How to make a squishy with slime

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Welcome back to Sugar, Spice & Glitter! Please note, this post may contain affiliate links. For more details, see our Full Disclosure .

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I first developed this amazing recipe for fluffy, squishy slime over three months ago, but to be honest, I was a bit nervous to share it.

It has a… non-conventional secret ingredient. But this is such an amazing sensory activity for kids that I simply had to share with you my secret recipe for what is possibly our favourite slime recipe yet.

How to make a squishy with slime

Squishy Fluffy Slime Recipe

Seriously, if there is one sensory activity for kids that you try from my blog, I hope you try this one.

Beyond just stretching, squishing, pulling, and manipulating the slime, you can add cookie cutters, or alphabet beads, or small containers to extend your slime play. My kids will play with slime without any extra tools for over an hour if I let them, but if you have a sensory seeker like I do, you might need to encourage breaks in your sensory play so that they don’t get overwhelmed and make poor decisions… like putting slime in their hair… or dropping it on the floor…

How to make a squishy with slime

If that does happen, vinegar will quickly and easily dissolve the slime from any fibers (in clothing, carpet, etc) or hair.

BONUS: Super shiny, soft hair… or carpet.

How to make a squishy with slime

This recipe makes a giant batch of stretchy, fluffy slime so we took it outdoors for easy clean up.

If playing outdoors is not an option for you, you may want to make a smaller batch or play with this in a bath tub, on a vinyl tablecloth or in a paddling pool. Whatever you do, try not to play with this directly over carpet or you’re going to spend the whole time cringing as the kids gleefully shake their hands and drop tiny pieces of slime all over it.

(The slime isn’t quite as messy as some of these pictures make it look – we used our hands to mix the glue in the pictures where my daughter is wearing the black dress, so it was a bit messier. The pictures in the Minions shirt show a bit better that it is a cohesive, not-so-messy slime as I mixed it first before giving it to her.)

How to make a squishy with slime

Prepare yourself for them to get a bit carried away and take measures to ensure that you’re not going to be upset or bothered by it. Just repeat to yourself, “Sensory play grows their brains. Sensory play stimulates their neural pathways.” And maybe have a calming cup of coffee or tea ready.

Slime can require a bit of experimentation and patience, especially if you’re still new to it. If you run into any slime fails, check out this troubleshooting post to help fix your slime.

How to make a squishy with slime

Oh, and one last thing before we get to the recipe, I had to tell you that it’s finally here! I wrote The (Ultimate) Slime Book oozing with over 50 pages of stretchable, squishy sensory fun – including a year of seasonal slimes, edible slimes and unique ways to play with slime. Click here to get more details.

You can purchase The Slime Book on Amazon, Book Depository, or at your local bookstore!

How to make a squishy with slime

Materials for the Fluffiest, Squishiest Slime:

  • Water
  • Liquid starch
  • White glue

And, the secret ingredient? Diapers. Well, diaper crystals to be exact.

Oh, okay, and I’ve also discovered that Gelli Baff can be used in place of the diaper crystals, but we’re in that stage where we always have extra diapers on hand! I just made a video showing how to make this recipe with pink gelli baff, but it looks and acts the exact same way as our original diaper crystal slime. Watch it and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe with exact measurements.

 

How to make a squishy with slime

I know this might sound gross to some, but as someone who uses water beads and used disposable diapers, I don’t personally have an issue with these polyacrylate crystals. You could easily substitute crushed water beads for the diaper crystals if you’d prefer – but it won’t be quite the same.

To get the crystals out, simply cut the tops of the diaper off and shake the crystals out into a container. Pick out any bits of fluff and then add up to five cups of water to hydrate the crystals.

UPDATE: if you have access to Gelli Baff, we have found this to be a perfect substitute!!

How to make a squishy with slime

I had the kids help me with every step of the slime-making process. This is a great sensory activity for kids to slow down and notice the differences between each stage of the slime’s progress. Even just the starting point of hydrated crystals is squishy, cool, and slippery, and can be played with for a decent period of time (or be a sensory activity all on it’s own).

How to make a squishy with slime

Then, we added two cups of the glue and used our hands to stir it into the hydrated water crystals. Already, the mixture started feeling sticky and stretchy.

(This is also a good time for me to mention that we did this activity outside so that I could just hose everything off when we were done and not worry if the kids got a bit too messy with their play. You can of course use a spoon or spatula to mix the glue in to reduce the messiness of this activity.)

How to make a squishy with slime

We added the liquid starch one half cup at a time. The more you work the liquid starch into the slime, the stretchier and more consistent it becomes – but you’ll want to keep adjusting the level of liquid starch until the mixture stops feeling sticky. (Check out Fun at Home with Kids’ awesome tutorial for troubleshooting slime.)

How to make a squishy with slime

If you make this slime on your own and then present it to the kids, you won’t have to worry about the sticky bits of glue that you see on Ella’s hands – that’s more of a result from her hand stirring the actual glue.

The final slime mixture should not stick to your hands, and will just be squishy, stretchy, cool-to-the-touch fun!

 

Pin this Easy Fluffy Slime for the next time you need a unique sensory activity for the kids:

How to make a squishy with slime

Grab your free printable recipe for our squishy, fluffy (not-so-secret-ingredient) slime:

Continue to Content

Yield: 10 cups of slimeFluffy, Squishy (Secret Ingredient) Slime

How to make a squishy with slime
Print

A super squishy, stretchy and fluffy slime made with a unique ingredient - polyacrylate crystals found in diaper linings or gelli baff!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Estimated Cost $5

Materials

  • 5 cups water
  • 2-3 cups liquid starch (approximate)
  • 3-3 1/2 cups white glue (approximate)
  • 4 diapers (their crystals)

Tools

  • Large container
  • Spoon or spatula

Instructions

  1. To get the crystals out, simply cut the tops of the diaper off and shake the crystals out into a container.
  2. Pick out any bits of fluff and then add up to five cups of water to hydrate the crystals.
  3. Add two cups of the glue and stir it into the hydrated water crystals. Already, the mixture should start to feel sticky and stretchy.
  4. Add the liquid starch one half cup at a time. The more you work the liquid starch into the slime, the stretchier and more consistent it becomes - but you'll want to keep adjusting the level of liquid starch until the mixture stops feeling sticky.

Notes

UPDATE: if you have access to Gelli Baff, we have found this to be a perfect substitute for the diaper crystals.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • How to make a squishy with slime

    Purex Sta-Flo Concentrated Liquid Starch, 64 oz Bottle by Sta-Flo (1) (Original Version) (Original Version)

    How do you make homemade squishy?

    Balloons are perfect for homemade squishies..
    Use the supplies for either Squishy #1 or Squishy #2..
    Fill the balloons with the fiberfill or makeup sponges. ... .
    When you feel like the balloon is getting full, gently add water. ... .
    Blow a small amount of air into the balloon. ... .
    Tie the balloon closed..

    Can I make my own squishy?

    DIY Squishies makes a great Fidget Toys. You can design them any way you wish and play with them to your heart's content. I think our favourite are the paper squishies as they are so “accessible” to all. All you need is paper, stuffing (recycled!), markers and tape… and off you go!