Have you wondered how to bring the rustling sound that so many store-bought toys have to your homemade toys?
The answer is plastic wrap .
This is a material I had never heard of until I stumbled upon it while looking for rattles to put in toys. I never thought I could make such fun toys for Maja as the store-bought ones we had - because she really loved everything that rustled.
Before I found the real rustling plastic, I tested a lot of different DIY variants precisely because Maja really loved rustling and I really wanted to make a really good rustling toy. So, if you don't want to order real rustling plastic before you've tested a little how it is to work with it and what you can do with it, I have a tip for a DIY variant a little further down in the post as well.
What is rust plastic?
With rustling plastic, you get the wonderful rustling/crunching sound that so many babies love. You sew it inside fabric toys and when the baby grabs the toy, it rustles like that.
Where can you buy rustling plastic?
I have experienced that it is a bit difficult to find rustling plastic, but on e.g. Hobbii.fi / Hobbii.se is available for sale in 40 x 40 cm sheets.
If you want to search for yourself, rustling plastic is also known as rustling paper, rustling cellophane, rattle cellophane, ratiseva cellophaani, rapinamuovi and rapiseva materiali.
Can't you use regular cellophane or baking paper?
This was also my first thought when I wanted to make rattle toys. I haven't tried parchment paper, but regular cellophane didn't turn out to be as noisy as I thought when I tried making a toy with it.
A variant of DIY plastic wrap that I can say works, however, is candy wrappers!
Candy wrappers that are silver on one side work in place of scrunchies, BUT you should remember that candy wrappers aren't tested for suitability in toys like real scrunchies are - so think about the type of toys you use them in so your baby doesn't access the candy wrapper. :)
DIY plastic wrap from candy paper
01. Place candy paper over your pattern piece to estimate approximately how much paper you will need. Keep in mind that all splices will be wrapped, so you may need a little more than you think. (I estimated wrong and needed another row on the far right)
02. Lay two pieces of candy paper slightly wrapped and zigzag straight across the joint.
03. Add another piece of candy paper a little wrap and zigzag. Continue until you have as many candy wrappers lined up as you need.
04. Repeat until you have as many rows as you need.
05. Place the rows with the long sides a little wrap and zigzag in the same way.
06. Repeat until you have sewn all the candy wrappers together.
07. Cut out according to your pattern.
Voila!
Plastic waste vs. DIY plastic wrap
I tested real rust plastic VS. candy wrappers with a few different tests, and this is what I came up with:
Laundry
Prasselplast can withstand washing up to 60 degrees without changing. Candy paper can also be washed at 60 degrees but is a little less rustling after washing.
Ironing
Prasselplast can withstand ironing at very high temperatures without being damaged or changed. The candy wrapper, on the other hand, started to shrink as soon as it came into contact with the iron - even on very low heat!
Ease of use
The rustproof plastic is stiff and not so flexible when sewing, but I don't think it's too difficult to work with. The candy wrapper is still almost a little easier to sew in because it is a little more wrinkled and therefore a little more pliable. The big minus here, however, is that you basically always have to sew several pieces of candy paper together into a larger sheet before you can use it, because the toys are usually bigger than a piece of candy paper.
Will I use candy wrappers instead of plastic wrap in the future?
No, I probably won't. Real rustling plastic (or at least the one I link to in the post) is, as I said, tested and approved for toys and it withstands ironing and washing better than candy paper.
Having said that, I would still like to recommend this DIY variant of rustling plastic to those of you who might want to test the concept a bit before you order the real one home. Try with candy wrappers first - and if your baby seems to really love squishy toys, you know it's worth ordering home a few sheets of the real squishy plastic! *heart eyes*
ATTENTION! Never give rattle plastic (in any form) as such to baby. Always check the toys before the baby plays with them and never leave a child unattended.
