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Thursday, June 7, 2012

DIY Fabric "Wipes" Toy

Juliet gets a kick out of pulling wet wipes out of their package. Now, while I encourage her exploratory enthusiasm lol, at $35/case of wipes it's a spendy activity she's designed for herself!

So, you can image my delight when I saw this idea on Pinterest. I kid you not when I tell you I had it all put together less than 20 minutes later. And bonus: it cost me $0 (new) dollars to make as I had everything (an old wipes container and some fabric) on hand already.Link
The verdict?
Kid approved!! I have about 25 different pieces of fabric inside of the container and she, Ms. Tenacious, reached in and pulled out each and every piece, one by one. She also kept closing the lid just so she could push the button that pops it back open again. :)

Funny thing about this Huggies wipes container, I got it a few months ago when I was in a pinch for wipes. Ordinarily, I buy an unscented off brand (Kirkland - LOVE these wipes) because I'm just not a fan of the thick, perfumey-ness of other brands. But I digress. It's the pattern on the container that sold me - it's so colorful! Which is why I saved it, too. I just *knew* there was a craft or project awaiting that box!

As for the fabric scraps, I simply rummaged through my stash and found as many colors, patterns, and textures as possible. I know Juliet is a big young for this now, but I did gather fabrics with some matching themes in mind: fruit, colors, and "softies" (aka the minky fabric -- it's oh so soft!).

Just a few details: I used pinking shears to help reduce fraying. Where the fabric was already seared, I left it. Even if - or especially if - it meant some selvage (I kinda have a thing with selvage... I love those colorful number circles!). I did not cut the pieces with any size in mind and they are in no way shape or form equal or perfectly cut. (I know, that's so rebel of OCD me!) And again, the wipes package came with that fun design - I did NOT adhere anything to the sides (though you could, but then that takes away from the easy-peasy-ness of it all). Oh, and I just tossed the fabric inside - I did not bother to fold them all one into the other as is done with real wipes. The nice thing about this container is that the center part - the part that hold the wipes at the ready - is made of soft rubber, so it's safe for little hands to reach inside.

Now go on and make one too! They'd make great baby gifts, don't you think?

~Thank you for your comments!~

12 comments:

  1. What a great idea! Looks like she is having a blast. :)

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  2. So cute! I love that idea. What a sweet baby girl. Can I tell you something about Kirkland wipes though. After using them for 2 years on my son, I found out that they contain a dangerous chemical called nitro propane, in order to keep them moist. Nitro propane is ranked high in the list of carcinogens. I was distraught that a company would make such an unsafe baby product, just to keep them moist in bulk. I have contacted Kirkland and Costco, but they do nothing. I just can't knowingly wipe that on my baby's bottoms any more. So now I make my own wipes with the Kirkland brand paper towels and Burt's Bees shampoo and baby oil. They are fabulous and SO cheap! If you are interested in making them yourself, let me know and I'll link you to my blog post on that. Just wanted to share my findings. :)

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  3. I did one for my little man an he loved it!! I also can stick a 'mini version' in my diaper bag in on of the to-go wipe containers. Let me tell you it makes the Dr's office so much easier (since my germy radar doesn't like for him to play with the toys in the waiting room). And having it small means i'm only picking up 10 or so pieces instead the 50 in the one at home. Also in the big one he has started stuffing his smaller stuffed animals into it and making even more games. All around I totally second your recommendation on this one!

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  4. Oh I am so doing this! I've seen this on interest too and I have all the fabric laying around just waiting for me to cut it up. I've been so lazy to get to it. She looks like she's having so much fun I have to get it done. My 9 month old will love this.

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  5. This is so awesome! I wish I would have thought of that when my girls were babies! We went through countless numbers of tissue boxes when they were little. They loved pulling them out every moment they were awake.

    Kyle Sadler
    www.montessoriforlearning.com

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  6. This is such a great idea! I can't wait to make one for my littlest ones!

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  7. This is brilliant. My little one wastes so many wipes when she manages to get her hands on a box. This is the perfect solution. I might take scissors to some old t-shirts that need a new life.

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  8. LOVE THIS IDEA! Thanks for sharing.

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  9. Ok hot a wipe tub....now shopping garage sales & free boxes for material!

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  10. LOVE this! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  11. Love this idea! My 14 month old is really into pulling things out of containers. I just have to find a good substitute for a wipes container though, we don't have those here!

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  12. My mom found this post and made one of these awesome boxes for my one year old daughter. She loves it so much that I made a post about it on my blog, too! I linked up-- raisingkinley.blogspot.com :) Your whole blog is awesome! So many great ideas...thanks for sharing.

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