A baby gym gives your little one plenty of sensory stimulation.
Most are the type with an arched pole over a mat, with toys hanging down.
Babies love the colorful designs and the chance to reach out with their hands and feet to touch things, making baby gyms a popular toy.
In this article, we introduce DIY ideas for making your own baby gym—from more substantial projects using wood to easy options you can put together with materials from a 100-yen shop.
If you’re thinking about making one yourself, feel free to use these ideas as a reference!
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Handmade baby gym ideas. Let’s DIY baby toys!
[100-yen shop] Baby gym with a hula hoop
![[100-yen shop] Baby gym with a hula hoop](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6NtFL4LvHCg/sddefault.jpg)
You know how they sell assembly-type hula hoops at 100-yen shops? In this idea, we use them as supports to make a baby gym.
First, connect a hula hoop into a half-circle, and make two identical pieces.
Cross them to form an X and tape them together at the center.
Insert short lengths of pool noodles at the four points where they touch the floor.
This stabilizes the supports and keeps the hard hula hoop from contacting the baby, making it safer.
Hang some toys, and your baby gym is complete!
Hand-knitted toy baby gym
Why not try making your own baby gym toys? These are crochet toys with lots of cute ideas like stars, clouds, the sun, and animal-themed balloons.
The patterns are shared in the video, so use them as a reference and give it a try.
By the way, this baby gym is entirely handmade, from the mat to the arches! The arch for hanging the toys is made by covering a hula hoop with fabric.
The overlapping sections are secured with hook-and-loop fasteners to prevent shifting—an idea that shines with both safety and thoughtful design.
[100-yen shop] Baby gym with pool noodles
![[100-yen shop] Baby gym with pool noodles](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xSir5iJG8sk/sddefault.jpg)
Pool noodles are originally meant for swim practice, but they’re also a popular item for crafts.
In this DIY idea, they’re used for the arch that hangs toys.
Cut the pool noodle to a suitable length, then slip a tube-sewn fabric cover over it.
Secure it to the mat, wrap a few zip ties around the arch, and hang the toys—voilà, you’ve got an adorable baby gym.
Pool noodles are soft, so there’s no worry about injuries, and shaping them into an arch is easy!
Foldable baby gym
Here’s a handmade idea for a baby gym that folds up compactly.
Materials: four white planed chamfered boards, one dowel, two stainless self-tapping screws, and some cord.
First, cut the ends of the chamfered boards at an angle to form the legs, then sand all the wood.
Drill pilot holes in the sides of both the chamfered boards and the dowel, then stack the chamfered boards in pairs and fasten them to the left and right ends of the dowel with screws.
Finally, drill holes near the bottom of all four boards and thread the cord through—done! The cord acts as a stopper to keep the legs from splaying too far.
[100-yen shop] Baby gym with craft rack
![[100-yen shop] Baby gym with craft rack](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kHtNELhzSvY/sddefault.jpg)
A craft rack refers to a tube made of paper—think of the core from a roll of plastic wrap.
In this idea, you’ll use craft racks as posts to make a baby gym.
A single craft rack is a bit short as-is, so connect them to extend the length.
Reinforce the seams with tape to make them sturdier.
Prepare four craft racks of the same length for the posts and one craft rack for the bar to hang toys from, then connect them with attachments to form the baby gym.
Finally, hang the toys and you’re done! Decorating the craft racks with removable adhesive sheets or similar materials will make it look extra cute.
[100-yen shop] Baby gym with a hanging rack
You can actually make a baby gym using a banking rack sold at 100-yen shops! A banking rack is an item where you can hang cups or cooking utensils by attaching S-hooks, etc.
If you like camping, you’ve probably used one at least once.
In this idea, you drape fabric over the banking rack, hang toys from it, lay a mat underneath, and use it as a baby gym.
If you want to keep costs low and minimize the steps, why not try copying this approach?
[100-yen shop] Baby gym made with gardening stakes
![[100-yen shop] Baby gym made with gardening stakes](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PfXkAj4iEuo/sddefault.jpg)
Here’s an idea for a baby gym using tunnel-shaped garden stakes.
Since the stakes can be dangerous as-is, wrap them with felt for safety.
Cross two stakes to form an X and fix them in place—that’s your base done.
Then just hook a laundry hanger onto the stakes and clip toys with the pegs.
This looks like something you can make easily in a short time.
If you’re concerned about the base at the feet, you can insert soft pool noodles or similar materials.
It’s a simple idea you can try, so please give it a go if you like.