Learn with Play at Home: 8 Homemade toys for Babies

Having a baby (especially your first) can be an overwhelming experience. The world of BABY/KID STUFF is an extensive one, full of items you never knew you "needed" or even existed.

When it comes to entertaining your baby, the most wonderful toy for them is you.

Watching you, listening to you, touching you. Time with you and other caring people is invaluable for their development.

There are also many fabulous pre-made toys and items for babies that in addition to the company of you and others, can help entertain, stimulate, sooth and aid in their development.

There are so many things out there that you could be continually buying something new, however it's just not necessary.

Often, with many of the toys marketed towards babies, they are able to use them very limitedly before they either out-grow or get bored by them.

This is where making your own toys can be beneficial as you can provide new and stimulating items for them, often for a very low cost (sometimes completely free) and little effort.

For completely free "baby toys" around your house look:

In your kitchen (eg. plastic containers, metal pots/pans, muffin tins, plastic kitchen utensils etc.)
In the recycling box (eg. recycled plastic bottles, containers, lids etc.)
In the fridge/pantry (eg. make homemade baby paint with yoghurt and food colouring or dry items for shaking and touching like rice/dried beans etc.)
In your wardrobe (eg. pairs of coloured socks to match, hats/scarves to play with and put on etc.)

Use some milk bottle lids and a tissue box for a posting game.

Transform an ice cream container into a colour sorting game (babies can start playing with the colours and sticks and trying to get them through the holes and as they grow you can start adding in the colour sorting)

Fabulous DIY baby toys

If you're feeling a bit crafty, here are some gorgeous baby toys from my friends around the web. These DIY toys will entertain them as babies and toddlers.