DIY Baby Sensory Bin & Helpful Essentials

I can’t believe my little guy is already 14 months old! Time flies the first year plus a few months. After three kids, 120 weeks of pregnancy, and lots of kid-filled routines and diaper changes, I’ve curated my own collection of life saving essentials that can make any mom and dad’s life a whole lot easier. I mean, what in the world do you do with a baby when they want to get around but can’t? How do you read to a baby who only wants to throw books on the floor?

The first year is always the hardest for me to figure out how to entertain my baby. My little man wants to go much faster than his physical skills will allow. He’s gotten some bumps and bruises and thankfully hasn’t gotten into any serious trouble. He loves touching things and feeling textures, trying new foods, and climbing! Who knew boys like to climb? I recently made a baby-friendly sensory bin so he could explore all sorts of fun textures within a safe and controlled environment. Everything I included in the box was larger than 3 inches so he couldn’t swallow any of the fun sensory items and toys.

DIY Baby Sensory Box

To make your own sensory bin, first you’ll need a box, preferably with a lid so you can easily close it and store it away for the next play time. Next, gather an assortment of items larger than 3 inches in different shapes, textures, and colors.

Hard: Blocks, spoons, light-up balls, and small toys all make fun additions to a sensory baby box.

Soft: Balled-up socks, bean bags, large pom poms, and big feathers (provided the quill isn’t too pokey) are all interesting things to discover.

Bumpy: Cut up egg cartons, small rubber toys, suction cup balls, or anything with a unique texture is fun for babies to explore.

Stackable: Rinsed out k-cups, tiny containers, and foam blocks are fun for baby to try to stack.

Scoopers: Small cups and tongs are fun to learn new motor skills!

You can easily make a fun baby sensory box with many of the items in your home!

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My little guy also loves exploring. He’s just now getting into books and can actually sit there and look at a book without trying to rip it or throw it on the floor. We love our My First Word Book About Me from Usborne Books. This baby book has tons of pictures to look at, making each reading session different. The book has cute illustrations and category pages such as “My Face”, “My Body” and “My Home” with lots of cute drawings of household things, pages filled with actions, expressions, and even foods! This book is super fun for babies to begin learning about their world. The pages are thick cardboard and the cute illustrations help babies learn hundreds of new words and associations.

I also love finding darling baby boy fashion for my little guy. Since having a boy, I’ve discovered all the cute accessories and clothing options for little guys. My favorite clothing choices include rompers, t-shirts, hats and bow ties.

Wild Dill Organic Baby Clothing

This darling baby romper is from Wild Dill which offers many darling options for Organic, USA-made and Fair Trade baby clothing. This “Farm Next Door” blue romper features farm animals, wildlife, cute fences and trees within a whimsical blue and white pattern. This one piece romper will be perfect for my little guy to play outside this summer. I prefer one piece rompers to traditional onesies and shorts because they are so much easier to undress for diaper changes! Plus I feel like once a baby reaches a larger size, onesies just aren’t practical anymore. I love this shirt and shorts combo one piece Organic romper; the cute pattern and white neckline is just adorable and the roomy design is super easy to put on a baby with plenty of room to wiggle.

Wild Dill Highlights

• Lap neck opening and 4 snap buttons
• Limited edition print “The Farm Next Door”
• Exclusive artistic design
• Screenprinted and Made in the USA
• 100% Organic cotton

I paired this Wild Dill Organic baby romper with a pair of soft leather pediped baby shoes. I love pediped’s many kids’ shoe styles and gorgeous quality, noticeable in the intricate details, creative shoe designs, and high quality shoe materials. My girls have been wearing pediped shoes for years and a pair of shoes can easily be passed from my oldest daughter to her sister without showing much wear.

pediped footwear is a great choice for high quality shoes that also support healthy foot development. pediped has been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance for creating shoes that promote healthy feet.

One of the best gifts you can give your kids is the love for reading, which promotes imagination and allows your kids to discover wonderful things. I try to spend time reading books with my kids, although it’s become harder with 3! Each child needs their own personal mommy time.

Naturally Clean Up Messes

Babies typically come with messes. Messy diapers, messy high chair tray, messy bib, messy outfits. I appreciate having a stain remover that I know is safe to use around my baby. When I spray our portable crib mattress after my little guy has a leaky diaper, I want to know it won’t leave behind chemical residue when my little guy takes a nap a few hours later. Better Life Stain and Odor Eliminator helps moms clean up messes naturally. I usually just spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes and wipe it off with a damp towel. If the crib mattress is particularly damp, I let it air dry for awhile before putting the sheets back on. For clothing, I spray on this natural stain remover and then launder it as usual. Better Life Stain and Odor Eliminator effectively removes many kinds of stains and spills and it’s color safe so it doesn’t harm clothes or fabric materials. I love the eucalyptus and lemongrass fragrance it leaves behind!

End the Day with a Bath

Bath time is an important time of the day and most babies don’t like being cold. A cozy bath followed by snugly being wrapped in a soft towel is a great way to end the day. SwaddleDesigns hooded towels are stylish, functional, everyday essentials made in the USA with 100% cotton Turkish terry velour and satin trim. My kids have always liked hooded towels. When they are young they snuggle closely in their soft towels and when they get older they fly around the house with their hooded towel “capes”!

For young babies, a Touch of Shimmer muslin swaddle blankets by SwaddleDesigns are perfect for wrapping your baby in pure softness. Made with quality 100% cotton muslin with cheerful designs, these swaddle blankets get softer with every wash. A beautiful baby swaddle blanket also makes a perfect baby shower gift!

I hope you enjoyed learning about my top picks for sensory playtime, baby boy fashion, clean up and bath time. I’m really enjoying life as a mommy to my little ones; despite chaotic days and new stages, I know they will grow up sooner than I think!

Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!