Knitted Sausage Dog Baby Rattle in Rainbow Stripe Jumper

Knitted Sausage Dog Baby Rattle — a shape built for grabbing

A knitted brown dachshund in a rainbow stripe jumper, with a rattle inside and long floppy ears. 21 x 14 x 8cm, suitable from birth.

🌭 The long body is the point

A sausage dog is, structurally, a barrel on very short legs — and a barrel is the easiest thing in the world for a baby to hold. Before a thumb can be opposed, at around three or four months, a baby grips by curling four fingers against the palm. A long body suits that exactly, and there is no end to miss: wherever a hand lands along him, it closes on something.

The ears give a second, floppier handle, and because they move independently of the body they are usually the first bit to get chewed.

🔔 A rattle, and no batteries

The rattle sits inside and sounds when he is shaken, waved or dropped over the side of the pram. A soft shake rather than a hard clatter, and with nothing electronic there is nothing to switch off and nothing to replace.

🧶 The biggest of our knitted rattles

At 21cm he is noticeably larger than the astronaut or the Highland cow, which makes him as much a first soft toy as a rattle. He will get cuddled as well as shaken, which is more than most rattles manage.

🧺 Machine washable at 30°C

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 the jumper keeps its shape. Worth knowing for a toy that is going to be chewed by the ear.

🌍 What Best Years say about where the money goes

Best Years, who make him, state on the label that profits from this toy go towards preschools for disadvantaged children, and that they offset their carbon emissions. He also arrives without packaging, which is their own policy for cutting single-use plastic — lovely for the planet, slightly less lovely if you wanted something to unwrap, so a gift bag is worth having.

What we like about him

• A long barrel body — the easiest shape for a young hand to close around
• Floppy ears as a second handle, and the first thing to be chewed
• A rattle inside that sounds only when he moves
• The biggest of our knitted rattles at 21cm, so he doubles as a soft toy
• Filled with 100% recycled polyester rather than virgin fibre
• Machine washable at 30°C

📏 Details

• Size: 21 x 14 x 8cm
• Colour: brown with a rainbow stripe jumper
• Suitable from: birth
• Materials: 100% acrylic yarn, 100% recycled polyester filling
• Care: machine wash at 30°C or below, reshape while damp, air dry
• Safety: UKCA and CE marked
• Brand: Best Years

❓ Frequently asked questions

What age is he for?
From birth. Early on he is something to be shown and handed; the grabbing and shaking start properly at around three or four months, which is when the long body earns its keep.

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 the crochet rattles are all 100% organic cotton.

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

Can he 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.

Is he the same as the sausage dog soft toys?
Same animal, different job. This is the small rattle version. We also do a full-size knitted sausage dog in a tartan jumper and a tweed one with no jumper, both of which are for cuddling rather than shaking.

Does he make a good gift?
A very good one for a dachshund household, and there are more of those than you would think. Suitable from day one, so it works as a new-baby present rather than something to be put away for later.

🔔 Which first rattle?

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

• Sausage dog — this one. 21 x 14 x 8cm, the biggest of the knitted rattles, and the easiest shape to grip.
• Astronaut — 16 x 13 x 5.5cm in black and white, the strongest contrast for very new eyes.
• Highland Cow — 16cm in a stripe jumper. The most characterful of the three.
• White Bunny — 26cm and 100% organic cotton. Bigger, plainer, and the safe baby-shower choice.

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.