How to Turn a Plush into a Weighted Toy

Step by step instructions for how to turn any stuffed animal into a weighted toy. Learn how much one cup of Poly-Pellets weighs and how to package the pellets so the weight is evenly distributed in the weighted plush toy. Weighted toys are great for their calming effect, as well as for keeping hands busy.

[@lricci007]

Use stretchy fabric bags or a pair of tights or nylons for weighted pellets so the animal won't have a plastic crunchy sound when you hug it.

[@Morenascorner]

great idea! Thanks.

[@Itsunclegabby]

Thank you!!

[@ashleyh7755]

Does this work well for glass weighted beads? They're so much smaller, and I want to be sure they won't come through the bags.

[@ChihuahuaKawaii]

As for someone who sews and makes soft toys, I have some advice for making your toys weighted but making them so they're better quality: instead of using plastic bags and tape, I would use some old fabric (any will do) for making your pellet bags, sew them with close stitches, and put the pellets into the small rectangular beanbags you made before sewing them shut. this gives the toy a softer feel with less weird jagged edges like the corner of the plastic bags give, and it wont be so rattly because you're using actual soft fabrics instead of plastic bags. when you put them in the toy and you sew the toy shut, I highly suggest learning the ladder stitch, also known as the hidden stitch. the ladder stitch is made to hide the stitching and the seams of your item, so when you sew a toy shut, you wont get the odd bumpy look on the toy like we seen at the end of the video, as the ladder stitch gives it a beautiful finish. many plush makers like myself use the ladder stitch for closing holes in things like toys and cushions, it really makes a big difference. Hope that helps! /h /nbr

[@Morenascorner]

That is very helpful! Thank you!

[@ChihuahuaKawaii]

@@Morenascorner No problem! I am glad I was able to help

[@beanybee]

Thank you! Here I was ready to spend $50 on a weighted plush. I have a well loved stuffed dog that I'll be doing this to. Thinking of adding some weight to the paws and center of the body.

[@Morenascorner]

So glad this helps! I think it's a great idea to add weight to the paws, too!

[@lricci007]

Tights or panty hose double thick work better for pellet pouches because they are soft and don't crinkle.

[@Morenascorner]

Great tip! Thanks!

[@desmondpalatzma4655]

thank you, that’s very helpful!

[@thatcutegameotaku]

theyll also be better in the wash. the ziploc wont do well with high temperatures. (specially if someone puts them in the dryer)

[@draconicgremlin7484]

I think you could also use some older socks

[@ashleyh7755]

Will that work well for glass weighted beads? I've got a project I'm planning, and once everything gets here, I don't want to find out last minute that what I planned isn't going to work with what I ordered.

[@TheBlackhawkbrat]

When you open up the stuffie, you should look for the zigzag looking stitches; they indicate the original opening through which the animal was stuffed with a ladder stitch.

[@CryingJackal]

Thank you so much! Me and my sisters mom is horrible to me and it’s giving my sister anxiety so it helps a lot to figure out how to make her something to help her out

[@Morenascorner]

I hope this project helps! Do you have a safe adult you and your sister can talk to?

[@CryingJackal]

@@Morenascorner thankfully we do and he’s trying to get us out of our situation as if now

[@Morenascorner]

@@CryingJackal I'm glad you have someone. Good luck. 💓

[@celebrityguest.9530]

this was so helpful, thank you for making this!! i've found some older stuffed animals from the 80s at thrift stores lately that i've been wanting to wash and add some new stuffing to but today i found a bag of poly pellets and they got me thinking about the possibilities for giving them some weight!! it's great to see other people having tried it out!!!

[@Morenascorner]

Awesome! Glad I could help! My daughter wanted to revive some of my husband's old stuffed toys and we did this and she loves it!

[@marycrisdulnuan3526]

I'll definitely make one of these, weighted plushies are expensive and good thing i found your video. I was thinking of using rice though, or sand? Hmmm. I'll explore 😅

[@nikkix6972]

Rice can go mouldy if any moisture gets trapped in there. Sand can sometimes get a bit smelly after a long period of time too. For a stuffed animal poly pellets is safer. Or a squishier option is a product reborn doll artists use called babyfat, which is a very satisfying squish and a bit heavier than poly pellets, but it might be more expensive (I haven't done a price comparison).

