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Some of these ideas will be familiar to
many parents, but I hope that there will be some that might be of
some use or interest. This was written 13 August 2001, when Zach was
almost 8 1/2 months; ideas are geared towards what he was interested
in at that age.
* "Found" toys can be more entertaining at times than "real" toys. Zach can keep himself occupied for up to 10 or 15 minutes with a plastic Peter Rabbit bowl that I bought at Oxfam for 49p. Other "toys" he likes include a small water bottle with unkooked rice inside and a mini rolling pin from the kitchen store. I'll most likely glue the lid onto the bottle before he learns how to unscrew it. These last two are his kitchen toys that he can play with when he's in his high chair.
* Magazines that you don't care about saving can be lifesavers. (In-flight magazines are especially helpful.) My own theory is that they're interested both in the contrasting colors and patterns, and in the noises the pages makes as they're crumpled and torn. I will, however, warn people who do this to keep magazines they do want to save out of reach!
* I would love to make, but don't imagine I'll have the time until Zach's too old for it, an activity quilt. Yes, I know there are a lot of these on the market. What I would like, though, are a variety of colors and textures. I've tended to be pretty disappointed with most of the ones we've found. Lots of pastels. The design would be very basic: lots of squares sewn together and backed with a solid piece of fabric. Some of what I'd like to use:
~
Different fabrics -- linen, jersey, lame, flannel, etc. I'd
avoid wool due to the risk of allergic reaction.
~ Bright colors, and very bold patterns (black, while, and/or red
combos are great)
~
Bits of old clothes. Zach loves seams, pockets, and belt loops
on blue jeans. An old pair of jeans that aren't going to be
worn again would be great for this.
I'd avoid any fabrics that tear easily or that have something sewn on. If there are any bits that can come off, DON'T USE IT!!
For the even more ambitious, strips of fabric sewn at one end into the seam, and with a snap at the end, could be used to clip toys to the blanket. (Confused? Take a piece of fabric, stitch it into a tube, and turn it inside out so that the seam is on the inside. Stitch the top opening shut. Stitch one end into the quilt seam -- no, I can't explain this without pictures, so I hope you can visualize it -- and put a sturdy snap or piece of velcro on the other end. Make sure there's enough space between the two pieces to wrap the strip around a toy, such as a rattle. Activity gym toys would also work well here.)
If anyone does try this, I'd love to hear
how it turns out!
