Boo-Boo Bunny

by Christina VanGinkel

I was looking online for a simple gift to create for an upcoming baby shower I will be attending. I am crocheting a blanket as my gift, but thought it would be fun to include another handcrafted item if I could come up with something simple. Not only did I find the perfect add along to the crocheted blanket, it also reminded me of another gift I could include, one that I had not thought of in years, but would act as both a nice decoration on the package and be useful later on. A Boo-Boo Bunny! Not to be confused with the ones that an ice cube is stuck inside of, these are similar, but are really just the bunny's head shape, and you just soak them and freeze, so there is no chance the ice will fall out, etc. I always liked these because they were so easy to use, and convenient. Even though I recall receiving, some very strange looks when a friend opened my freezer, and I had these entire frozen little bunny heads made out of washcloths inside!

Simple to make and the supplies are so inexpensive you will find yourself making a whole litter of them. Each bunny requires one washcloth and a piece of ribbon. Eyes and nose can be embroidered if desired, and a small tail fashioned from a cotton ball or sewn from scrap fabric and filled with a washable polyester stuffing.

The basic part of the bunny is extremely easy. Simply take a washcloth and fold so that two opposing corners meet. If done correctly the washcloth will now look like a triangle. Starting at the peak of the triangle, roll approximately three to four times depending on the thickness, once you have completed the roll, fold the washcloth in half. While folded, grip washcloth in middle, and tie with ribbon to secure. You will now be able to visualize the 'bunny'. Eyes and nose can be embroidered in place, and a small tail can be placed on backside. While some of the bunnies I have seen have had a cotton ball just glued on, I always take a small amount of scrap fabric, cut a circle, fill with polyester stuffing, sew closed into the shape of a small ball, and sew on the backside for a tail. Some of you may wonder why you would put a bunny tail on the backside of what is more or less just the bunny head and I always wondered that too. However, when I made one without, all my kids asked me where the tail was, so I went back and put a tail on it.

These washcloth bunnies can then be soaked and placed into the freezer for a soothing relief for those owies all toddlers are sure to encounter. I even use to pop one or two in a Ziploc bag, already frozen, and take with me every time I headed out the door to the park. Even when my kids did not really need them, they would ask for them on the way home to use to cool off.