that has a sticky back so they're easy to put on, but the downside is that they're a little pricey--$3.80 for 30 round dots. And you need four per craft stick, so I only had enough for 7. I was thinking later that it would probably have been cheaper and worked just as well to buy a strip of velcro, cut it into squares and glue them on the sticks.
BUT I already had the dots. So the only work involved for me was peeling off the velcro dots and placing them on the ends of the sticks (on both sides!). Can't get any easier than that! :) Since I only used a few of the craft sticks, I may pick up more velcro later and make a few more. But for now these would be enough to see if Parker liked them.

I waited until after dinner before getting them out. I needed a few minutes to put food away and wash dishes, so I pulled these out and set them on his tray. I showed him that the ends stuck to each other and he grabbed a couple and began putting them together. Well, I finished cleaning and doing dishes and he was still so intent on his building that I sat down and was able to sew for about 20 minutes before he started squirming to get down. Love that it kept his attention so long! I don't know if it shows in the picture, but he was focusing so intently that his tongue was out most of the time. :)

Toddler Toys

Parker is a typical toddler. Which means he's very busy! And he doesn't have a very long attention span. So I've been looking up some little toys and activities I can make (and do!) with him. Pinterest has all kind of ideas for 'busy bags.' The idea is to have several ziploc bags, each of which contains a simple, homemade activity that you can pull out if your little one is bored and needs something new to play with. Or they're perfect to toss in the diaper bag if you're out waiting at a restaurant, doctor's office, etc. The best part is, most of them are pretty inexpensive to make! This one stood out, not only because it doesn't take many supplies, but also because Parker loves to put toys into other containers right now. He's all about stacking and dumping things out.

I wanted a small container with a lid for this, so I started looking around the house for something that would work. I found a small plastic bucket with broken sidewalk chalk. Perfect! I got rid of the chalk pieces and washed out the bucket. Later while Parker was napping I went out to Michaels and got a bag of jumbo pompoms.

I cut two 1-inch square holes in the lid. Although this wasn't the easiest plastic to cut. I think I'd recommend something a little softer... a can from baby formula or something similar would work great! These holes aren't perfect, but it works!

I wanted to make sure the edges weren't too sharp for his little fingers, so I cut short pieces of duct tape and stuck them along the sides of the holes. Nothing says homemade like duct tape, right? :)

Fortunately, I don't think Parker cares what it looks like. He had been sitting at the table while I was making it and he couldn't wait to get his little hands on it! I showed him how to stuff the pompoms in the holes and he quickly took over.

He liked it! I'm going to try a few other toddler ideas, too...will let you know how they turn out!