8 Things To Do With Lots Of Links
Lots of Links or “link rings” or “linkies”…whatever you call them…are useful as all get out! If you’re anything like me, I was thrilled to receive package after package of them when my little one was on the way.
I wanted to get Lots of Links, Stacking Cups, Stacking Rings, and Blocks…all of the essentials I had as a kid. All the great toys that you can use your imagination with as opposed to the electronic junk that is dominating the toy market now.
I’ve noticed that a lot of parents let them disappear into toy boxes once they’re not using them on play gyms anymore, but they can be played with in a million new ways and they are incredibly useful!
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Attach toys
When baby is little, this really comes in handy. Before baby is running around, picking up toys, you can hang toys from play gyms, pack and plays, and cribs for baby to swat at and reach for.
When baby is older, this comes in handy in the car! You can make a chain of links from the head rest and attach toys, or attach them directly to the car seat.
My little girl is practically a toddler and I use them to attach toys in the car still because if she throws them, I can easily pick them up!
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Make pull game
Attach all the links into one long chain and place them in a bin of some kind. Give baby one end and let them pull it out like one of those never ending scarf chains that magicians used to have.
Their faces light up as they grab and pull and their muscles and coordination get a good work out.
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Make an instrument
Grab a big Tupperware container from your kitchen, throw a handful of links in, and seal up.
Let baby shake to their heart’s content!
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Make a stacking game on a paper towel holder
If you have a freestanding paper towel holder in your kitchen, pull the paper towels off and show baby how to stack the links onto the rung.
If baby doesn’t quite have the coordination to stack yet, put the links on for them and let them pull them off. Makes them just as happy!
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Set in Jello for a dig
Prepare for a mess. Make a batch of Jello in a big dish and throw some links in and around so some are poking out and some are floating inside. Put in the fridge to set.
(I used a bit of washi tape in order to have some of the links stick out. They will float flat on the top if you don’t, which is fine, I just wanted to give her a challenge to dig in there!)
Either set out a dollar store plastic table cloth or put them in the tub and have bath time right after.
Let baby tear through the jello to get to the links. There will be a mess, but they will be immensely proud of themselves and you don’t have to worry about them eating their sensory play!
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Make link drop bucket
This is one of my daughter’s favorite toys. She pulls it out at least 3 or 4 times a day.
I simply took a coffee canister once it was empty,
gave it a soak and a wash,
traced a big rectangle into the lid,
cut it out with an Xacto knife,
sanded it to make sure it was safe for little fingers
and we’ve played with it multiple times per day since then!
We call it the “putting away” game…I’m trying to pass on my love of cleaning to her at an early age!
She carries it around by the slot on top like it’s a purse!
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Baby Proofing
If you have handles on your cabinets, you can throw a link or two onto them and BAM! They’re baby proofed!
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Do a color sort
When baby starts recognizing the different colors, you can place a colored piece of paper on the floor or get out some Tupperware out. Show baby some samples of color matching and let them give it a try.
Once they’re good at it, it can be a busy activity to keep them amused while you do something else!
If baby gets sick, you’ll want to sanitize these links, check out my post on Toy Disinfectant Spray and Wash.
54 Comments
I love all these ideas, especially the stacking idea as my early 1 year old loves to sit there and repeat putting things into boxes so i think he’d love this idea! my three year old would definitely enjoy the fishing for links in Jelly! #Globalblogging
Thank you! Mine drops her links into her coffee can for hours every day. Why it makes her happy? I don’t know and don’t care!
She loved the jello dig! It’s easy and costs less than a dollar for an absolute mess of fun!
So many cute ideas! I used to have loads of those on hand to attach toys to everything from the stroller to the high chair.
Thank you!
Yes! They are so incredibly handy!
I love the ideas on here. Now I kinda wish I hadn’t of passed on all the extra links we had lying around. These are just so cute.
Thank you! They’re only a few dollars on Amazon and at the store! Grab a pack and get a ton of use out of them!
Remember these with affection but mainly your post made me smile as talking about links not online links which so many bloggers have to obsess about today #ThursdayTeam
Hahaha I was glad to talk about a different kind of link!
