How to Play with Baby + DIY Taggie Toy

This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Huggies Little Snugglers and Latina Bloggers Connect.

I remember toy shopping for my first baby as a new mother. I was inundated with choices when I scoured the aisles at BabiesRUs and our local toy shops. They had everything imaginable from cute plush toys that squeaked and rattled to those sometimes-annoying toys that flashed bright lights and startled you with loud music. Between gifts from family and friends and my own shopping adventures, we ended up with tons of toys for our little one.

However, it’s funny how babies often choose non-toy items as their favorite toys. My 7-month old prefers to play with cords, bags and clothing tags! Obviously I don’t want him playing with those things and try to be vigilant about babyproofing, but he always manages to prefer those random things because of the different sensory experience they provide.

Anything that stimulates sight, sound, taste, smell or touch make great play ideas for baby. Sometimes the best way to play with babies is to just do the simple things like sing lullabies, let them finger paint with baby food and touch different textures around the house.

Because my son is also teething, he’s become extremely fond of reaching for and chewing different textures and surfaces around the house. Tags happen to be one thing that he always goes for. So to keep him both happy and safe around the house I decided to make him a “taggie” toy. This is an easy to make and great toy new moms can try to help provide some teething relief (because that stage can start at 3 months!).

Supplies

• 2 sheets of fabric (about the size of baby wash cloths work well)
• Various ribbons (different textures is ideal)
• Needle/Thread
• Scissors
• Pin
• Stuffing (optional)

Instructions

Cut two pieces of fabric into desired shape. Squares and rectangles about 5×7 usually work best. Make sure your fabric is made from a soft, baby-friendly material like cotton or flannel. If you don’t have any extra fabric around, wash cloths or blankets work well. I used an old pajama onesie made from terry-cloth material – it already had a cute animal print sewn in so worked well!

Take the first piece of fabric and lay it right side up. Cut up several pieces of ribbon into a variety of sizes big and small and pin the loop inwards. Try to use as many different textures as you can – for my toy I used satin ribbon and some soft rope material that my little one love to chew!

Place the second piece of fabric on top of the first, but, this time, inside-out.

Sew along the edges, leaving about 1 cm at the seam. (By the way, if you have a sewing machine – bonus points – this will be much easier!). Then make sure to leave some space (about 1-2 inches of an opening) and flip inside out.

If you want to add more sensory fun with crinkly noise, try stuffing the inside with plastic packing (potato chip or cereal bags work well too!). You could also just go for a plush toy feel and stuff it with cotton like I did below.

Stitch up the last space and you’re done! A new plush taggie toy / teething relief for your baby!

This taggie makes a great toy to occupy your little one when your changing diapers by the way!

And when you are changing those diapers, be sure to try Huggies Little Snugglers which features a new GentleAbsorb Liner to provide a cushiony layer of protection made of numerous absorbent pillows that draw mess away from baby’s delicate skin. The cottony-soft inside and out help keep baby comfy longer. I also love Huggies Natural Care Wipes – the brand’s simplest formula ever for a gentle clean. The wipes contain Aloe, Vitamin E and are hypoallergenic and fragrance-free.

Have something that you’ve dreamed about adding to your registry? Try to make your wish come true by adding Huggies Little Snugglers and Natural Care Wipes to your baby registry HERE.

Thanks to Huggies for sponsoring this post in a series for new moms. If you missed my last posts in the series check them out below:

• Things to do Before Baby Arrives (Especially for Mommy!)
• Top Reasons Babies Cry + Solutions
• Tips for Grooming Baby