Red Hot Baby Rattle

I've got a sweet tooth... and in an attempt to redirect my diet in a healthier direction, we stopped buying sweets (this doesn't stop us from baking sweets at home... but it's a start).  So when I got a hankering for something sugary a couple days ago, I discovered an old bottle of red hots in my baking drawer.

 

Before I managed to devour the entire contents, Little J discovered the fun rattling sound this snack could make.  I let him shake and rattle to his heart's delight... until I finished the little cinnamon sweeties off.  I really hated to let this toy go to waste, since he enjoyed it so immensely.  I thought, "hey!  I'll fill it with something else that rattles!"

 

I analyzed the results with my personal test subject.  He approved:

 

I had a few concerns, though.  

1. Rocks aren't edible.  Even for babies. 

2. The lid is not difficult to unscrew.  Even for babies.

3. The plastic could easily be chewed through by puppy teeth, unleashing inedible rocks all over the floor.  Which, incidentally, aren't edible for puppies either.  

So I dug through my scrap box (it's actually a dresser.  You may have guessed by the amount of fabric I discover in it's depths).  

  

I needed something that wouldn't fray and would be durable enough to be gummed by my baby.  Aha! Some manly plaid fleece!  

I measured the circumference of my plastic bottle and cut a piece of fabric wide enough to fit around it (leaving 1/2 inch for sewing) and sewed it into a long tube.

 

I secured the ends by simply tying a knot.  It ended up looking like a lumberjack candy.  See?

Here's what I like about this toy:

1. It's easy to hold.  Even for babies.
2. It can be safely chewed on.
3. Virtually nobody can get inside to release the inedible rocks.  So, babyproof.
4. Little J LOVES it!

shaking it so eagerly, it blurred

the pups are so jealous

demonstrating the "chew" function

I wasn't sure the excitement of this novel toy would last more than one evening... but when I gave it to the Peanut this morning, he was just as thrilled.

"i'm still jealous"

  
I wasn't lying when I said we haven't been able to resist cooking our own sweets at home.  I made another batch of mini pie tarts... and added the new pictures to my previous post. Give it a look!