The problem comes when it is time to leave and none of the toys can be found. The answer is to sew a folded hold-all toy mat for your baby:
Materials Needed for the Hold-All Toy Mat
- Two yards of polyester fleece
- Long lengths of strong ribbon
- Soft toys such as teddy bears
- Solid ring toys like teethers and rattles
- A sewing machine or needle and thread
- A scissor
Toy Choices for the Hold-All Toy Mat
There are two different types of toys that you can attach to the folded hold-all toy mat for your baby: soft toys and ringed toys. Soft toys include any variety of plush or stuffed toys like teddy bears, soft balls, cubes, or other shapes. Some of these have jingle bells or rattles inside them.
The other type of toy are ringed toys. These toys can be hard plastic teething rings, plastic keys, or rattles with solid ring handles. It is important that these toys do not open or come apart for the hold-all toy mat.
Sew the Hold-All Toy Mat for Baby
The main ideas of the hold-all toy mat for your baby is fun and safety. Begin by cutting the fleece fabric into two rectangles of the same size.
The next step is to attach the toys to the long ribbons. For maximum safety, you will be sewing the ribbons into long loops. For the ringed toys, all you have to do is loop the ribbon through the ring. For the soft toys, use a needle and stout thread to sew through the toy and onto the ribbon. Attach one toy to each end of the ribbon loops.
After the toys are attached, criss-cross the ribbons on top of one of the fleece pieces. This will make a grid pattern and the toys will be hanging off the edges of the fleece. Then, lay the other piece of fleece over the top and pin through the fleece and ribbons to hold it together.
Using your sewing machine, sew down the length of every ribbon between the two pieces of fleece. This will make sure that everything will stay in place securely. You can then sew around the outside of the fleece pieces. Don't worry about the edges because fleece does not fray.
To transport this folded hold-all toy mat for baby can simply be folded up with all the toys toward the middle. Use another piece of ribbon stitched to the middle of the back of the blanket to tie it up into a secure package.
This folded hold-all toy mat for baby is washable and so convenient. Because all the toys are permanently attached to the mat, there is no chance that they will be lost. As long as you are careful with your sewing, this hold-all toy mat will be very safe, and very enjoyable for your baby.
