Every crocheter knows that when a baby arrives in the family or in a circle of acquaintances, the first thought of a person is, oh, it's good! So what should I make as a gift? Because this hobby entails that we tend to look at everything from this point of view, so the arrival of a baby is no exception. However the many samples on social media and the Internet rarely include or draw attention to what should be paid attention to in the case of toys made for children under 3 years of age. Unfortunately, despite the good intentions and kindness, I saw a lot of toys on social media that were intended for babies, but I immediately listed the risk factors in myself, why I wouldn't dare to give them as a gift. That's how I want it with the article to shape the attitude of the crochet community a littlethat What is important to pay attention to when making toys for babies and toddlers?. Since the article turned out to be a bit long, I will share it with you in two parts. The length also shows how important this topic is, so please take the time to read the article.
Photo: Own (Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev)
1st (most important) aspect: Prevention of the risk of suffocation
Why NOT use safety eyes and nose?
THE It is typical for children under the age of 3 to put everything in their mouths. This is present from infancy, as it is this is how they gain their first experiences of the world. This starts first with eating - be it breast milk or formula feeding - then gradually, as they can move more and more parts of their body, the world expands more and more for them. At the same time, their attention to the objects in their environment increases and they want to know everything they can get their hands on. That's why it's especially important over 3 years make sure that children should never have objects that they could accidentally swallow, because at a careless moment they can put it in their mouth and then the problem can happen.
For these reasons safety eyes, noses and other plastic things that can be placed on amigurumi should be avoided during toys intended for babies and toddlers. Even though it's called a "safety" eye, it doesn't mean it's safe for this age group. Here two personal storiesI would add to my article.
When I started crocheting my son's bunny, due to my lack of experience, using safety eyes and noses seemed like a very practical and comfortable solution. After all, you just fit the eyes/nose in the right place and you don't have to bother with embroidery, which otherwise seems terribly difficult. I also put safety eyes on the bunny, and I was very satisfied with the result. My little son was born, he loved his bunny, but he was not yet 1 year old when my husband accidentally stepped on the bunny's head and the safety eye broke. It's not because my husband is so heavy, it's simply that plastic products have the possibility of material fatigue, which leads to breakage. This is how the bunny became one-eyed, I had already embroidered the other eye, and the broken back part of the head remained, which luckily I was able to dig out later, when the threads loosened due to use.
When I started crocheting my son's bunny, due to my lack of experience, using safety eyes and noses seemed like a very practical and comfortable solution. After all, you just fit the eyes/nose in the right place and you don't have to bother with embroidery, which otherwise seems terribly difficult. I also put safety eyes on the bunny, and I was very satisfied with the result. My little son was born, he loved his bunny, but he was not yet 1 year old when my husband accidentally stepped on the bunny's head and the safety eye broke. It's not because my husband is so heavy, it's simply that plastic products have the possibility of material fatigue, which leads to breakage. This is how the bunny became one-eyed, I had already embroidered the other eye, and the broken back part of the head remained, which luckily I was able to dig out later, when the threads loosened due to use.
I brought it another story also, in connection with safety eyes and noses, which I hope serves as a lesson for everyone. I have been thinking back on this story ever since with a strong pang of conscience and I am glad that the trouble did not happen.
I made one of the first bunnies for my girlfriend, whom I met in high school, when I started my business, and (at that time) of course, the safety eyes and nose were also used for that bunny. He was also happy when he received it and I was also happy that I could bring him joy with this baby shower gift. However, as the baby son was born and the weeks and months passed, the bunny was used more and more actively. One day my girlfriend sent a terrified message. In the photo, the safety eyes - fortunately with all their accessories - were visible in his hand, and he worriedly asked if that was all he had, because his little son took them out of the bunny when he wasn't paying attention for a moment. It was a terrible feeling to think that even the drop could have taken him in his mouth and he could have swallowed it, or the problem could have been much bigger. I had already given up the use of safety eyes and noses and for this very reason, because I also noticed that no matter how hard I put them in, I squeeze them there, but I can take them out with my bare hands and without any effort. And if it worked for me, it will work for a baby.
