How do I make a baby rattle??

[calanneh]

I have a customer who wants a leather baby rattle for her 6 month old. I have never made one before so I am throwing my thoughts out to the collective mind for some input....

I torn between two styles:

a. Covering a store bought rattle with leather scraps sewn together...various colors and such to hold the baby's attention.

b. Make a vegtan rattle from scratch with a leather-covered ring (4" or so) with a sealed area that will have the rattlers in it.

I want it colorful, but I do not want to use any paint on it as it will go right to the mouth!! lol

I have about $25 to $30 to spend on this so I want to make it top-notch!

What yall think??

cal

[Johanna]

I don't think it's a good idea to make a baby rattle out of leather that is actually going to be used by a baby and put in her mouth. A special one that mom can put away with her baby things to give to child when she is older (in other words, a work of art, not a teething toy) is a better idea. You have no idea what the leather you use is tanned with, or what chemicals it has in it. I don't let my dogs chew on scraps in the shop because they get sick from it, and I sure wouldn't let my baby gnaw on a piece on veggie tanned. Nice thought, but not a safe one for baby.

Johanna

[calanneh]

Very good point Jo! LEt's scrap teh vegtan idea....(no pun intended).

How about taing small pieces of colored upolstrey hide and sewing it together, then covering a store bought rattle. This is something she really wants for the baby to be able to play with.....but safety first as always.

A second thought...evilgrin....is a pair of baby mocs that can slid onto his feet with small rattlers attached to them!

Thoughs?

cal

[David]

Cal,

Upholstery leather us usually tanned with chromium....deadly poison.

I'd scrap the rattle idea altogether.

Veg tanned is also out, not just because of chemicals.... many south american hides are urine tanned. Something to avoid for sure. We always hope that our hides are tanned here in the US, but you can never be 100% sure.

David

[calanneh]

Thanks David,

Any thoughts on the baby mocs with rattles on them? Tandy sells the baby moc kits (which I have made a few of) with some white and some brown leather in them.

Is this leather something special or are they assuming the baby won't put his foot into his mouth???? My guys always chewed on their shoes when they were teething!!! lol

cal

[Sharpshooter]

I am wayyyyy so bad...

My first thought in response to the title of the thread was... "Loosen up the belly button?"

Good thing I didn't say it.

[calanneh]

I am wayyyyy so bad...

My first thought in response to the title of the thread was... "Loosen up the belly button?"

Good thing I didn't say it.

Not the answer I needed but it did make me laugh.....

cal

[celticleather]

My equally bad thought was 'Fill with dried peas and shake gently'!

[celticleather]

But on a serious note . . . there are so many noxious and often downright unpleasant substances used in the production of leathers - from the tanning right down to the colouring - that a rattle, which may be chewed or sucked, would not seem to be a good idea.

[calanneh]

But on a serious note . . . there are so many noxious and often downright unpleasant substances used in the production of leathers - from the tanning right down to the colouring - that a rattle, which may be chewed or sucked, would not seem to be a good idea.

Yeah, I've ditched the rattle idea. But what do yall think about the mocs? I have made and given baby mocs to friends....... Do you think they would be good?

cal

[rdb]

Okay, I'll be the devil's advocate. IF I were to attempt this, I would use ONLY an organic rawhide, or rawhide lace...meaning, no lye, ash , or lime, just elbow grease to remove the flesh and hair layers. Dried in the sun, shaped when wet, but not soaked.

Considering that all rattles for kids today are made from petrochemical plastics, or metals, I'm going to step out on a limb and say, "How bad can this really be?".

[ArtS]

Cal,

How to make a baby rattle - mmmmm - if you pick one up and shake it vigorously that might work - but you will get in big trouble with it's mother!

Art

[Kowboyboots]

Just givem a pigs ear, LOL

[calanneh]

OK ya buncha clowns......

How about thoughts on the actual question??

What do yall think about the mocs with a small rattle on the laces. Tandy sells the kits so do you think that are safe?!?!?!?

cal

[Jordan]

Babies are adept at putting anything in their mouths even their feet. I don't think it would be a huge problem, as mom's, especially new ones, are extremely hyper vigilant. Have you thought of mini gourds? when they are dried they rattle and you could maybe cover them with moc material.

[Davy]

You can buy what they call surgical calf here in Aust . mainly used for shoe linings , straps on orthopedic attachments etc but I dont know how surgical it is . Ring a tannery to find out or footwear section of a college , there isnt much those guys dont know about leather , its processing and uses .

[Surveyor]

To answer the question you have asked several times; babies put anything in their mouths they can. So the mocs could very easily wind up being gummed, especially if rattles were attached to draw attention to them. I would leave the mocs as footwear and not toys. I have six, so this comes from some hands-on experience.

Edited October 7, 2008 by Surveyor

[calanneh]

To answer the question you have asked several times; babies put anything in their mouths they can. So the mocs could very easily wind up being gummed, especially if rattles were attached to draw attention to them. I would leave the mocs as footwear and not toys. I have six, so this comes from some hands-on experience.

Thanks Surveyor!

I have two myself and you're right. First thing they did with anything was taste it....lol. And evendently it takes them a bit to determine if it tastes good or now before they spit it out.....

I guess I will drop the rattle item from the mocs as well and just make him the mocs.

As a replacement gift, what do yall think about a bib that fastens behind the neck and maybe around the back as well. This will hold it down so he cant put it in his mouth. I could carve his name etc and then super sheen it 2-3 times (inside and out) to seal it up real good.

I may be beating the dead horse now, but this is for a single mother of four boys who can't afford many gifts.

If yall think the bib idea is too risky still, then I may stick with the mocs and then make a leather door/wall hanger with his name.

Any thoughts on the bib???

cal

[Sharpshooter]

Having sidetracked your thread by being a wiseguy, I guess I'll toss in my two cents worth.

From my perspective, a leather gift for a baby is something that REALLY isn't for today but instead for 20 years from today.

Very few "baby" gifts last beyond a year or two. With the exception of the favorite stuffed companion and blanket, the rest is just worn out and used up.

Now a carved nameplate or wall hanging that's not too "baby" oriented could squeeze into the lifetime gift so long as it has a "cool" factor that will survive the teen years.

Finding that just right "thing" is a huge challenge but realize that babies don't have that good a sense of time and if you don't give them a watch for a few years you can get away with a lot of things. maybe wait until the child develops a specific favorite 'thing" and go from there.

My son really came to like Mickey Mouse, it became obvious pretty early on so I made him a lot of Mickey stuff that he still cherishes at 17 years old.

[bruce johnson]

Leather picture frame. Small slip cover to go over a "brag book" for snapshots. These are two pretty standard baby gifts for my customers.

[UKRay]

Does anyone remember 'baby reins' for toddlers? I made a few of those back in the day but you don't seem to see them nowadays - I had a set for my son and they saved his young life on several occasions as he rushed to play with passing cars...

[Surveyor]

I see parents with what amounts to a harness and lead on their toddlers. This is a great idea as far as I'm concerned.

Yes, all babies go through that "the world must be tasted" phase. Some stay there longer than others.