It usually happens in high chairs at restaurants, sitting in carts at grocery stores, and in strollers at church. The same thing seems to happen every time:
- Baby chews on toy.
- Baby drops toy on ground and cries.
- Parent picks up toy and returns it to baby.
- Repeat steps 1-3 again… and again… and again.
Sound familiar? The only variation seems to be that some parents put away the dirtied toy and hand baby a new one from their cache. (“Diaper bags” are a misnomer– these things are actually decorated toy bags :)). BTW, if this is you, then you might as well fill your toy bag with age appropriate and educational toys! This article has a ton of information on selecting just-right toys for your child.
In our home, we definitely fall closer to the germaphobic extreme (you know, new parents…). Since I didn’t want to haul around a bag of toys, I came up with a solution: toy clips!
These were inexpensive and very easy to make. The suspender clips can be attached onto the car seat or your baby’s shirt, and the hair band is a versatile tool that can wrap around most toys that the velcro end won’t hold. Not only will this save you the trouble of picking up toys off the floor, but there are fewer germs to worry about!
If you own a needle and some thread, this should be very doable. I’m sure there is a nicer way to do this (hem/tuck in edges, sew a square box with a big “X,” and so on…) as my method is purely functional. I’m not a craftsy person, but this was pretty intuitive even for me, so anyone should be able to make it!
The directions below are for one clip, but if you’re going to get the materials, you might as well make a bunch. I hang one on the changing pad, one on the carseat, and keep one handy in the diaper bag to clip when we go out. I also gave a bunch away to friends with babies. It’s one of those small things that brings a big smile onto a mom’s face, “WOW, this is so useful!” Make a friend smile for less than a dollar? Totally worth it.
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Toy Straps
Makes 1 toy clip
Materials:
- A 12″ strip of 1″ webbing
(I got mine at a fabric store)
- A 1″ Metal Suspender Clip
(or these teddy bear ones
— WAY TOO CUTE!!)
- A hair band
- A set of 7/8″ sew-on velcro squares
Instructions:
1. Thread one end of a webbing through one suspender clip and fold over so that one inch hangs over. Sew it in place. I went back and forth a few times with the zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.
2. Do the same thing on the other side, using a hair band instead of the suspender clip.
3. Half an inch down from the hair band-end of the webbing, sew down half of a set of velcro. I sewed 1/4″ within the border to make a square. Sew down the other half of the velcro set about 2.25″ away.
4. All done!
Now clip the suspender end onto your baby’s shirt or along the edge of the carseat, secure toy on the other end, and enjoy uninterrupted adult conversation (hah!) over a cup of coffee.*You can make the straps shorter than 12″ if you’d like, but I wouldn’t make it any longer as it poses a strangling hazard to a baby.
If you’d rather just buy them, there are similar products you can purchase such as this
6 responses to “DIY Toy Clips!”
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Floors can be gross, but don’t forget to share straws and lick their pacifiers now and then. Seems to protect against allergies. Google “swedish pacifier study” for more info.
Thanks for the tip!
I was just wishing for something like that yesterday – my younger grandson is 7 months old and is just beginning to realise the concept of “object permanence”. So while we were waiting for our order in the restaurant, he must have thrown his rattles on the floor about 20 times and then peered down at them, wanting someone to pick them up. I picked them up, the waiter picked them up, his big brother picked them up…… I didn’t have anything suitable to tie them on to the high chair with, though, or believe me, I’d have done so!
A very good idea and totally agree with you about the germs.
http://meatified.com/healthy-sour-watermelon-gummies/ thought of you when I saw this…
Those are super cute! Looks yum! =D