How to Keep a Child’s Stuffie from Getting Lost

By Grandma Sandy | April 10, 2024 |

With the approach of summer and family travel plans underway, it’s a good time to think about how to protect a child’s beloved stuffie companion. Even staying at home, a stuffie can be lost at the playground or after an outing.

Child's stuffed panda wears a felt heart around the neck with an AirTag electronic tracker inside, to keep the stuffie from getting lost. — **Pandy the panda has been on many trips without incident; but next time, she will wear this felt heart AirTag holder.**

The way I keep track of my own gear is by attaching an Apple AirTag to my travel umbrella and another to my suitcase. It alerts me when I’ve left those items behind and allows me to retrieve them.

So why not use one for a child’s favorite stuffie?

Stitch a book of felt; make animal shapes in felt from cookie cutters; attach with velcro.

Aside from an AirTag, which is a bit pricey but does go on sale occasionally, you can also find alternative electronic trackers, including some that are less expensive than Apple’s.

Designing an AirTag Holder

The challenge was to find a way to affix the AirTag to the stuffie in an unobtrusive way. I wanted the AirTag to stay hidden, although it’s unlikely it can be reused by a thief.

So, I came up with a heart-shaped AirTag holder for Miss T’s favorite stuffie, the well-worn and much-beloved Pandy. Pandy has been to faraway places like Paris, Tokyo, and Bangkok. I know Miss T would be devastated to lose this adored panda companion.

The finished air tag holder is made with felt, stamped with the stuffie's name, and decorated with an artificial flower. Satin ribbons are used to tie the air tag holder around the neck of the stuffie. — **The finished AirTag holder: felt heart imprinted with Pandy’s name, edged with a blanket stitch, ready to tie around Pandy’s neck.**

I thought it would be good to have the panda’s name on the AirTag holder. That makes it more personal, and if Pandy is found, she’s more likely to be returned; the finder will know that this stuffie is special enough to have a name.

In addition to the AirTag, you might want to add a lost-and-found tag. While the AirTag will track the stuffie, if someone finds Pandy and is trying to return her, they will need an email address and/or a mobile number to alert the owner. You’ll have to decide what contact information you feel safe to share–certainly not your home address.

Make bean bags filled with rice from felt scraps.

Felt Heart AirTag Holder

Materials Needed:

Felt
Sheet of scrap paper to make a pattern
Ribbon (polyester satin preferred)
Embroidery thread (optional)
Small artificial flower (optional)

Use an indelible stamp pad and alphabet stamps to stamp the name of the stuffie onto felt. — **Use an indelible ink pad and alphabet stamps to stamp the stuffie’s name on the felt; cut the heart shape afterwards.**

Tools Needed:

Alphabet stamps and indelible ink stamp pad (optional)
Pencil
Sharp fabric shears
Sewing pins, needle and thread
Embroidery needle (if embroidering)
Sewing machine (or you can hand-stitch)

How to Make the AirTag Holder

Print the Name:

First, stamp the stuffie’s name on the felt, leaving enough margin to cut the heart shape. I stamped the name before cutting the heart so I could cut the heart around the name–I think it’s easier than trying to stamp the name evenly onto a pre-cut shape.

Make the Pattern:

Next, fold a sheet of paper and center the AirTag on the fold, so the middle of the AirTag lines up to the fold. This will give you the general size of the heart shape you’ll need to cut. Draw the heart shape, leaving enough space for the AirTag. My final heart pattern fitted into a box 3 inches wide and 2 1/4 inches high.

Create a pattern for the heart by folding scrap paper in half and drawing a heart large enough to accommodate the AirTag. — **My first draft at making a pattern on the folded paper. The final version of my heart was more squat.**

With the paper folded, cut out your heart pattern. Pin the pattern on the felt, trying to center the stuffie’s name.

Tip: If you make the pattern from white tissue paper or tracing paper, you’ll be able to see the imprinted name through the paper and you can easily maneuver your heart pattern to center it over the name.

Cut the Heart:

Cut out the heart from the imprinted felt and cut a second heart for the backing. Slit the backing heart in half through the middle vertically so you can insert the AirTag.

Affix the Ribbon:

Fold ribbon in half and gather the center before pinning it to the heart. — **Gather the center of the ribbon with a running stitch. This squinches the ribbon together so that when it’s stitched in place, the ribbon will hang better.**

Cut a length of ribbon that will be long enough to tie around the neck of the stuffie. I made mine long enough so we could tie a nice bow and then loosely double-knot the bow. I like polyester satin because it won’t wrinkle so the bow will always look fresh.

Fold the ribbon in half, and with a needle and thread, make a running stitch crosswise, across the width of the ribbon. Pull the stitches together to gather, and knot the thread. This squinches the ribbon together so when it’s stitched in place at the top of the heart, the ribbon will hang better on the stuffie.

Stitch the Heart:

The heart can simply be machine-stitched together. For a fancier finish, embroider the edge of the heart with a blanket stitch. — **The heart is stitched with ribbon having been inserted in between.**

Now pin the heart, name-side out, to the second heart, pinning the gathered ribbon at the top, between the two hearts. Baste the two hearts together. Top-stitch along the heart, 1/4-inch from the edge, catching the ribbon between.

Stuff and Close the Heart:

Put the AirTag into the heart and stitch the back closed with cross stitches. — **Stitch the back of the heart together with cross stitches to close the opening.**

Insert the AirTag and close up the back of the heart by making cross stitches, catching each side of the heart.

Embellishments

You can stop at this point. I added a blanket stitch around the edges. Then I stitched an artificial flower at the top.

With the ribbon tied securely around Pandy’s neck, the panda is ready for vacation.

Next Week

We’ll make a cardboard condominium with poster paint and discarded boxes.

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