No sew bunnies (with rattle and lavender scent)

I was looking for a craft with an Easter theme for craft time at my SPACE group. I found these amazing no sew sock bunnies, but I wanted to try make it safer for babies as dry rice could be a choking hazard.

Instead of using rice to fill it, I cut up a very cheap pillow for stuffing instead. This does make them less stable, but nice and snuggly. I also decided to make a mini rattle to place in the middle of the stuffing with a few drops of lavender. I thought this would be great for colour, texture, smell and sound.

As this is a DIY toy, make sure you watch your little one when they play with the toy. I swear my little mint is going to be an amazing health & safety inspector when she grows up (or very accident prone).

Sock
Pillow (or other safe stuffing for baby toys)
Lavender oil
Twine
Ribbon
Marker pen (for eyes and mouth)
2-3tsp rice or pasta (for rattle)
Very small container (for rattle)
Sellotape

As a general guide, use the ankle area for the ears and the heel for the head/face. The remainder becomes the rabbit’s body.

Fill the very small container with enough rice to make a good rattle noise.
Tape up the rattle securely, so you don’t lose any small pieces!!! (It’ll be hidden so it doesn’t have to look pretty.)
Wrap some stuffing around the rattle and put into the sock.
Add or drop or two of lavender to the stuffing.
Add some more stuffing to the sock, leaving enough space around the ankle area to make the ears (roughly 2-4″ or 5-10cm, depending how long you want the ears and the length of the sock).
Using the sock heel as approximate area for the face, tie twine tight (and secure) to make the neck area.
Tie more twine tightly (and securely) above the head to section off the ears from the head (where the stuffing ends).
Cut the ankle part of the sock in half, just short of the twine, to form two ears.
Trim the ears in a triangle shape (wide at the base, coming to a point at the top of the ear).
Tie some ribbon around the neck area; make sure it’s tight and secure.
Use the marker pen to draw on eyes and a mouth. (If you’re feeling artistic, you could add some more rabbit features with the marker pen.)