How To Make Sensory Bags For Babies & Toddlers (2024)

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by Jessi Wohlwend

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At this stage, AJ loves to get into everything and poke it. When we read a book, she pokes the pages. When we eat lunch, she pokes her high chair tray. When she finds a cat sleeping in a chair, she pokes him. (Luckily our cats are sweeties and put up with the crazy child!) So I decided it was time to find a toy that was made for poking. We were stuck indoors due to an unexpected storm last week, so I whipped up a quick sensory bag for her, and she loves it! Today I’m going to show you how to make sensory bags for the next time you’re stuck indoors or need a quick distraction for your baby or toddler.

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Sensory bags are so easy to make, and the best part is you can put whatever you want in them! You can put googly eyes and green gel in one for Halloween, or flowers and clear gel for spring, or whatever you want; every bag is different! And it’s a great way to use up small bits and bobs that you normally couldn’t let your toddler play with; in a sensory bag the small pieces aren’t a choking hazard (though obviously, do keep an eye on your little one while they’re playing, just in case!)

How To Make Sensory Bags For Babies & Toddlers

  • Time to set up: 5 minutes
  • Time it kept the toddler busy: 30 minutes

Materials

Filling options

You can fill these bags with whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t have sharp edges that will puncture the bag. Here are a few of my favorite filling ideas:

  • glitter
  • confetti
  • beads
  • googly eyes
  • small plastic toys
  • pom poms
  • water beads
  • marbles
  • small foam shapes
  • beans
  • small smooth rocks
  • vase fillers
  • buttons
  • plastic letters

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Instructions

Fill your bag with hair gel. For a quart sized bag I use about 1 cup of hair gel (I used this LA Looks hair gel and one 20 oz bottle makes exactly two quart sized sensory bags). You don’t want to use too much or the bag will be overfilled and not as easy to squish around.

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Add your fillings. Again, don’t overfill the bag or it will be sensory overload! Once your bag is full, carefully squeeze all of the air out of the bag, then close the bag. Using duct tape or packing tape, seal the opening so the bag doesn’t accidentally open while your child is playing with it! Duck tape makes fun, colorful duct tape you can use, or Scotch has a line of decorative packing tape that works great as well.

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Cover all four edges in tape, folding the tape over the edge to help reinforce the bag.

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And you’re done making sensory bags! Hand it to your toddler and let them enjoy!

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If your toddler is more interested in trying to eat it than playing with it… (ask me how I guessed!)

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…you can always tape the bag up onto a wall or window. Tape all four edges so they can’t pull the bag off the window; they can still play with it and move stuff around, but they won’t be able to eat it. 🙂

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If you have a younger baby, tape the sensory bags to the floor in front of them and let them have some tummy time while they play!

The bag is pretty sturdy; AJ hasn’t managed to poke a hole in it yet. But keep an eye on your child while they play with the sensory bag, just in case. Fawkes was very interested in the bag, and I know her teeth are sharp enough to make a hole if she ever gets a hold of it, so if you have pets, put it away out of reach once your child is done playing with it.

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If you want another 5 minute project that will keep your little one occupied for a while, check out this empty wipes container filled with fabric scraps!

What are your favorite sensory bag fillings?

Shop this project:

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Want to share this tutorialwith your friends? Just click any of the share buttons on the left to share withFacebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.!

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Tagged: family gift ideas kids activities projects for baby repurposed

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Jessi Wohlwend

I believe that anyone can do crafts and DIY projects, regardless of skill or experience. I love sharing simple craft ideas, step by step DIY project tutorials, cleaning hacks, and other tips and tricks all with one goal in mind: giving you the tools you need to “do it yourself”, complete fun projects, and make awesome things!

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  1. carol says

    7 years ago

    I had some time haha cruised through Pinterest found your site one word “AWESOME”
    looking so forward to trying some of your projects thanks ever so much full-time Jima setter

    Reply

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How To Make Sensory Bags For Babies & Toddlers (2024)

FAQs

How To Make Sensory Bags For Babies & Toddlers? ›

All I did was take a tub of clear hair gel (pick these up for cheap at the Dollar Store) and empty it into a freezer bag. Then add whatever sensory items you want – this bag just has an assortment of sequins. Squeeze all of the air out before sealing shut.

