Homemade Christmas Gifts for Toddlers: Alternatives Amid Toy Recalls

With so many recalls on toys today, the only way to be certain that the toy isn't toxic is to make one yourself. If we all stood together and banned toys that were produced in other countries, manufacturers would listen. Write all you want, scream all you want, and no one listens. Lock enough pocketbooks and suddenly you have their attention.

There are a number of simple yet adorable items that can be made for toddlers. The first one sounds incredibly cheap as I reread it, but it is really appreciated by the pack that is three and under.

The Year of the Hobbyhorse.

When my daughter was having her first Christmas, she was 1 year and 16 days old. Her father was in his second year of teaching and I was a full time college student and bookkeeper. My wages matched his, if that tells you how poorly teachers were paid. Had I not been paying for schooling and day care two days a week, we would have had a few "dineros" to rub together at Christmas, but this was not the case.

Three months before the holiday I knew what I wanted to give our precious gem. I had seen a beautiful hobbyhorse that looked like a fair merry-go-round horse and knew it had her name all over it. The price was outrageous. It was almost a week's salary, but each time I passed it I felt I had to have it for her. I started to save at that moment. When I had half of the money together I put the horse on lay away and made weekly payments faithfully as I looked forward to seeing my precious child's face on Christmas morning.

The night had arrived to pick up the hobbyhorse. The box was excessively large and difficult to get home, but we had a vehicle that would hold it. (I'm not certain if it was the Ranchero or not, but it was a small pick-up truck.) We assembled the hobbyhorse, and after many trials, had it riding ready. Too sleepy to completely clean the room, we laid the box on its side in the corner.

She awoke that morning, not fully realizing what the significance of the day meant, but knowing there was some type of excitement. By that date she had learned to climb out of bed, no matter what we did, and shinny down the side. I went to the kitchen and began the coffee.

When I looked up, there she stood in the hallway. The look on my child's face was exactly as I imagined. A squeal of delight sprang from her very depths and my heart fluttered, as I knew that my money was well spent. She ran towards the hobbyhorse with her arms open, still squealing in anticipation. Then something quite unexpected happened.

She ran past the hobbyhorse that cost a week's wages and into the open end of the box where she played the entire day. The gift she loved the most for several weeks was the box. It took her months to warm up to the hobbyhorse and months to wean her from the box that had become her special place.

The gift I'm suggesting? You guessed it, a big box. Paint the box with non-toxic paint, make a doorway or use the open end of the box. Line the box with a carpet strip or leave it bare. Create tunnels with large tubing or simply cut a circular escape hole and you have a very inexpensive gift for a small child. Children this age don't have a clue what things cost. They are only interested in how much fun they can have. This is an area that parents with limited funds can make a few dollars stretch to the limit. Guilt is the only thing that prevents giving gifts of this type.

Make an Alphabet Book from Felt.

These books are adorable keepsakes that can be given to nephews, nieces, and even your own child. You will need to get 1 1/2 feet (1/2 yard) of green felt that is 72 inches wide. Purchase 13 sheets of different colored felt squares along with it. You will also need 2-3 1/2 inch aluminum sleeve nuts and screws, green yarn and a needle or green thread and a sewing machine, pinking scissors, fabric glue, a hole puncher, and a children's A B C coloring book.

Begin by cutting 6"X6" pages. You will need to cut 30 of these out. 4 will be for the covers and the rest for the alphabet.

Find stencils for the letters and creative ideas to represent them by using a children's coloring book. You may need to use tracing paper for the letter on the second page of the book. Cut the letters and pictures out of a different color of felt and glue them onto the green fabric. Use non-toxic fabric markers to accent the designs if you choose. Most of the books will have simple pictures that need no further enhancement. You will need to center these 1/2 inch over to the right since there will be space used on the left to join the pages. Do not attach any small buttons or pieces that can be consumed by the child and cause choking.

Once the glue has dried, stack the pages together two at a time, with the wrong sides facing. Stitch around the edges 1/2 inch from the edge and pink the edges with the scissors. Make certain that you created a cover page for the book with the child's name with a plain backing and a two plain squares for the back page.

Punch holes in the sides leaving the back of the hole 1/4 inch from the stitching and insert the aluminum sleeves or green yarn to hold the book together.

This soft book is appropriate for any child learning the alphabet and can be a keepsake for later years. Find a place to date the book and put your signature in it.