Crochet London Bus Baby Rattle in Organic Cotton

Crochet London Bus Baby Rattle — a double-decker small enough to hold

A hand-crocheted red London bus with a soft rattle inside, made from 100% organic cotton and suitable from birth. It's 13cm long, soft all the way through, and about as British a first toy as you can hand over.

🚌 Soft, not a model

Worth saying plainly: this is a crocheted bus rather than a toy vehicle. No wheels that turn, nothing rigid, nothing to run along the floor. That's the point of it — it's a rattle a newborn can be given safely, in the shape of something every British child will come to recognise.

🔔 A rattle that does the talking

The rattle sits inside and sounds whenever the bus is shaken, waved or dropped over the side of the pram. Soft rather than sharp, and with no batteries or buttons there's nothing to switch off and nothing to replace.

🇬🇧 The gift for family who live somewhere else

Red buses do a particular job: they're the present for a grandchild abroad, a new arrival in the family who'll grow up somewhere far from London, or a visitor who wants something better than a fridge magnet. It also stands up as a keepsake once it's outgrown, which not many rattles do.

🧵 Crocheted by hand, in detail

Working a recognisable double-decker in crochet — decks, windows, the lot — takes considerably longer than a round piece of fruit, which is why it costs more than our peapod and cherries. Each one is made by hand, so small differences between buses are the mark of a person rather than a fault.

👐 Handmade by women in rural Bangladesh

Every Lullaby toy is made by hand by women working in rural communities across Bangladesh, in fairly paid, flexible work they can do from home. It means a mother can earn without leaving her own children — a good thing to know, and a better thing to pass on.

🌿 Organic cotton, and how to keep it bus-shaped

The yarn is 100% organic cotton with a polyester filling. It washes — warm, on a delicate cycle — but no tumble drying and no wringing, and reshape it by hand while it's still damp. Crochet sets in whatever shape it dries in, and a bus dried in a heap looks rather more like a bus that's been in an accident.

• Hand-crocheted double-decker in bright red
• Soft rattle inside — no batteries, nothing rigid
• 100% organic cotton yarn, polyester filling
• Handmade by women in rural Bangladesh, fairly paid
• 13cm long — sized for small hands
• Suitable from birth
• Machine wash warm on a delicate setting; reshape while damp

• Size: 13cm long (13 x 8cm)
• Colour: red
• Materials: 100% organic cotton yarn, 100% polyester filling
• Suitable from: birth
• Care: machine wash warm on a delicate setting, do not tumble dry, do not wring, reshape while damp
• Safety: UKCA and CE certified
• Range: Lullaby, by Best Years

❓ Frequently asked questions

Does it have working wheels?
No — it's crocheted cotton throughout, so nothing rolls and nothing is hard. It's a soft rattle in the shape of a bus, which is what makes it safe from birth. If you want a bus to push along, our wooden vehicles do that job.

Why is it dearer than the peapod and cherries?
Because it takes far longer to make. A recognisable double-decker means shaping decks and stitching windows by hand, rather than crocheting a round pod. You're paying for the hours, and they show.

How big is it?
13cm long — hand-sized, and lighter than it looks. Easy in a pram or a changing bag.

What age is it for?
From birth. The strong red holds a young baby's attention, and the grabbing and shaking follow at around three or four months.

Will it survive being washed?
Yes, with one step people skip. Warm wash on a delicate setting, no tumble dryer, no wringing — then reshape it while damp and leave it to dry. That's what keeps the bus looking like a bus.

Is it a teether?
No. It'll be chewed, and organic cotton is fine for that, but it won't give the firm pressure a teething baby wants. Our teethers are the ones for that.

Does it make a good gift?
It's the one to send abroad. Suitable from birth, organic, handmade, and unmistakably British without being a novelty — and it survives being loved, which a souvenir rarely has to.

🫛 Which crochet rattle?

All four are organic cotton, handmade and suitable from birth. It comes down to size, character and price:

• London Bus — this one. 13cm, the most detailed of the four, and the one that travels well as a gift.
• Clown Fish — the biggest at 17cm, bold stripes, fins to hold. More of a soft toy in its own right.
• Cherries — 14cm, two smiley faces and a stem to grip. The best of them for a newborn just starting to focus.
• Peapod — 14cm, three peas in a pod, and the gentlest sound of the lot.

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

❤️ From our family to yours

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