I made one of the first bunnies for my girlfriend, whom I met in high school, when I started my business, and (at that time) of course, the safety eyes and nose were also used for that bunny. He was also happy when he received it and I was also happy that I could bring him joy with this baby shower gift. However, as the baby son was born and the weeks and months passed, the bunny was used more and more actively. One day my girlfriend sent a terrified message. In the photo, the safety eyes - fortunately with all their accessories - were visible in his hand, and he worriedly asked if that was all he had, because his little son took them out of the bunny when he wasn't paying attention for a moment. It was a terrible feeling to think that even the drop could have taken him in his mouth and he could have swallowed it, or the problem could have been much bigger. I had already given up the use of safety eyes and noses and for this very reason, because I also noticed that no matter how hard I put them in, I squeeze them there, but I can take them out with my bare hands and without any effort. And if it worked for me, it will work for a baby.
I shared these personal stories to everyone learns from it, on the other hand because don't make these mistakes. Of course, now people can say that it's good, but then do not use it only with chenille yarn the safety eye/nose, as it slides out of it, while the not necessary for cotton yarn. I would refute this as well. THE safety eyes, which I could pick out without any problems, for those a the back is incredibly poor quality were and based on my experience these make up the 90% of 'safety' eyes/noses on the market. Of course, there are tricks, such as crocheting an extra pad and it will be tighter (by the way, it can also come out of its thread if you add an extra pad, if not), or melt it there, but surely it's a good idea to melt plastic for children's toys? I think not.
Photo: Own (Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev)
Of course, people should pay attention to what the baby puts in their hands and mouth, but unfortunately there are occasions when we leave babies unattended for 1-1 minutes, e.g. when the mother goes to the bathroom and this amount of time is enough for an unfortunate accident to happen. Even though the mother always has half an eye on her child, I don't think anyone can be expected to keep a watchful eye on what goes into the child's mouth at every minute and moment. It is best to always have toys near the child that he cannot swallow or that nothing can come off that he can swallow.
I think it's better to be safe than sorry, especially in the case of toys for children under 3 years old I do not recommend these safety eyes and noses at all. And if you still have doubts or do not agree with me, I ask:
❓ Would you risk your own, your friend's, or your family member's baby accidentally swallowing something from the toy you made?
❌ My answer is clearly no. I will never risk it again.
I'd rather be safe and embroider the eyes on the toys!
Why is embroidery better?
THE I started embroidering the faces of my toys because of the above painful but instructive stories. The first time, I made the eyes of the sleeping bunny in 2 hours. I did it over and over until I was finally satisfied with it. Practice makes perfect in this as well, and since then I only embroider the eyes of the toys, now even the most complicated version can be completed in 20 minutes. I believe it's worth the 20 minutes to get really safe games out of my hands. This is why I published the On my YouTube channel embroidery videos, in which I present how you too can embroider the faces of the toys, and these videos of course they don't just work for games I design. I made the videos to help those who want to learn how to embroider the faces of amigurumi, but they are afraid of him. I hope that through the videos I can convince the viewers that embroidery is not magic and that they choose this path, especially if the toy is made for babies. If there are small babies in the family, it is worth embroidering the eyes for the older ones as well, as even the smaller ones can attack the games as long as the bigger ones are not paying attention (this is also my own experience).
Photo: Own (Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev)
THE embroidery is not only preferable because of the prevention of the risk of suffocation in relation to crocheted toys. Simply a endless possibilities its range makes creating games more exciting. Many times, when the game is finished without a face, I can already see which eye would suit him better. The character and mood of the games can be shaped with it, what we want to achieve with it, what kind of impression it should make on the person to whom we give it as a gift or to whom we would sell it. We can express ourselves much better this way, and by making the same pattern, we can make toys with different characters, which personally cheers and excites me a lot. After all, the essence of handmade toys is uniqueness and character, which we can maximize with this final smoothing.
There is a another solution which belongs to the safe category: making crocheted eyes. I saw a great variety of crocheted eyes, which of course were made amazingly beautiful with some embroidery. These solutions are also completely baby-friendly, so if full embroidery is not your thing, then a instead of a safety eye, a crocheted eye can be an alternative. These eyes are sewn onto the figure from the outside, but since they are attached at several points and are not made of plastic, so I see little chance that the child can come down or take it off, or can be made in such a size that it prevents the possibility of swallowing.
Sequel: What should you pay attention to when crocheting toys for babies? – Part 2
Cover photo: Rebeka Novák-Szabó ev (sample of the toys shown in the picture: Teddy Bear Lovey Crochet Pattern, Deer Nap Scarf Crochet Pattern, Lion Lovey Crochet Pattern)
