Well Little E is finally making his first “official” appearance on the blog helping me show off my latest project.
When I made this ribbon teether for Little E. I actually started with the plan to make this red white and blue for the 4th of July (which would have looked equally cool). However, when I got to Michaels I found a fantastic selection of black and white ribbon in the dollar bins and knew exactly how to put it to good use. Babies love high contrast and E really enjoys all the black white rattles and flashcard toys that we have for him so I thought using the black and white ribbon would be perfect for this. I was right. He loves playing with this thing!
Even if you are DIY challenged (…like me) can handle this one. You just need a wooden ring and some ribbon. In fact the hardest part might just be finding a wood ring. Check your local craft stores and if all else fails you can find them online.
To actually make the toy all you need to do is cut strands of ribbon to your desired length. Then, tie then onto the wooden ring using a double knot. I did use a little beeswax to seal the wood.
See! Lots of baby fun! My only notes on this project…. On one of the ribbon styles, the white design is actually some kind of appliqué, and as the little guy chews on it I’ve noticed it starting to peel off so I actually ended up swapping out that ribbon for another style in the end. Just make sure whatever you pick up is baby friendly. Also for a babe this age I wouldn’t make the ribbon too long as you don’t want them to be able to get tangled up in it. These might be just a tad too long but I’m always with him when he’s using it so I’m ok with it for now. In case your wondering… E is 5 months here.
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I love this! Curious – when you did the beeswax seal this makes it safe for the infant? I wasn’t sure if there’s a specific type of wood I need to find but that note makes it seems like as long as it’s sealed it should be okay?
I’m not sure if the seal made much difference. As he’s chewed on it it seems like it needs to be sealed again anyway. If you do seal it I would definitely use something all natural and not a chemical since it’s apt to end up in little mouths. I also made sure the wood was smooth with no splinters or anything.
I really like your blog. I just wanted you to know that there is a grammatical error in your little bio on top. It should say “come” together instead of “coming”. Thanks for the fun ideas for DIY baby things.
Glad you like the blog and thank you! Do you know how many times I’ve looked at that image and never noticed that error. Thanks again!
Just came across you blog and I cant seem to leave. I have lots of things to do today, but this is awesome. and I am stuck here. Just want to drop a line and say HI! You have a very interesting blog. Thanks!
Jana
Haha, thanks Jana! So glad you are here visiting 🙂 If you do manage to get away I hope you come back often!
What size is the ring? I was looking online and at our local stores. The only size I found were 2″. Yours looks bigger!! Love this idea!!!
This was a 3″ ring if memory serves. I was able to find them online. Try amazon, etsy or I ordered from crafparts.com
So how do you put the beeswax on. Did you melt it and then dip the wood in it?
Hi Jamie! I just use my fingers and rub it into the wood. Makes your hands nice and soft too 🙂
Hi. You have a wonderful graphic sensibility! I’m wondering how you keep the ribbon from fraying at the ends? Is it grosgrain? Because I know satin ribbon will fray. I was thinking of maybe slightly burning the ends since my little one prefers satin ribbon. Thanks for the idea!
I honestly didn’t do anything to it. They didn’t end up fraying all that much so I just trimmed them off and on as necessary. I can see where they might though. Burning the ends might help that.