[@sweatershirt]

You have a really soothing voice

[@Morenascorner]

aww thanks!

[@maggieoshea7660]

I literally just ordered one of these and while the plushie is great it isn't weighted and all, and I was modestly a little devastated. I'm ordering my pellets right now!!!

[@Morenascorner]

Yay, I'm glad my idea can help!

[@psycholyricc]

i had the same problem! it was supposed to be a 5 pound, 2 foot long plush, but instead i got a 16 inch long unweighted plush :/

[@Morenascorner]

@@psycholyricc ugh that's awful!

[@maggieoshea7660]

@@Morenascorner it worked like a charm!!!! I did two pounds and put weight in each leg and the main body. I think I need to get more stuffing since the weighted bags want to move around in the torso but it's been a big success.

[@Morenascorner]

@@maggieoshea7660 yay!! I'm glad it worked for you!

[@IchiigoSkye]

i may be trying this soon, though im going at this a lil different, for the weight i want i plan to use glass marbles and i'll sew up some pouches to put them in.

[@Morenascorner]

Fun idea!

[@rainsofhealing]

Do the glass marbles weigh more per cup than the poly pellets? I’m also wondering about using flax seed as it’s more natural and not plasticky like poly pellets.

[@georginashanti4605]

Thanks great video!

[@Morenascorner]

Thank you!

[@faith859617]

i heard you can use rice or dry beans instead would those work as a cheaper option than the poly fill ?

[@Morenascorner]

Yes, they would work. The benefit to pellets is that you can wash them and you don't have to worry about them getting musty/moldy.

[@Izzylovesdinos]

Thank you for this video! I’m trying to use a weighted plush to see if it will help my anxiety :) now I can make weighted dinos 🦕

[@Morenascorner]

I hope it helps!

[@Izzylovesdinos]

@@Morenascorner it did! I now have a weighted purple Dino called Cady :)

[@Morenascorner]

@@Izzylovesdinos YAY! That makes me happy. 🤩

[@Ahfzz]

Do the bags “sink” to the bottom, leaving you feeling the bags directly on you while the stuffing is on top? I don’t know if my question is clear

[@Morenascorner]

I like to add a little stuffing on top of the bags. You can also push the bags more towards the center of the stuffed toy. They have stayed in place!

[@Sp0ttedPaws]

when you're cutting / ripping the threads to open up the fabric, wouldn't it cut the threads so they pop out and open up the entire bottom side? Im kinda lost 😭

[@Morenascorner]

Hopefully that won't happen! Usually it takes a lot of pressure/pulling to open the whole thing up. Be sure to stitch beyond the area you opened so that it will stay closed when you're done! I hope that helps!

[@Sp0ttedPaws]

@@Morenascorner okay thanks so much!!!

[@crazyplantlady2587]

Question, when you would put it in the wash or hand clean it won't the ziplocs (over time) get moldy? I have been look for a material where I can put the pellets, but I dont know what works...

[@awesomewolf7197]

I saw panty hoes might work

[@inside-my-head44]

I was reading double layered pantyhose works great too as an Alternative

[@crazyplantlady2587]

@@inside-my-head44 thank you for the recommendation, but I also found some drawstring bags 😁

[@Morenascorner]

@@inside-my-head44 thanks, I was going to suggest this as well!

[@Morenascorner]

@@crazyplantlady2587 that's a great alternative!

[@johnathoncharisma4326]

Thank you! Got my girlfriend a little stuffed frog forever ago, but wanted to get her a weighted one to sleep with.. now to get it back from her 😂

[@Morenascorner]

ha! Good luck!

[@emely2465]

I am sorry, I know basically nothing about sewing but I was wondering why you'd cut a seam open instead of making a slit in the fabric? wouldn't cutting a seam produce the risk of this particular seam opening again in near future, since it's now got two loose ends?

[@Morenascorner]

I opened the seam because I didn't want the fabric to have more cuts/lines in it. If you knot it and stitch the ends tightly they shouldn't be loose.

[@thatcutegameotaku]

if you cut another hole in the fabric, itd ruin the integrity of the plush. the best way would be to find the 'hidden stitch' that would be the final stitch in the plush. that would be the easiest to reopen and resew.

