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Some homemade baby (toddler) toys and craft ideas to get you started.

· Put some blocks, rocks or dried beans into a mashed potato can or potato chip can (such as Pringles) (wash first) for some shaking fun. The mashed potato can is good for a drum also, has 3 sounds: beating on the metal bottom, the plastic lid, or on the cardboard outside (Throw away if the can or lid has any damage, rust or holes).

· If you have an old cell phone that cannot be sold, given away, recycled or otherwise used, your toddler may want to enjoy it (Make sure there is no damage to the phone (loose or broken pieces) and if it has an antennae take it off if possible, or supervise the child if the antennae is permanent). My 19-month old daughter loves to hold her phone and say "Hello" over and over again, and brings it to me to talk also. Since she has her own phone, she leaves mine alone. I tried the toy phones, but she didn't seem to care for them, as she saw me using a small, silver cell-phone, and the toddler toys are brightly colored.
· Use the plastic scoops or measuring cups from your laundry detergent as bath toys to scoop water, or as building blocks (the round measuring cups from large jugs of liquid detergent are good for stacking, scooping or rolling). (Wash them out before giving to your child and watch for cracks or damage and throw away if there are any).
· Take a small box for your toddler's blocks, and let them color the outside first. My daughter loves to put her blocks into her artwork. (Supervise a child with crayons, as they like to eat them, and watch for damage to the cardboard boxes and throw away any that are ripped (unless you want to keep them for the artwork, but put them away where the child cannot eat the pieces).
· If your toddler likes to hear music or sounds, plastic Easter eggs are a great way to work on hand-eye coordination, small motor skills (putting the eggs together and taking them apart) and a way to listen to the snapping/popping noise as they snap together. My daughter likes to throw (into a box for target practice), or roll her eggs when she is not taking them apart or putting them back together, and she loves to find small toys (surprises) inside the eggs. (These eggs are light plastic so watch carefully for cracks or breaking and throw them away if there are any problems).
· If your toddler has an older sibling that plays video games, give the toddler an old broken joystick to play with (make

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