ball pits

[cchavez]

My neighbor has one of these for her 18 month old and he loves it! She also told me several people in her play group have ordered from this site and are very pleased. I hope to get one for Diego when he gets older......

http://www.qualityinflatables.com/balltoyz.html


BTW, what is the best age for these pits...after they start walking?

[egoldber]

Even older infants love these too, so they aren't just for walkers.

You can make your own ball pit too. Just use an inflatable swimming pool (wrong season now, but in a few months....) and just buy the balls at TRU.

HTH,

[kapow]

Zany Brainy has a couple of ball pit brands in stock, and everything in the stores is 20% off.

[MelissaTC]

We made a ball pit out of a Step 2 sandbox and a box of 100 balls. DS LOVES to play in there! :)

[newbelly2002]

You can also use a pack-n-play. It's not quite the range of movement that a pool gives, but on the plus side it can be used in a living room.
We have a favorite cafe that has a huge one of these for the under 3 crowd. It's quickly becoming a favorite winter hang-out.

Paula
Mama to Dante, 8/1/02

[pamela mom of 3]

We have one by playhut so at least it folds up.

Yet i will say the thing drives me nuts, the kids like to chuck the balls all over x( ..you can imagine chasing down 100+ plastic balls.

They do enjoy it tho, fisher price makes some too seen them at TRU.

:)



http://pages.ivillage.com/cl-pamelamomof3

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

at what age would a child start using this...should I radar such a concept for T's birthday????
Neve
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[khakismom]

Avoid the FP ones. My SIL got Kathleen one for her 2nd birthday and she LOVED it. But it started leaking air almost immediately and I had to return it. They are not very well-made. I am thinking of getting her another one for her 3rd b-day, but am looking at those playhut ones rather than the inflatible ones. :)

[starrynight]

We have a playhut type tent and I will buy some balls to make it a ball pit. :) The inflatable ones don't last very long, kids I used to babysit for had one and it popped within a few months. The playhut tents (or any non-inflatable tent would work) or a sandbox sounds like a better idea. :)

[cchavez]

What are playhuts? Any links? tia

[MelissaTC]

I bet T would love it now. We first encountered the pit at My Gym. Matthew loved it so much he didn't want to get out to participate in the class. Then one day they put out an old Little Tikes sandbox and filled it with some balls to allow the children to interact with one another while the parents stepped back. Well, Matthew just loved it and the idea went off in my head. We ran out and bought one the next day. LOL. Matthew just loves it and I think it is so fun for him. T should come over sometime and take a "swim" in it. I bet he would love it!

[egoldber]

Neve, I "think" the balls are like $25 or $35 for 50 at Target or TRU. But they seem to be a seasonal item at Target.

HTH,

[MelissaTC]

The balls are around $20 for 100 at TRU. HTH! :)

[brigmaman]

Ooh... great idea! Now that the weather is getting colder, I'm always looking for new activities.

[khakismom]

Here's a playhut I was looking at (of course, it's sold out now, but there are others, like Dora, SpongeBob and Barbie):

http://www.kbtoys.com/genProduct.html/PID/2539479/ctid/17/INstock/Y/D/484/ls/default?_e=3fdf8&_v=3FDF824AoOIPa224A2D0DEA1

Playhut is the manufacturer. :)

[cinrein]

BJs carries the Playhuts for 19.99. They are just primary colors, no characters. I noticed that this year they expanded their Playhut collection and now have tunnels and stuff.

BTW, the Playhut tents are great fun for toddlers and even smaller babies. I remember my niece methodically storing every toy, knicknack, whatever she could find in the tent. It was a put-in/take-out activity on a grand scale.

My brother did a pool + balls pit for his 3-yr olds birthday party. She only had 1 friend over, plus her sister of 16 mos. (the destructive one from a previous post). All loved it, but especially the 16 month old. My brother and SIL were happy to discover that they now have a way to "contain" her and keep her occupied for a while!


Cindy and Anna 2/11/03