Homemade Toys – Baby

Fill an empty bottle with small objects, rice or beans. Make sure the lid is sealed well and you Baby Homemade toyshave an instant baby shaker. Babies are fascinated watching the contents of the bottle move or make a noise when they shake it.

Did you know?

Shaker bottles encourage your baby to use their two hands together. This skill is important for activities they’ll need to do as they get older such as getting dressed and learning to write.

Add language

Use words that match what your baby is seeing, touching or hearing e.g. “Noisy!”, or “Sparkly!”.

Other Development

Bottles filled with little things are visually stimulating and make tummy and mat time more interesting. Your baby can get to play with small objects that would usually be choking hazards but are safe in a sealed bottle. Shakers help to develop understanding of “cause and effect” e.g. babies begin to understand that by doing one action (shaking the bottle) it will have a direct
effect (creates noise).

Variations

You can experiment with lots of different items in shakers to make different sounds as well as be visually appealing to your baby! Try things like scrunched up coloured paper, alfoil, pom poms, sequins, buttons, seeds or other small  items.

Plastic bottles can also be turned into brilliant blue “aquariums” that are a treat to look and play with. Just add blue coloured water and small plastic toys, strips or cellophane or glitter. An internet search will have lots of examples of “calm down” or “sensory jars” you can try yourself.

Safety

Be sure that small items are out of reach of your baby to remove choking hazards.
Always secure the lid of the bottle tightly with tape (we use electrical tape) to ensure the lid does not come off during play.

Across the ages

All the activities listed on our “Play Ideas” page can be applied across different age groups. See how winter play can be a fun activity for toddlerschildren and playgroups.

Activities listed under “baby” are suitable for children under 12 months. This age is largely about babies exploring their own bodies and the world around them from the safety of a close relationship with their caregiver.