**While I’m busy preparing for and welcoming a new baby into our home *woohoo!* I’m having some of my fave blogging friends step in and share some rad posts with you all. Please give them some love and enjoy their creative ways!**
Hi Lemon Thistle readers, this is Havalah from Sisters, What! I like tiptoeing, I love eating ice cream after the kids are in bed and I love the rain. I’m super excited to be here today to share with you this natural wood baby rattle.
I saw some of these online and thought they were so fun, I just had to make one for our little baby. They were quick and easy to make, plus safe for the baby to eat and suck to it’s heart desire. To seal the wood I used a mix of coconut oil, beeswax and lemon essential oil. My hands felt so soft after applying the stuff. My favorite part of the rattle is that it makes just enough noise to entertain, but it’s not annoying like some rattles can be.
To make this DIY Natural Wood Baby Rattle you’ll need:
(I got all my things at Joanns in the wood craft section)
- Dowel (the size is determined by the round end bead you get) – cut the dowel to the length you want.
- Round end beads (a opening in just one end)
- Big beads (the ones in the picture were the only ones big enough for the dowel, but you can find more options online).
- wood glue
- Wood Polish Recipe
- 2 Tbsp beeswax shredded or cut into small pieces
- 6 Tbsp coconut oil
- essential oil (optional
Using a glass bowl over a pot of water (you know double boiling), melt your beeswax and coconut oil. After it is melted, pour into a small glass container and let cool.
Apply your polish to all the wood parts of the rattle. If you wanted to get fancy, you could stain your beads with natural food stain like coffee or tea.
Using some wood glue, put a few dots into the bottom of the ball. Then insert one end of the dowel into one bead. Add on the big beads and then insert the other end of the dowel into the other ball. Let set until dry. And that’s it. Your done.
I just love how the natural wood baby rattle turned out. It’s one of my favorite baby toys (haha, I know weird but I totally have my favorite baby toys for our little girl). The giraffe below is definitely another favorite and that crunchy tag blanket below (see here for tutorial).
Thanks Colleen for having me!
What a fun idea. I recommend you use TiteBond Wood glue (no affiliation). My tests show that the wood will break before the bond comes loose. And they have a waterproof glue, too, so baby’s saliva won’t cause the glue to come loose.
Thanks for sharing this awesome post on Monday Madness link party! It is nice to see a baby’s rattle that is natural and not full of plastic and other toxins! I loved the simplicity of the whole design! I loved it that much that it is one of the features in this week’s party! Hope to see you there!
I see a few of these projects online at different blogs.
In order to meet government regulations, the balls on the ends need to be 13/16″ to prevent choking. At that size (just over 3/4″), the ball cannot fit in a child’s mouth.
Pass the word.