Two sleeping unicorns lay on a white background with greenery.

Safety eyes are an essential craft tool that add personality to your amigurumi. If you’re making your amigurumi for a young child though, you may want to reconsider the use of safety eyes. As always with small objects, there is a risk of choking if the safety eyes come loose.

There are so many cute alternatives to safety eyes! I’ve compiled some options for you so keep reading!

What are safety eyes?

Safety eyes are plastic eye posts that you can insert on your amigurumi. (Looking for info on how to start making your own amigurumi? Check out my post here.) Safety eyes come with washers that secure tightly on the back of the posts, keeping the eyes in place. While they’re pretty difficult to pop off once secured, they should never be considered completely childproof.

I never had an issue with safety eyes until my dog got a hold of one of my amigurumi the other day and gnawed off a safety eye immediately. Though he’s definitely a chewer, I was still surprised how easily and quickly he was able to get the eye off.

THEN my son decided to toss an amigurumi at a moving ceiling fan (I know, WHY) and it cracked a safety eye, separating it from its post and flinging it who knows where. It also broke the fan blade!

These incidents got me thinking that maybe I should rethink safety eyes or at least have some alternatives in my back pocket.

All photos have been obtained with permission from their owners.

Alternative #1: Crochet your own and sew them on

Crocheted amigurumi eyes by Wow Crochet Toys
Photo Credit: Wow Crochet Toys

These can be even cuter than plastic safety eyes, in my opinion! Yes it’s a bit of extra work but at least you know they can be sewn on securely. These are also a fabulous option for BIG eyes. Larger safety eyes are harder to find, and also to secure. WowCrochetToys has a great pattern on Etsy, and so does YarnWaveShop.

Alternative #2: Embroider them directly on your amigurumi

These unicorns were crocheted by me for a custom order.

This is my preferred method because I always have black embroidery thread or yarn and it’s easy. I usually make mine sleeping eyes but there are tutorials out there for non-sleeping if that’s what you prefer.

Alternative #3: Sew on a pre-made patch

Felt eye patches by Ilona GR
Photo Credit: Ilona GR

I haven’t tried this but I see it a lot for larger amigurumi, especially the felt patches. They can be glued or sewn but sewing is more secure. Try these felt eyes by Avenue Yarn or embroidered eye patches from Ilona GR.

Conclusion

You have options if you want to ditch safety eyes. Any of the above alternatives will add personality to your amigurumi without sacrificing safety. What’s your preferred method for your amigurumi? Let me know in the comments!

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