Products I RAVE About

Below are products I RAVE about.   I wasn’t asked to write about any of these things; they are products I love and have proven to add huge value to play and general family life.   I reckon if we only had these things, we would be set for all kinds of play and enjoyment as a family.  Maybe it’s time for a toy cull.

1. Boon Bath Pod

The Boon Bath Pod is nothing short of brilliant! I’ve used the one pictured for about 3 years and it’s the best thing I have ever purchased for the bathroom.  The pod can be fixed to the tiles using suction caps and mine has never, and I mean never, fallen off (which is quite unbelievable to me).  There is space for shampoo/bubble-bath and a scoop that comes off which makes putting toys away easy.

2. Recycled Mat

We love spending time outdoors as a family and our recycled mat is invaluable to us. The mat is brilliant for the indoors but we usually leave it in the car because we use it so much. We take it everywhere: the beach, camping, at home for movie nights, in the backyard and out in the park on lazy Sunday afternoons. It’s made of recycled plastic so is easy to clean. I wrote about other benefits of the mat here: Recycled Mats.

3. Trampoline

My kids use the trampoline pretty much everyday. It’s an investment that saves my sanity! We purchased a swing set at one point but the children outgrew it very quickly; I would go a trampoline over a swing set any day!

{My husband often plays with the kids on the trampoline if he is home before dark. The video isn’t high quality but it’s cute.}

4. Wooden Blocks

Simple wooden blocks are often used in our house and are added to play in the form of buildings, roads, beds and the like.  My kids particularly love our set of 26 multicultural wooden dolls (some are pictured in the photo above). The dolls are perfect for little hands and the kids enjoy talking about what country is represented.

5. Duplo/Lego

Lego can be messy, and it hurts when you step on it…but it’s so worth it: there are endless ways to use the stuff!

6. Plastic Figurines

I love plastic animal figurines because they are cheap and versatile.  My children use them in all sorts of play and in many places. Below is a list of a few ways we use them:

• Play scenes like the pond scene above
• Inside
• In the bath
• At the park
• Outside on the grass
• In my handbag
• For travelling

7. Strawberry Designs Floor Cushion

Our Strawberry Designs Floor Cushions are a fixture in our home. We L-O-V-E them.  They are made from sturdy fabric in a variety of gorgeous designs. They have four insert spaces that take regular cushion size so there is no need to buy special inserts.  The cover is VERY easily removed and washed; perfect for kids and babies.  Below are some of the ways we use them:

• Family movie nights (see it featured in this post)
• The kids lounge on them to read books (another pic here)
• Play with toys on (another pic of our cushions)
• To create cubby houses
• Outside on a mat (see them featured in the picture under recycled mats)

So yeah, as you can see, we use them all the time. Love, love, love.

8. Books

Books are a big part of our family life; you can never have too many in my opinion.  Our kids love all types of books including picture books, chapter books and non-fiction books like the DK Definitive Visual Guides, Ocean and Universe.

9. iPad

The iPad is a bit of luxury item but it’s proven to be such a useful tool during reading time. I usually have it nearby when we are relaxed and often couple the reading experience with looking up relevant videos and pictures on the iPad.  It’s really fun! This guest post from Nicole has heaps of helpful ideas about using the iPad with kids: iReview; iPad.

Of course the slow cooker is pretty amazing to me too.

What play products do you rave about?