DIY ribbon and lace box

It was on holiday that I got the idea for making one of these. Isla is obsessed with laces, labels and tags at the moment (as I'm sure any child her age is). She spends ages playing with them, pulling them, turning them over, waving them in her hands. She just finds them fascinating. Let's face it though, a cord of any kind presents a hazard to children and so, with this in mind, I wanted to make Isla something with ribbons and laces that would actually be safe for her to play with.

To make her 'toy', I used an old shoe box, offcuts of wrapping paper, a variety of colourful laces and ribbons, scissors, cellotape, a knife and a pen. It's better to use a lidded box with a lid that can be completely removed, as this makes it easier for threading the laces and ribbons later on.

I started by covering the shoe box in the wrapping paper. It helps to make a rough net first so that the paper fits neatly around the box. I then used a pen to make holes in the sides and ends of the box and threaded laces through. Once the laces were through each side, I made a large knot at each end so that Isla could pull the laces out slightly but not enough to pose a danger. I should mention at this point that with anything like this, babies should not be left to play unsupervised anyway.

For the ribbons, I used a small sharp knife to cut a slit in the sides of the box and threaded them through. When using the pen/knife to make holes in the box, it helps to wiggle them slightly to increase the size of the holes and this will make it much easier when it comes to threading your materials through. At this point, you could also put some jingle bells (or something noisy) inside the box to make it more multi-sensory. I didn't bother with this though.

I wasn't really sure how well this 'toy' would be received to be honest. Usually when I take lots of time to make something for Isla, it doesn't take long before it's shoved aside in favour of something completely ordinary. However, I was delighted to see her engaging with it for a lot longer than I expected. It's been out on a few occasions since.

A box like this is fantastic for developing a whole host of skills, including concentration, fine-motor skills and problem-solving ability. Making a toy can be a bit soul-destroying when you realise actually they're not so keen on playing with something you've spent a lot of time making and put a lot of thought into. In this case though, my hard work paid off and we've been using the box regularly ever since.

Have you made any DIY toys for your baby before? If so, I'd love to hear your ideas if you have.