How to Remove a Rattle from a Stuffed Animal (For Ling Toy Use)

Why Ling Toys Need to Be Silent

When we chose our Ling toys, our speech-language pathologist was clear: the toy itself shouldn't make any sound. The point of a Ling toy is to make one specific sound—"EEE," "SHH," "MMM"—with your voice, while holding the toy up as a visual prompt. If the toy rattles or squeaks when your baby handles it, the noise competes with the sound you're trying to isolate.

We were rummaging through our toy box when we found the perfect monkey for EEE. Soft, the right size, easy to hold. There was just one problem: he rattled.

So we opened him up and took the rattle out. Here's how.

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What You'll Need

• Plush toy
• Seam ripper or small sharp scissors
• Needle (for hand sewing, meaning it has a hole in the dull end)
• Thread

While a seam ripper and matching-colored thread are nice to use, they're not necessary.

This project works just as well with a free hotel sewing kit, and some sharp beauty scissors.

Step-by-Step: Removing the Rattle

Step 1 — Find the Rattle, Squeaker, or Jingle Bell

Plastic inserts make plush toys rattle, squeak, or jingle.

They look like this:

The first step was to feel around the monkey, squishing it, to find the location of the rattle insert.

I found the rattle piece basically smack dab in the middle of his head.

Step 2 — Choose a Seam to Open

Next, I looked for an ideal seam to open it.

Ideally --

1. Near the rattle piece
2. A relatively straight line (sharp curves are tricky)
3. Simple two pieces sewn together - no ribbons, tags, or limbs in the seam

I found the perfect seam along the back of the monkey's head.

Step 3 — Open the Seam

Next I opened up the seam, large enough to get the noise element out.

I hooked the seam ripper under the thread of the seam, and cut the thread.

I worked my way down the seam opening each stitch, until I had a hole that the rattle piece could fit through.

Step 4 — Reach In and Locate the Noise Piece

Moving the polyfill gently to the side, I dug around, grabbed the rattle piece, and maneuvered it over to the open seam.

In doing so, I discovered it was covered with a mesh netting.

Step 5 — Remove the Noise Piece

I pulled the rattle piece out of the toy, careful not to put too much pressure on the edges of the seam. Pressure could make the seam continue to open up further than I wanted it to.

Then, I cut the mesh netting with my tiny scissors, liberating the rattle piece!

Step 6 — Sew the Seam Closed

I threaded my needle and sewed the seam back up. I did this using a classic toy-closing stitch, called a ladder stitch.

The ladder stitch is a simple back-and-forth pattern—you pass the needle from one edge of fabric to the other, alternating sides, so the thread crosses the seam like a ladder. When pulled tight, the seam closes invisibly. Here's a YouTube ladder stitch tutorial I like.

My needlework wasn't that pretty, but it got the job done.

Step 7 — Done

Knotting my thread, I was delighted to have the ideal Ling toy! 

Curious about the opposite problem? We've seen parents do this mod both ways—taking the rattle out for Ling toys, and putting one in to make toys louder for babies using hearing aids.

Not a Sewing Person?

Sewing is one of my hobbies, so LSL sewing projects aren't a big stretch of my time and energy.

It's totally understandable if you aren't thrilled about a sewing project at the moment!

If you'd love to have this Ling toy modification, a friend who sews might enjoy spending an afternoon helping you out!

Want to see which Ling toys we chose for our set—and the seven guidelines we used to find them? Start here: Best Ling Toys for Babies: How We Chose Our Six (And Why).

Check out our guide to modifying stuffed animals to include hearing aid accessories!