I loved mine as a kid and couldn’t wait to get some for my little one!
some great ideas here. love the idea of setting them in jelly! #thursdayteam
Thank you! Its a ton of fun!
I love the jello/digging idea and I’ve never thought of using them for baby proofing what a great idea. Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub with this x
It is an absolute mess but my little one had a blast!
These are great ideas. I remember having loads of these link rings kicking about when mine were little! #triumphanttales
That coffee canister has changed my life! They are always in that one place, and if we want to do something else with them, we pull them out for a while and put them right back!
These are great ideas! My girls have loved their links from being tiny! Thanks so much for sharing with #Blogstravaganza xx
Thank you! I adored mine as a kid and wanted to make sure my little one got to enjoy them!
Love the coffee can idea!!! #GlobalBlogging
Thank you! It is my daughter’s favorite toy!
Sorry, I hit send too quickly. I really love the color sorting idea, that is so handy and can be done with anything in the playroom. #GlobalBlogging
I adore a good color sort! Unfortunately, my little one will only identify anything purple because it’s the only word she can say, but we’re working on it and one of these days, we’ll get into those primary colors!
Great ideas here. We never actually had any of these when my daughter was a baby! #Blogstravaganza
Thank you! These were one of the few toys I remembered from childhood and adored, so I wanted to make sure my little one had plenty, then I discovered all of these great uses! Thanks for stopping by!
Fab ideas Thank you for linking to #Thatfridaylinky please come back next week
Thank you and thanks for stopping by!
I’d never have come up with half of these ideas! Fab! Thanks for sharing it with #TriumphantTales. Do come back next week.
Thank you for stopping by!
Oh what a great roundup of ideas for those links. I have to admit I think ours sat at the bottom of the toy box too. Next baby I am now loaded with ideas thanks for linking up to bumps and babies. #bumpsbabies
I’m so glad! They’re such great little toys! Thanks for stopping by!
This is a very timely post for me – we have lots of links that are gradually heading into cupboards, but I love some of these ideas. The postbox and the jelly are really cute ideas! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
Save them while you can! They’re so useful and fun! Thanks for stopping by!
I love this! Great DIY toddler activity! Thanks for the tips! #thatfridaylinky
Thank you! My little one adores them all!
Such a brilliant idea! I love the jelly one, great idea. Thanks for sharing with #fortheloveofBLOG
Thank you! I wanted to make a jello dig with something that wouldn’t get dirty and these worked great! Thanks for stopping by!
We used to have lots of these when my girls were babies and I love these ideas. I just used them to attach toys! Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
They really are a useful little toy! Thanks for stopping by!
Oh I love these link things. They are so versatile! I’ve never thought about using them for baby proofing before! That’s total genius. Thank you for joining #ThursdayTeam
They really are! And, yes! Baby proofing made cheap and easy!
Thanks for stopping by!
Nice job Sara, but I think will be having a hard time doing the drop bucket. I would be there for hours! lol! Thank you very much for linking up with us on #FabFridayPost
Thank you and glad you got to stop by!
Some great ideas here! I would never of thought of so many things to do with them! #blogitvlogit
Thank you! It’s fun to make new creative uses for baby toys!
Thanks for stopping by!
Wow! So many lovely ideas. I love the jelly activity. Thank you for joining in with #StayClassyMama
Thank you for stopping by!
These are so versatile aren’t they? The jelly idea looks like fun I can imagine the kids would love the mess. Sarah #FabFridayPost
It is a mess, but it’s a blast! We put mine right in the tub to play so we can hose everything down and give her a bath once she’s done playing.
Thanks for stopping by!
What great ideas! I love reuse! Brilliant! #thatfridaylinky xoxo
Thank you! Thanks for stopping by!
Back with some blogger love, this time from the #fabfridaypost xoxo
Thanks for stopping by again!
Really it such an informative post. I am also attaching some toys my baby play gym and she is enjoying this. By the way, thanks for sharing such a valuable post and Keep Posting!
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Thank you so much, Nabila!
Oh no! I took these to my local charity shop yesterday, as I just couldn’t see what to do with them! I think I ay have to go back and find them!!
Oh no! Everything can be re-purposed in some way!