How to Make Toys Out of Common Household Items

New parents can spend hundreds of dollars on toys for their babies. Whether they are used for developmental purposes such as increasing motor skills or for educational purposes such as learning numbers, or maybe just for fun, toys are a necessary part of any baby's world. But you don't have to spend a fortune for them. You can easily make toys out of common household items. Follow these steps to get started.

Things You'll Need

• plastic containers of various sizes, egg carton, markers, duct tape, spoon, pillow, cardboard, sock, ribbon

Instructions

1. At some point, every baby is going to need teething toys. You can buy various teething rings at the store or, better yet, give your baby something more accessible to chew on. The bonus is, if they drop it on the floor you can replace it with a new one. The best teething toy is a spoon. Put it in the freezer to get cold for a more soothing effect. You can do the same with a frozen bagel. Another good teething toy, cleaned and cap and label removed, is a plastic water bottle.

2. Baby rattles are an important part of learning cause and effect. Rattles are simple to make. Just find a small container such as a yogurt container with lid or a childproof medicine container and fill with rice or dried beans. Empty plastic containers also make good drums and can be banged upon with spoons.

3. For a sensory exploration you can make a touch and see toy out of an egg carton. Cut the bottoms of each egg compartment and glue different fabrics with varying textures and colors to the outside, then put the lid beneath it to seal and your baby can stick his hands in the holes for soft, smooth and rough touches.

4. To help develop motor skills, a simple rolling bolster pillow can be the most fun. Put your baby's belly on the pillow and roll her back and forth to teach her what forward motion feels like. Another option it to put baby on a piece of cardboard or blanket on her belly and pull her around the room like she is sliding on her belly.

5. Help your baby discover his feet. Tye a ribbon or hair tie with a bell or bow to baby's ankle and watch him entranced by what's going on down there. To show him his individual fingers, you can tie short pieces of yarn to each one. Just make sure you are not cutting off his circulation.

6. Of course the traditional homemade toy is the sock puppet. Draw on some eyes and a tongue and whatever other embellishments you would like to your old sock and make up funny voices to get your baby to giggle.

Tips & Warnings

• The ultimate toy is time and imagination. Being with your baby, playing peek-a-boo with a scarf, making funny faces, blowing raspberries on her belly; these are all more fun than any toy.

• Be extra careful that none of the toys have any potential chocking hazards and always watch attentively as your child plays.