Knitted Astronaut Baby Rattle

Knitted Astronaut Baby Rattle — black and white, which is the point

A small knitted astronaut in a spacesuit, 16 x 13 x 5.5cm, with a rattle inside and button details down the front. Suitable from birth.

🚀 Monochrome, and why that matters for a newborn

Newborn vision is poor and short-range, and it is drawn to contrast rather than to colour. Pastels are a soft blur for the first few weeks; black against white is a hard edge a baby can actually resolve. That is why a monochrome toy holds a very new baby's attention far longer than a pretty pink one, and why this astronaut earns his place in the first month rather than the sixth.

He is also not another bunny, which counts for something when the Moses basket is already full of them.

🔔 A rattle, and nothing electronic

The rattle sounds when he is moved, so it rewards the shaking rather than running constantly. No batteries, no buttons to press, nothing to switch off at bedtime. The knitted button details on the suit give small fingers something to find once they start exploring with their hands rather than their mouth.

🧺 Machine washable, which is the other reason to buy a white toy

He goes in the machine at 30°C or below. Reshape him while damp and leave him to air dry rather than tumbling him, and he comes back looking like himself — which is the only reason anyone should sell a white toy to a household with a newborn in it.

What we like about him

• Black and white, which is the colouring very new eyes pick out first
• A rattle inside that sounds only when he moves
• Knitted button details to find once hands get involved
• Light and small enough for a newborn to be handed
• Filled with 100% recycled polyester rather than virgin fibre
• Machine washable at 30°C — unusual for a knitted rattle

📏 Details

• Size: 16 x 13 x 5.5cm
• Colours: black and white
• Suitable from: birth
• Materials: knitted acrylic yarn, 100% recycled polyester filling
• Care: machine wash at 30°C or below, air dry
• Safety: UKCA and CE marked
• Brand: Best Years

❓ Frequently asked questions

What age is he for?
From birth. The contrast works from day one, the rattle comes into its own once they start to shake things at around three or four months, and the buttons hold up for a good while after that.

Is he knitted in cotton?
No — the yarn is acrylic, with the filling made from 100% recycled polyester. If you would rather have organic cotton, our white bunny rattle and crochet peapod rattle are both 100% organic cotton.

How loud is the rattle?
Gentle, and only when he is moved. Nothing that will startle a newborn or wake a sleeping one.

Can he really go in the machine?
Yes, at 30°C or below. Reshape him while he is damp and let him dry naturally — no tumble dryer, which shortens the life of any knitted toy.

Does he come boxed?
No. Best Years send their knitted toys without packaging as part of their own effort to cut single-use plastic, so he arrives as he is. Lovely for the planet, slightly less lovely if you wanted something to wrap — a gift bag solves it.

Does he make a good gift?
A good one for a brand-new baby specifically, because of the contrast, and a more memorable choice than a fourth bunny.

🔔 Which first rattle?

They all do the same core job — something light to be handed, with a sound as the reward. They differ on material and on what the baby sees:

• Astronaut — this one. 16 x 13 x 5.5cm in black and white, the strongest contrast of the lot, and machine washable.
• Black and White Rattle Set — more monochrome again, as a set rather than a single toy.
• White Bunny Rattle — 26cm and 100% organic cotton. Bigger, plainer, and the safe baby-shower choice.
• Highland Cow Rattle — 16cm with a rainbow stripe jumper. More character, less neutral.
• Crochet Peapod Rattle — organic cotton and tiny, for the very earliest weeks.

See them all in our baby rattles collection, or everything suitable from birth.

❤️ From our family to yours

Carefully chosen products for babies, toddlers and parents. Browse more baby rattles — free UK delivery on orders over £25.