[@arielthacker4704]

When stitching it back up, you just stitch a little beyond the edge of the hole so the stitching overlaps, and that should keep it from opening any further. It's what I do every time the stitches pop on my kids' toys!

[@lunavics2210]

is this travel safe? would security think this is suspicious?

[@Morenascorner]

It will get noticed. This summer my daughter bought a weighted Stitch plush at Disney and security opened the Velcro to examine the inside.

[@kage1330]

Great question!I brought my custom made gllass beads filled weighted blanket thru security and it definitely caused a problem, they nearly cut it open until one of the security team members had been familiar with the different types of beads and cleared me, they might find the randomly placed plastic bags suspicious.

[@rocksann]

Lil question, wouldn’t the lil bags fall all at the bottom of the plush if you put it in a certain position ? Or will the bags won’t move

[@Morenascorner]

If the plush is packed pretty well with the fiber fill then the bags shouldn't move too much!

[@nadiasews]

Smart to put them in a bag first

[@Morenascorner]

Thanks! It keeps them from spilling everywhere!

[@jessiedannelly5251]

How big is that Narwhal Plush?

[@Morenascorner]

It's about two feet long.

[@sakurashakur4577]

Can u use rice or anything else instead?

[@Morenascorner]

Yes, you can use rice or beans but they aren't washable.

[@nancymora8962]

I'm traveling internationally with my autistic child. Does anyone have any experience taking a homemade weighted plush with them on trips and passing through customs? If it's rice instead of these pellets do you think it would be more passable? Just a worried mom trying to keep my child from having a meltdown in a stressful environment like customs at an airport 😓😓

[@Morenascorner]

I would use velcro so that customs can open and inspect it. When my daughter bought a weighted plush at Disney, airport security still opened it up and took out the weighted packet to inspect it. Even after it went through the xray. It would be traumatic for a child to see their plushie ripped open, which is why I am advising that you use velcro so they can open and inspect it without damaging it. I think the plastic pellets should be fine, since it's similar to what is used in neck pillows.

[@desmondpalatzma4655]

I have a question; why can’t we put the pellets in loosely in the stuffed animal? Really appreciate the video by the way

[@Morenascorner]

You could just fill it with pellets if you want to! Some might spill out when you sew it shut but it's definitely an option!

[@glendur]

Im 16 and I will do this I love my bear

[@Morenascorner]

I'm glad you liked it! Never too old to love a stuffed animal!

[@LVMNG]

I don’t have pellets and can’t get any and since rice turns moody I have no idea on what to do

[@Morenascorner]

Do you have dried beans? Or marbles? Find something small and round to use as a substitute. You could also try putting flour or baby powder in a balloon but be sure to double or triple layer the balloon.

[@debbibowen]

Try looking for a weighted blanket at a thrift store.

[@LVMNG]

@@debbibowenI live in India…we don’t have thrift stores.

[@Mysterious650]

Why would you want a waited Plush there heavy

[@Morenascorner]

The weight is very soothing for people with sensory issues. I don't have sensory issues but still find the weighted plushies to be very calming.

[@Doctor_Kip]

I always wondered hey I was obsessed with a lamb plush that had lavender in it when I was little it’s cuz it was WEIGHTED (Rip lamb plush got eaten by rats)

[@Morenascorner]

It's amazing what a difference it makes when it's weighted. 🥰

[@rainsofhealing]

I’ve been looking at Warmies and Soothies and they are filled with Flax seed and dried lavender.

[@Moongazer88]

Make sure your kid is ok with the stuffed animal being cut open! Otherwise, you won't have a very happy kid ☹️

[@candyqueenplayzroblox2271]

Or here me out bye a new one🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@Morenascorner]

of course that's an option, too

[@wrentheelf2656]

Weighted stuffed animals are really expensive, and this is also good to know for people wanting to make plushes themself

[@Morenascorner]

@@wrentheelf2656 agreed! And this way you aren't limited to what's available as a weighted toy...it gives you so many more options!

[@thebrilliantjoseph3761]

You just broke a plush

[@Morenascorner]

Nah, I gave it a new purpose.