Panda Crate is a subscription from the KiwiCo family that’s specifically curated for babies ages 0-2. Shipping every other month, it costs $39.90 with free shipping to the US. This subscription is made for infants and toddlers to help in their early childhood development. Each box includes 5-6 learning toys and/or books ideal for child’s age and stage, a copy of wonder magazine, Activity Cards to promote learning and development, and Beyond the Crate Cards to help you bond and explore with your child. All products from this box are designed by experts and backed by researchers at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
DEAL: For a limited time save 30% on your first box! No coupon code needed, just use this link to get the offer!
It’s the TRAVEL WITH ME box!
Everything is placed inside this cute green box!
The box looks full, and we’re excited!
It comes with a Wonder Magazine and a card.
There’s no extra packaging but everything came in perfect condition.
Everything in my box!
Everything in the box is listed down on this page, and they also provided bits of information about each of them!
This month’s Wonder Magazine includes special articles about Developing Motor Skills, Tummy Timeline, and more!
The back of the magazine presented us KiwiCo’s goals for the next generation of innovators!
There’s a table of contents, so you can easily get an overview of all the topics.
To help us understand our babies more, they included this article that focuses on how babies are working on their muscles!
For the strength training article, they presented to us a baby’s tummy timeline!
They even gave us tips on how to travel with a baby, and how to make it stress-free and enjoyable!
Here’s a column by Dr. Dimitri Christakis, which provides tips and advice for parents. This month, he answered why tummy time is important.
Here are the cards included inside this month’s box that explains more about the items!
Travel Play Mat. This mat is a great way to have your baby explore different sounds and textures. It’s even portable, so you can bring it with you during travels and long drives.
The info card is really helpful, as it helps us maximize the toy. There are also notes for cleaning up the item. As for the mat, it can be machine washed and air-dried.
The mat doesn’t just serve as a protection for your baby, it’s also a fun toy to keep them occupied and entertained. The mat is divided into four quadrants, with each having an image.
You can even attach toys on the loops stitched on the mat.
The sun design on the mat is made of crinkled fabric, which is soft and lightweight.
There’s another design made out of a soft fabric shaped into a triangle with silk ribbons.
The portion with the moon on it comes with a pocket where we can hide something and let the baby explore it!
Hanging Rattles. These rattles are the perfect toys to use and attach on the loops of the travel mat!
You can use these toys to encourage the kids to explore different textures by grasping different materials like silky ribbons, knotted ropes, crumpled fabrics, and other objects that have various surface feel. That way, they can easily identify and differentiate them.
One good example is this sun-shaped hanging toy. The rays of this bright yellow toy are made of knotted ropes. It even comes with a hook-and-loop enclosure so you can easily attach or hang it anywhere.
Another one is this cute fluffy cloud with smooth ribbons that come in different colors. Also, the kids can easily differentiate the two toys as each comes with a different rattle sound.
Star Grasping Toy. One thing that we need to develop with the kids is their grasp. The stronger their grasp is, the easier they can hold on to things. This grasping toy is one of the best toys that they can use to practice.
The star is made of solid beechwood. Don’t worry about getting splinters as the wood is really made smooth so the babies can hold it with ease. It even comes with a soft ribbon made from crinkled fabric.
The shape of the toy may be a little challenge, especially to younger ones, but as time goes, they will definitely get the hang of it. You can keep it clean by wiping it with a damp cloth.
Fabric Book. Here’s another item to keep your baby occupied on a trip, a cute fabric book!
Children can easily relate with the main character in the book, Poppy, as she travels and explores different vehicles while she’s on an adventure.
The book is also made of crinkled fabric. It’s pretty lightweight, and you can easily slip it in your bag or backpack.
The book comes with a hook-and-loop closure so we can also attach it to the travel mat.
It helps children familiarize themselves with different vehicles and how they sound! The colors used on the illustrations are vivid and catchy as well.
Now, we’re onto the Beyond The Crate Cards! These cards feature activities you can do to bond with your kid.
Squish Bags. This activity helps stimulate the baby’s senses and promotes tummy time. It’s suited for 3 to 10-month-old babies.
By three months, the goal is to have an hour’s worth of tummy-time sessions every day. It’s a long time for some little ones, but these squish bags can help keep them going! Your baby won’t be able to resist poking and squeezing them. (And the cleanup is easy — you might say it’s in the bag!)
Roll It Out. The next activity encourages you to use an exercise ball to strengthen your little one’s neck muscles. This is ideal for babies aged 3 to 9 months.
Changing how your baby is positioned engages new muscles. For grownups, going to the gym works out new muscles. (That’s why you feel sore afterwards!) For your baby, rocking on an exercise ball “works out” the trunk and neck muscles they need to lift their head. It’s a fun and safe way to get your baby moving!
Paper Spinner. It’s another interesting activity, and this time it aims to help the kids have a new visual experience.
You don’t have to travel far to show your baby new sights and sounds. Just going outside is an adventure! Watching a paper spinner twirl in the breeze is a brand-new experience for your baby — and new experiences stimulate their cognitive development. Hang the spinner on a stroller, and you’ve got on-the-go learning!
Ribbon Play. Next up is an activity promoting tactile stimulation!
Long trips can be stressful for your little one—and you. Turn some colorful ribbons into entertaining, portable play. Your baby will want to touch and feel the rippling ribbons, which stimulates tactile development. If they reach with their hands or kick their feet, you know they’re smitten with ribbons!
Traveling with babies could be a hassle, but bringing toys and books to ease their boredom greatly helps. Panda Crate definitely solves that worry by providing cool items and toys that promotes not just enjoyment but also learning. We love the travel mat and we also like the fact that it’s made to complement all the other items included in the box like the rattles, grasping toy, and even the fabric book! The inclusion of Beyond the Crate cards is also awesome as they give parents ideas and activities that we can do to help develop our babies. We’re looking forward to the next box, and we’re sure that it’ll be another hit not just for babies, but for us parents too!
What do you think of this month’s Panda Crate?
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