How do you make homemade sensory bags for babies? ›

Here's how: Fill a resealable plastic bag with tactile materials like hair gel, pumpkin seeds, shaving cream, or marbles. Reinforce the seal with strong tape, then use painter's or washi tape to secure the edges of the bag to the floor or a table where your baby can play.

What are the learning outcomes of sensory bags? ›

Benefits of sensory bags

Using sensory items, children can: Build neural connections within the brain. Develop fine motor skills handling and manipulating objects. Learn social skills by sharing or playing.

What do toddlers learn from sensory bags? ›

Sensory bags help young children to develop their sense of touch and fine motor skills as they manipulate the small objects around the bags. The types of sensory bags you can make is endless!

How do you make sensory bags that don't leak? ›

Use duct tape on the "ziplock" to help prevent leaks. The baby oil bags are cool because the baby oil causes pools of color which can be "broken up" with touch, but will form together again when they pools touch. some red food coloring added to the baby oil. Simple, cheap, and fun sensory play!

How do you make a simple sensory toy? ›

- Use hair gel and mix with 6 parts warm water and fine glitter if you wish then pour into the bottle. Add plastic toys such as lego bricks. Put the lid on and see if the bricks move. If they don't then empty some of the liquid and add more warm water.

What to put in baby sensory bags? ›

17 Quick & Easy Sensory Bag FIllers
  1. Shaving cream.
  2. Dry pasta.
  3. Pom poms.
  4. Popcorn.
  5. Dyed rice.
  6. Salt.
  7. Drinking straws.
  8. Beads.
Dec 16, 2019

How to make an oil and water sensory bag? ›

Add the oil to the bag. Mix a couple drops of food coloring with the water and then add to the bag. Close the bag taking out as much air as possible and tape it shut. Tape the bag to the floor or table so that the little ones don't move it around.

What can you use instead of hair gel in sensory bags? ›

About the question what fluid goes in sensory bags, there are some options. You can certainly use liquid soup or hair gel or even gel detergent. I prefer however to use tap water for two good reasons. First and foremost, it's safer.

What age are sensory bags for? ›

Babies explore all the time. It's how they learn. A sensory bag is full of things that babies can touch, taste, look at and more.

How often should sensory bags be cleaned? ›

individuals and/or families visiting a venue. Items included in KultureCity Sensory Bags are cleaned after every use with alcohol free sanitization wipes and allowed to completely dry before being rebagged. What is the sensory inclusion initiative?

How to make sensory bags for autism? ›

Fill your plastic bag with hair gel or hand sanitiser, leave a little space for the gel to move around when squeezed Add in small crafty bits such as pompoms, sequins or beads. Seal the bag tightly and use strong tape to secure all the edges. Bring your sensory bag with you to show the person who you will be meeting!

How to seal a sensory bag? ›

Simply fill your bag with roughly one cup of small sensory objects (some hard, some soft but none with shape edges. Add the Gel and carefully seal the zip lock bag. Place that bag inside a second bag and fold the inside zip part down so you can properly seal the outer bag.

What is in the bag activity for toddlers? ›

How to play what's in the bag
  • Bring together some fun, safe objects for your child to play with. ...
  • Put these into a bag or pillow case that they can't see into.
  • Now, get your child's attention and ask them "what's in the bag?". ...
  • Put your hand in the bag and choose an object at random to pull out.

How do you make homemade sensory tubes? ›

How to make a themed sensory bottle with glitter
  1. First, squeeze corn syrup into an empty water bottle. ...
  2. Add warm water until it's about three-quarters full.
  3. Add a few drops of food coloring and sprinkle in some glitter.
  4. Put the lid on the water bottle and shake to mix the ingredients.

How do you make a sensory pack? ›

Here are items you can put in it:
  1. Earbuds, folding headphones, or earplugs to help make noise less overwhelming.
  2. Sticky notes to put over sensors for automatic flushing toilets and hand dryers.
  3. A small bottle of hand lotion to soothe your child's need for touch.
  4. “Smellies” (like scented lip balm)

How do you make sensory foam for babies? ›

Soap Foam Recipe

Dump water in a bowl and add soap of your choice (I use baby shampoo so little eyes dont sting). Add color and mix on highest for 2 minutes until stiff peaks form. Enjoy! Yup, it's really that simple.

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