Have you ever wished for a magical box that arrives at your doorstep, filled with goodies that keep your baby entertained and help them grow? Well, fret no more because KiwiCo’s Panda Crate is here to save the day (and your sanity)! Panda Crate is an exceptional subscription box specifically designed for babies and toddlers aged 0 to 36 months.
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What is a Subscription Box?
A subscription box is a recurring delivery service that provides customers with a curated selection of products based on their interests or needs. Panda Crate takes this concept to a whole new level by tailoring its contents to meet the developmental milestones of babies.
Price and Frequency
Panda Crate offers flexible subscription plans, allowing you to choose the frequency that suits your needs. The crate comes every other month and you can opt for a one-time option or a longer-term plan. With prices starting at $16.95 per month, it offers great value for money considering the high-quality products and educational materials included.
Also, KiwiCo offers several crate lines for a variety of ages, and you can change which line you receive any time, allowing you to progress to a new stage of learning when your little one is ready.
Overall Value
Pro’s of Panda Crate
- Age-appropriate: Panda Crate delivers customized products for specific developmental stages, ensuring that your baby receives the right stimulation at the right time.
- Educational resources: The inclusion of parent guides and activity cards makes it easy for parents to engage with their little ones and foster early learning.
- High-quality items: Panda Crate sources products from trusted brands, ensuring that they are safe, durable, and designed to engage babies’ senses.
Con’s of Panda Crate
- Limited customization: While the crates are tailored to specific age ranges, there may be some individual preferences that aren’t addressed.
- No option to swap items: Unlike some other subscription boxes, Panda Crate does not offer the ability to exchange items if they are not suitable for your child’s current stage of development. However, you can pause at any time if you find the next crate isn’t what you are looking for.
Our Hand-on Review
We started out opening the Let’s Bond box crate with the sensory mat. I really liked that the sensory mat doubled as a cozy blanket and my little one especially loved all the different interactive flaps and textures. It seems to be really well made and it isn’t overly busy. It is a little bulky though, so I couldn’t easily throw it in my diaper bag if I wanted.
My little one loved the mirror and all the bright colors. Even my older toddler thought it was fun to sit on and play with all the different pockets and flaps. You can make it more interactive by adding little toys in the pockets or hide things behind flaps. I really like that it is open ended and allows me to play with them in a variety of ways.
My toddler played with it for about 15 minutes or so, and had a lot of fun playing with the flaps. My little one didn’t last as long, but he was really engaged while he was doing his tummy time.
The wood tree set was also a hit and is super cute! The quality is amazing and I love the wooden toys. The pull back and the drive part of the squirrel seemed a little fragile and might not last forever against the roughness of a toddler.
The variety of shapes and colors allowed a variety of play options: stacking and balancing, matching and sorting, and of course knocking it over. My toddler loved the squirrel! He played with it for more than twenty minutes and was excited to play with it again the next day.
Like other crate boxes, a storage bag was included as well as an instruction booklet, with a variety of ideas on how to play with it and possible learning experiences. Honestly, I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about it.
Panda Crate Plus: Is it Worth It?
Yes! The extra items you get in the Panda Crate Plus version are worth it! So although it looks to be about $35 more per crate, additional items like the Sensory Mat and the Lightbox are huge hits with kids. Not to mention if you were to purchase these items separately you are looking at a higher cost.
For example, some items like the Grow-with-me Sensory Play Mat are valued at $69.95 in the Kiwi Store… that’s an additional $35 value!
Conclusion
Panda Crate by KiwiCo is a standout subscription box designed to nurture your baby’s growth and development. With its age-appropriate toys, engaging activities, and educational resources, it provides exceptional value for money. While it may lack some customization options, the thoughtfully curated contents make up for it. Give your little one the gift of exploration and learning with Panda Crate.
Megan is a wife and mother of three, as well as an experienced foster mother. She loves building and testing new products, and helping identify what works best for readers and clients. She has her degree in Computer Software Engineering and has been a Product Lead with over 8 years of experience designing, building, testing, and selling products to companies ranging from sole proprietors to the largest retailers in America!
