What you need
1 Empty Water Bottle
1/4 cup of uncooked rice, lentils or beans.
Assorted colored ribbons.
Optional Beads, sequins or felt shapes.
Hot Glue or non toxic Craft Glue
Instructions
Start by taking your water bottle and allowing it to dry. Once it is dry add your “rattle” items. This bottle is filled with rice, sequins, felt cutouts and a few assorted bright beads.
Place some glue around the rim of the lid and then pop it on and allow it to set. This is just an extra precautionary in case the top should become loose.
Keep in mind this toy is for small infants – Birth-6 months and they would not have the motor skills to untwist the tight top or to choke down the ribbons. But secure everything with glue to be safe.
Securely tie the ribbons to the top of the bottle, again you could add some glue for extra security.
Try to find ribbons that are brightly colored and different textures for a sensory delight.
As with all baby toys these bottles should never be used unsupervised.
Common Questions:
Is it safe to use ribbons? Yes, Craft Ribbons are dye fast and do not fray. If you are concerned try sucking on the ribbon yourself. You will see it is safe.
Is the rice and beads safe? Of course the rice is secured inside the glued lid.
Is the glue safe? Yes, Craft glue is non toxic.
These calm down or senosry bottles work on older children too, especially if they are part of the making process and get to select what goes inside their bottles. You could use lego, toy trinkets and other collectables inside the bottles to gain your child’s focus.
How do sensory or calm down bottles work? The key is in the slow movement of the items inside the bottles. Whether it is small trinkets, air bubbles or oil bubbles. They help the child to focus their brain on the small movement and slow down, they slow down their breathing and in turn regulate their brain waves to a calmer level.
Sensory bottles are not just about calming down they are a fun way to introduce math and science to your children at and early age. You can add plastic numbers, letters or colors for a child. Sensory bottles can be about a find a seek play for multiple items and educational learning for young or preschool children.
I just saw that you have researched the craft ribbon and it doesn’t fray. Even better! Thanks!
If you are a parent that supervises their child while they play, this is a perfectly safe and fun toy for a baby/toddler. (Although, I will roll the ends of the ribbon, run them through a sewing machine and hand tie the thread ends so that the ribbon doesn’t unravel before I give it to my grand daughter.)
Looks nice but not safe for small children….whether its rice, beans, beads, etc.
i made it with a pepsi bottle
thank you for this i needed i am making it for a school project and im sure to give this page credit for it!!
LOVE the idea! I’m going to use it as an art project for Halloween party. Fill it with halloween colored items!
THanks!
This is a great idea for a toy, as long as the child is supervised while playing with it, (or any other toy). Using different sized bottles is also a good idea.
soo funny!!! CUTEEEEEE!
My community Ed class had toys like this, but without the external ribbons. I don’t know if the tops were glued on, but they were taped on the outside.
My suggestions:
-the ones I saw had feathers in them too
-Coke is selling holiday bottles in 2009 that are round shaped, my daughter LOVES this shape and I plan to snatch up a bunch of them for this project
I made this with a pepsi bottle. I put dry rice and some beads in the bottle and hot glued the lid tight. My 18 month old daughter love this.
I would leave off the ribbons
I think its a fantastic rattle – very stimulating and environmentally conscious at the same time.
I didnt have a cool water bottle rattle as a baby – but back then we were daredevils and drank from faucets (and played with ribbons too!)
Bravo, My son loves my water bottles. And since I pay enough attention to my son while he plays, I would feel fine giving him something like this.
I love the ribbon idea, i made one for my daugther with beans, she’s TWO and still loves it. I think I’ll make her another with my left over ribbon! thanks for the great idea!!
Between the cap and the ribbons, this just isn’t safe for young children.
Bad idea. My friend made a beautiful little blankie with ribbons and at 3 mo., I was alarmed to her her cough from choking on the ribbon. Lucky it was attached to the blankie and I just took it away. Things in a bottle could come out after a lot of play
We do something similar with our older daughters, we fill with sand and small toys to play “I spy” type of games. They love it and we’ve never had a problem with the lids being taken off. Great, especially in the car.
If this is such a bad idea, then why are there several early childhood education supply stores that sell things and kits just like this for $30 a bottle?
It looks awesome and the fact that it can be done with supplies on hand rocks.
As long as the parent is actually paying attention to the child, this is an absolutely wonderful toy!
I love it! I made something similar for my now one year old when she was 6 months old. It has lasted through everything, including bath time!
This is a great idea for a rattle but I’d leave off the ribbons.. they could be a choking hazard as well as a poisoning hazard.
this looks dangerous if the cap were to come off. Glue doesn’t always stay especially attached to plastic.
sorry, but the ribbons are a bad idea for babies. Everything goes in their mouth. Including the dyes, fibers, etc. I would not be able to recommend this craft for under 3 years of age. however, it would be a good noisemaker/party favor for older children.
I just don’t feel it’s wise to put rice or beads, etc., in the water bottle for the baby.