Sensory bottles are not only fun to watch and play with, they can be fun to make too! Here are a few ideas on how to make and benefits of sensory bottles. Sensory bottles are plastic bottles with any number of liquids and substances in them that are fun to shake and watch. They can be used as a wonderful tool to help your child self-regulate when they start to have a meltdown.
About the Bottles
Make sure you are using plastic bottles that are BPA-free.
After doing some research when making some new sensory bottles, VOSS Artesian Water, 500 ml Plastic Bottles (Pack of 24) seemed to be popular. There is a huge difference in the quality and the VOSS bottles will hold up much better over time. They are thicker, more substantial plastic and also have a wider opening at the top which makes it easier if you want to include items that might be wider than a regular water bottle. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with using the VOSS water bottles. I also peeled the labels off and used Goo Gone to get the remainder of the adhesive off the bottles. This worked pretty well for me.
ETA 1/16/21: I now also use Body Armor plastic bottles too. They come in a couple of sizes (16oz and 12 oz), and I really like the 12 ounce size for little toddler hands. The design of the Body Armor bottles seems a little more structurally sound when used by younger children or children who might have a tendency to throw/drop a sensory bottle. These also have the wider opening. Another thing I did was I practiced on the plain cheap bottles before using the more expensive VOSS bottles.
I don’t give you exact measurements that I used — remember that a lot of this is trial and error. You might want your liquid thicker than mine so you would use a little more gel and less water, so know these aren’t exact recipes. And lastly, if possible, make these with your kiddos. The process of making the sensory bottles can be very beneficial in itself and they can help decide what things to put in their sensory bottles. It gives them a sense of ownership which might encourage them to use them.
The basic recipe is you will need some kind of oil or thickener (see some options below), some water (which you may or may not want to add some color), and some objects, glitter and/or confetti to put in the bottle. Some objects will rise, others sink and it’s just a matter of trial and error and personal preference. That’s why I recommend using inexpensive bottles to practice first.
VOSS water bottles or Body Armor drink bottles*
Goo Gone (to remove the label adhesive)
water
gel food coloring* or liquid watercolors** (if desired)
any small items you’d like to put in your sensory bottle (beads, stars, confetti, glitter, resin charms, etc)
Gorilla glue or other heavy duty adhesive like E6000 or glue gun
any of the following: clear hair gel, mineral oil, baby oil, baby oil gel, clear school glue
After removing the labels and using Goo Gone on the leftover adhesive, fill the bottle a little less than halfway with water. If you are coloring the water in your bottle, add a few drops of coloring. Add your oil or thickener (the water beads, hair gel, mineral oil, OR clear school glue). Leave a little room at the top (about an inch) so you can add your objects (glitter, confetti, charms, etc). When you have all the “stuff” added that you want, add water to top it off. Once finished and you are happy with it, glue it closed.
 The thick hair gel makes the objects in the bottles look suspended. |
 Water beads from the dollar store worked well for our galaxy bottle. |
 I liked the baby oil a little better than the baby oil gel. |
 The gel turned cloudy after shaking but eventually cleared up each time. |
Variety is Best
Chances are you aren’t going to make just ONE sensory bottle, you’ll be making several. After keeping better track of what I was doing (yeah, I had to write it down AND take pictures to help me remember what I put in which bottle) you can actually see what I used and what the result was. Try to use all different kinds of things to mix in your water bottles. The more of a variety, the better. Frankly, I think a set of sensory bottles to a little friend as a gift or in an Easter basket would be such a fun idea! Here are some of the sensory bottles I made along with pictures so you can get an idea of the consistency and colors.
*There are affiliate links in this post. If you click on a link and purchase from the vendor, I will receive a small commission on your purchase at no extra cost to you.
For more information about making sensory bottles, click here.
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