Monday, September 10, 2012

Turn your condiment bottles into toys

We all know babies love rattles and there are plenty on the market. However, you can make your own with just a few things laying around your house and I promise your baby or toddler will love these fun noise makers all the same (if not more).  The best condiment bottles to use are the clear plastic ones with lids that can screw on and off. The pop up tops are ok but you want to make sure you're able to super glue it shut. Start by cleaning your empty bottle with warm soapy so that all the food is out. Then soak in warm soapy water for a few hours to soften the label for easier peeling off. Ideally you do not want any paper left on the bottle. Then, you fill each one of your bottles with some kind of small objects that will make noise when shaken. Here are some examples of what we use:
The bottle on the left has blue water beads inside. These are found in the floral department of any craft store. They are very tiny when dry but when you add water they expand so you only need very little or else your bottle will be full. They dont really make noise but visually they are really cool...you could add water to it to watch them swish around. If you add water it can make the bottle heavy for little ones to pick up so do so based on what your child is able to shake.
The middle bottle has dry beans, sparkly puff balls and pipe cleaners. Again, visually stimulating and makes a cool noise. The one on the right is filled with miscellaneous craft buttons. I got a big bag of these from Michaels. Coins, buttons, pebbles, small bells, nails, golf tees, or rice are all other options to add to your DIY rattle noise makers. Have fun making music, learning about cause and effect, working on upper body coordination and visually exploring these cool looking noise makers!

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