I made this pillow for a baby shower I am going to. They are easy to make and very useful. It has brown rice, lavender, sage, chamomile, and lemon balm inside. It can be put in the crib to help calm a fussy baby and it can be heated in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm, then lay it across the abdomen of a baby with colic. When the child gets older you can store it in the freezer for soothing boo-boos.
I used two 7" x 6" squares of scrap material and some leftover rick rack from another project. Sew them together right sides facing leaving about 3/4" open for turning. Turn right side out and fill. I used about 2 TBSP of dried lavender buds, a handful of sage leaves (dried), a handful of lemon balm leaves (dried), a chamomile tea bag {I left the chamomile in the tea bag because it has a tendency to powder and sift out through the weave of the material. Fine dust is not a good thing for babies to inhale.} , and about a cup of dry brown rice. I'm guessing because I didn't measure. A funnel is a big help here. After everything is inside sew the opening closed.
I put these in plastic bags when giving them away. I enclose a card explaining what they are and how they can be used.
I usually get the herbs from my garden, but my chamomile is not big enough to harvest yet this year. Everything else came from my yard. Lemon balm grows like a weed once established, and sage and lavender are not difficult to grow. Neither of them mind poor soil, and lavender likes dry spots.
