Pacifier Tether

 

As a mom, you become a professional "paci-catcher" (and "poop-wrangler" and "drool-smuggler") which gets old really fast.  And now that we have a puppy in our house (and suddenly Little J is crawling!), pacifiers are never safe once they fall on the floor.  

To purchase one Pacifier Clip from the store would cost more than buying the supplies to make a dozen.  So I'm sure you can gather which option I chose...

I had previously made a simple tether to use while Little J is in his car seat because he started to make a game out of tossing his pacifier across the car.  He also decided that he preferred to suck on the strap rather than the paci (and suddenly the polka dots started disappearing...) 

There were a couple flaws in this design... 1. I sewed Velcro to my ribbon to secure the paci-ring.  This ended up looking junky and Little J wanted to chew on the scratchy Velcro, which made me nervous.  2. I chose the wrong kind of clip.  The clip above is meant for attaching convention name badges to dress shirt pockets.  I also wasn't able to secure the ribbon to the clip in a way that I felt was safe for baby.  3. I used the wrong kind of ribbon!  Obviously, because the polka dots started rubbing off, this ribbon choice was a mistake.  I needed something a little wider as well.

Here are my supplies for the replacement Paci-Clip:

Suspender clips

1 inch or wider smooth ribbon

Snaps

Sewing machine

I cut a length of ribbon, about 11 inches long (long enough to allow for sewing the ends and still reaching from paci to shirt easily - not so long that it could wrap around baby's neck)

Normally when cutting ribbon, it's ideal to cut on the bias (at a diagonal) to prevent fraying.  I really wanted straight edges on my ribbon, so right after making my cuts I sewed a very tight zigzag stitch to stop any potential fraying (see below).  I then sewed one end around the suspender clip.  This type of clip isn't as easy to attach and remove from clothing, which makes it safer for baby... but may have produced complaints from my big-fingered husband...

On the other end I attached a snap for securing the ribbon around the paci-ring.  This has a much sleeker look than the Velcro I used before, and actually stays more secure around the pacifier than the Velcro did.

Overall this version of my homemade Pacifier Clip is much safer for the babe.  It also looks better and will hold up against baby sucking for longer. 

Here it is in action!  Little J loves his pacifier, but he loves it even more when he can easily locate it once it has popped out of his mouth.  

in his mouth

popped out of his mouth

We also love this beautiful quilt!   This wonderful gift was made with love by one of our dearest friends, Beverly!  View her other masterpieces at her Etsy Shop, Bev's Best Quilts or her Facebook Page.

we play on this quilt all the time! 

happy chappy