It’s been tough trying to come up with new things to do with a infant and toddler while our whole state is locked down. Reece is now 10 months old, and this is the age with Theo where I started bringing him to play grounds and infant gym classes and swim lessons. There’s definitely a part of me that’s disappointed Reece is missing those fun milestones, but I am thankful we have a yard and live in a place where we can take stroller walks now that the weather is nice.
Panda Crate is a subscription service that sends developmentally appropriately activities right to your door. It’s for newborns- 24 months, and each box is selected based on your infant’s age. Since Reece is 10 months old, we received an Explore with Me box meant for ages 7-12 months. It came with 3 activities and a small board book too. The quality of the toys is impressive! We received a wood ball drop, and then a wood peg board as two of the toys. I love how neutral and calming the toy colors are- definitely not an eye sore on the shelf! I didn’t expect to like them so much for the price of the box. We practice Montessori style toy rotations, and having these new toys made this month’s rotation easy. The box even comes with cards that explains how to introduce the activity to your baby.
I unpacked the box while Reece was napping, so Theo got a little sneak peak first, and even at age 2, he will honestly play with these just as much as Reece. The peg board in our box has multi colored pegs for your child to match coordinating wood pieces to. Theo loved it as a little puzzle, and then stacked the wood pieces for Reece to come knock over after his nap. That’s my favorite part about many of these toys- they’re all great for open ended play. If you want to try it there’s a discount code at the end of this post! This would also make a great baby shower gift for a new mama!
What is an open ended toy? Toys that have no limits or definitive answer are considered open ended. Basically a toy where your child can use their imagination for endless play scenarios. This can be difficult with many plastic toys that include batteries for lights and sounds. The child gets used to the toy doing the imaginative work- and once they figure out what the goal of the toy is (eg. I push this button to receive this noise), then the toy is figured out and quickly becomes discarded as they look for something new.
Panda Crate has been a convenient way to add toys to our collection. If you want to try for yourself, I have a discount code you can use for 30% off! Click here to shop and use “panda30off” for your discount at checkout!
This post contains affiliate links, but as ALWAYS, opinions are 100% my own.
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