Winter this year seems to last forever with no sign of the cold letting up anytime soon. Make your own warm, cuddle bags, easy and relatively cheap too!
When the kids were smaller, I bought each of them a cuddly panda with one of those bags you heat up in the microwave. Panda outlived its warm bag by years, the bag started disintegrating and smelled awful.
Personally I am not keen on hot water bottles because of the risk of bursting or burning. I also tried the baggies that heat up with an electrical charger but usually within ten minutes they are cold again and need recharging. So I made my own Winter cuddle bags!
You will need:
- Cotton fabric
- Polar fleece fabric (if you want to make a cover)
- Velcro (for the cover)
- Cotton
- Uncooked rice
What to do:
Cut a 50 x 25cm rectangle out of the cotton fabric. (I used offcuts from previous projects.) Cut the polar fleece for the cover slightly larger, about a 2cm border on all sides. If your fabric is printed on one side only, turn it over so the wrong side faces up.
Fold the rectangles for the inner baggies in half, width-wise, to make a square.
Pin all four sides but leave a small opening on top. Stitch the sides and top, except for the opening. Invert the bags and fill halfway with uncooked rice. (You can use dried beans but I prefer rice as it does not have a smell when microwaved.) Sew the opening closed.
To make the cover, first, stitch the velcro to the top and bottom. Flip the cover over, fold in half, pin and stitch the sides. Invert the cover and pull over the inner baggy. Close the velcro.
To use your baggies, remove the cover and microwave for about 3-4 minutes on high. (the time will depend on the wattage of your microwave.) When the baggies are nice and warm, slip it into the covers or cuddly toy and stay warm!
Easy and frugal Winter cuddle bags you can make yourself! I bet the kids will love them!
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