While it may seem like babies can’t do very much, it’s actually never too early to start your little one on developmental activities. There are endless interactive baby toys on the market these days, but they’re often expensive and not all that attractive. And you never know whether the materials that they’re made from are safe for your little one. But there’s an easy solution… make your own! Plus, there’s something so special about creating your own toys for your son or daughter.
From baby gyms to crinkle toys to busy books, these DIY interactive toys will give your baby a sensory head start.
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10 DIY Interactive Toys To Hone Baby's Fine Motor Skills
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Knotted Crinkle Toy
Make this easy to grasp wooden ring toy for your little one... it has soft fabric strips with crinkle material inside for both tactile and auditory exploration. Plus, the strips are simply tied onto the wooden ring making assembly super easy.
Photo and Tutorial: See Kate Sew
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Colorful Baby Gym
Who knew making your own baby gym could be so easy? And you can customize the toys that you hang from it, depending on baby's (and mom's) preferences.
Photo and Tutorial: Sarah Hearts
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Printable Wooden Blocks
Dress up a plain set of wooden blocks with these modern shapes and letters from Petit Collage. Print out the templates and use a non-toxic glue to adhere them to the wood. Bonus: they make an attractive nursery display as well!
Photo and Tutorial: Momtastic
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Hula Hoop Activity Center
Make tummy time more fun for baby with this easy DIY sensory hula hoop that is jam packed with pom poms, ribbons, boas and other textural items to tug on. Bells add an auditory element too.
Photo and Tutorial: C.R.A.F.T
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Stuffed Tag Toys
Babies tend to enjoy playing with the tags on stuffed animals, so why not take it to a new level? These plush toys have a handful of tags around the perimeter for extra tactile enjoyment.
Photo and Tutorial: Making Things Is Awesome
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Quiet Book Pages
Because of their many interactive features, quiet books are a great way to engage your child. This strawberry is actually a simple puzzle, and there's a template for a cupcake page available for download.
Photo and Template: Bubbles and Bobbins
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Custom Busy Board
Busy boards are good for more than just staying busy... they are a great way to sharpen baby's developing fine motor skills. This one has wheels, latches, lights and even blocks so you can spell out a name or word.
Photo and Tutorial: Momtastic
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Sun Ray Crinkle Toy
This sun-shaped toy is easy to hold and flexes your little one's tactile and auditory skills thanks to the soft fabric on the outside and the crinkle sound on the inside (you'll never guess what he used for the crinkle material!).
Photo and Tutorial: Made By Joel
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Carboard Box Town
If your kiddo has started taking an interest in cars, trucks and anything else on wheels, make a simple "town" out of a piece of cardboard... they'll love driving their vehicles through the streets!
Photo and Tutorial: The Imagination Tree
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Wooden Play Gym
For the minimalist moms out there, make your own play gym out of all-natural materials like wood and leather. This one folds flat too, so it's great for those of us with limited storage space.
Photo and Tutorial: The Merry Thought
