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Caroline D Jun 11, 2017

Hi

I have 2 babies on the way and another a few weeks old, all looking for bears. Any tips on how to make baby safe bears, apart from the obvious safety eyes/joints? I don't think I'll bother with joints at all in fact, probably a simpler cuddly shape, and I'm thinking of using minky as it's so soft, and washable, but I was wondering about putting plastic pellets in to make a floppy body. Will polyester stuffing go all lumpy if it's washed? Things like that. Thanks very much

Caroline

Olgitta Jun 17, 2017

Hi Caroline!
If you put fiberfill in small wads, then they'll be fine after washing, as well as plastic pellets.
Also it's a good idea to put plastic eyes and nose, since they usually are fixed with a clip and would not easily go off.
Think about fabric - some plushes would become very tangled after washing, so it's better to take either cotton mohair or sparse mohair and use delicate hand washing.
Good luck

Caroline D Jun 18, 2017

Hello

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I realised that it sounded like I had 3 babies personally, but I left it, it sounded funny :).
I've made an heirloom alpaca bear for a toddler in the past, used safety joints, eyes, nose etc, and double stitched the seams,but I was thinking of a more cuddly bear that the babies could cuddle now, (although the baby who's already here, his parents want an heirloom type bear, dressed like a Spartan - his name is Leonidas!) My daughter  has 2 rabbits that I bought her many (20) years ago and they have pellets in their body, but their heads and paws are stuffed. They've been through the wash several times (but not enough, they are black now), and the stuffing and pellets have never moved, so I'm wondering if they are somehow stitched in place. Perhaps I could put the pellets in a cotton bag inside the body, which would also feel safer to me.