Dr. Seuss-Inspired Necklace

Do you know what a nursing necklace is?  Here's my upcycled version, inspired by every Dr. Seuss book I ever loved.

They are also sometimes called teething necklaces.  What are they?  Starting around 3 months, babies begin to do lots of clutching, poking, scratching and tugging.  A nursing necklace gives them something visual, tactile and interesting to play with - saving mom's clothes, hair and jewelry from those adorable but grabby little hands.

A good nursing necklace is super strong, washable and - most importantly - non-toxic and baby safe.  Because there will be chomping.  There will be drooling.  And biting, teething and gumming.


Did you guess where I got the beads?  Look!

I buy random baby toys at yard sales, thrift shops and even (when I can find appropriate stuff) at the dollar store.  (An important tip for what NOT to buy at the end of this post!)  I sanitize the toys, then cut them apart...

...and use the beads to make sweet, silly, indestructible nursing necklaces.  Every necklace is different, depending on the particular beads I have harvested.

To string them, I use strong nylon cord or paracord.

Not even baby Chuck Norris is gonna break this super tough jewelry!

Want to DIY?  Here's how I put together my far-out Dr. Seuss one.

That's the basic idea - pretty simple, eh?  You can add a tassel, make it longer or shorter, fuller of beads or more sparse.  Just play around, let the beads with their odd shapes and bright colors do their thing.

Okay, yes: I realize this one's a little bit wild.  But as a unique handmade gift for a whimsical mama, an idea to consider!

Here's an example of a more restrained necklace, suitable for the not-quite-so-adventurous madame:

To make that one, I picked out some pretty rounds from a child's building toy.

It's tactile, vibrant and baby friendly, but could be worn with lots of outfits without making quite such a Seussical statement.

So here's my important tip for choosing the baby toys.  Ready?  It's this: only use items with a logo from a reputable company. (Fisher Price, Playskool, Disney, etc.)   Avoid off-brand labels.  Eschew vintage items.  Reject no-name toys.   Even though most everything will be made in China, the major brands have manufacturing standards, and you can be confident the beads are non-toxic and safe for chomping.

Cleaning tips!  To sanitize used toys, run them through the dishwasher.  Or swish them in a solution of one part bleach to eight parts water, rinse well, then wash again with soap and hot water.  For new toys, a good soapy wash in hot water is fine.  You can hand wash the finished necklace as often as you like.

One last note.  I am not a mom.  Got no teething babies on hand at the moment.  And yet, I personally wear kooky upcycled baby-toy necklaces all the time!  They are very much my esthetic: bright, amusing and cute as a box of Teletubbies.

Who is with me!?  Would you wear them?  Let me hear you say yeah!

(...crickets....)


Hee hee.  Okie doke, my dears, that's today's upcycle.  Thanks for visiting!