Wipes-in-a-box!

Why is it that no matter how many toys you have (complicated, brightly colored, expensive, noisy toys), babies always seem to love the things that you DON'T want them to play with?  For example: the brand new box of baby wipes.  It's just so fun to pull out wipe after wipe with the added bonus of getting a great reaction out of mommy when she realizes what you've done!!

I don't know if this has ever happened at your house, but it seems like it's been a fairly regular scenario in all my years of baby care.  Luckily, I have found a wonderful solution! So if this has ever happened to you (or if you just want a cool new toy for baby), this post is for you!!

I found this lovely blog post with an amazing sanity saving idea!  I have dubbed it the "wipes-in-a-box".  All you have to do is take an old wipes container (if you have a baby, then most likely you have a few of these hanging around!) and fill it with colorful fabric pieces for your "wipes" and voila, an entertaining alternative to wipe destruction!

What you'll need for this project:

• 1 empty baby wipes container

• Fabric (you can cut up old t-shirts/clothes for this)

It's a short list and most likely you can find it all in your own home (I love projects like that!!)

Step one: find your box and, if needed, make it pretty!  Most baby wipe boxes have a cute little button on top that pops the lid open, which is perfect for babies to play with and learn cause and effect!  I like to use a brand that has a fairly large rubbery opening for making this toy, just because it's gentler for little hands!  Also, some brands have boxes that already have cute patterns, but if yours doesn't and you want to make it prettier, you can decorate it with some nice looking contact paper.  If you don't mind, and I'm sure baby won't, you can also just leave the box how it is!  Just make sure your box is empty and dry, and you're all set!

This box is already super cute!

This box has a great opening for little hands, but it's not so cute... It just needs a little decoration!

Step two: make your "wipes".  To do this, take your fabric (or old t-shirt) and cut it into pieces that are 7 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches (or about the size of a DVD case).  You can hem the edges if you'd like, but if you don't have a sewing machine (or the time or energy!) you can leave the edges raw :)  I love to use fabrics with lots of patterns and colors, just because it's fun and stimulating for baby!  Another great idea from the original post was to applique numbers and letters to each "wipe" for an added educational element!

I made my wipes out of some extra flannel I had lying around :)

Step three: put your wipes in the box and let baby have at it! If you want you can try folding them in on one another (like the wipes come when you buy them) so the next one will pop up when you pull a wipe out, or you can just smoosh them all in!
  
I love letting baby "discover" this toy, it's very cute ;)

Final product!

Baby loves it!!

Hope you find this as fun as we have, and maybe it'll ease a headache or two for all you mommies out there!!