Panda Crate is a new, bi-monthly subscription from KiwiCo for ages 0-36 months. They are curated based on the science of early development and are made practical, helpful, and convenient for parents. In fact, they actually consulted researchers at Seattle Children's hospital to make sure everything is suited well for each stage of your child's brain development.
In addition to this newborn subscription, KiwiCo offers other boxes for different age groups:
- Panda Crate for 0-36-month-olds,
- Koala Crate for 3-4-year-olds,
- Kiwi Crate for 5-8-year-olds,
- Atlas Crate for 6-11-year-olds,
- Doodle Crate and Tinker Crate for 9-16+-year-olds, and
- Eureka Crate and Maker Crate for ages 14 and up.
This is a review of Panda Crate's third box ("Listen With me" for ages 7-12 months) which costs $39.90 + free shipping.
About Panda Crate
The Subscription: Panda Crate by KiwiCo
The Cost: 1 crate every 2 months costs $19.95/month (with free shipping) which adds up to $39.90/crate. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: Up to six learning toys and books, specifically designed for your child’s age and stage. The line is split into five separate age bands: Birth-2 months, 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 13-18 months, 19-24 months, 25-30 months, and 31-36 months.
Ships to: The U.S. for free, Canada for $3.95 per month, worldwide from $4.95-$6.95.
Good to Know: You can switch to any of KiwiCo's other subscriptions at any time to suit your child's age and developmental interests.
Panda Crate "Listen With Me" (7-12 months) March 2020 Review
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Each box comes with a Wonder by Panda Crate magazine, with information about the stage of development your baby is in and lots of tips and FAQs for parents. This Panda Crate, for ages 7-12 months, is titled "Listen With Me."
The back of the theme page shows every item in the box with a brief description on the right.
Panda Crate sends informative cards with details about each product and ideas for how to use them to promote your baby's development.
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Every crate will also include "beyond the crate" activity cards with details of your baby's brain development, activities you can do with them to promote growth, and the science behind them.
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Poppy's Friendship Band
Poppy the panda shows up all over the design aesthetic for Panda Crate! This book is so cute! It's a "bath book" because the colors show up vividly when you splash the page with water! Although if I'm being honest, my baby's drool from chewing on this book is probably going to do more of the color activating, ha ha. It's waterproof and soft.
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Loud & Soft Shakers
These shakers are made of solid beachwood, and one is filled with sand while the other is filled with beads. They make different sounds and are made to help you demonstrate the concepts of loud and soft/quiet to your baby! They're a good size for my 7-month-old to hold and easy for her to shake. She had a fun time while I tried to compare the sounds for her to hear!
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See-Through Roller
This is a cool toy! It's a thick, hollow disc with a clear window in the middle and when you roll it, the beads plop around and make some noise. It's made with non-toxic ink and varnish and feels sturdy. This is fun to set up for my daughter and let her reach for it, accidentally pushing it, and then she'll crawl after it.
Wooden Pull-Back Car
I seriously love the panda theme that Panda Crate uses in all their exclusive toys and products. It's just adorably done and really trendy and fun. This wooden car is a pull-back car, meaning you can pull it backwards and the spring-powered motor makes it go really far once you let go. It feels sturdy, and my 4 and 2 year old boys love it too, ha.
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Panda Squeakers
Last but not least, probably the cutest item in the whole box! This is a soft, hollow bamboo with two little panda head squeakers! You squeeze them to squeak, and you can push them into the top of the bamboo and pull them out the hole in the front (or, really, just put them in and take them out however you want). All pieces to this are soft and lightweight. It's really a cute set that can teach object permanence and helps support dexterity development!
Verdict: This is my fourth Panda Crate and I am really enjoying this subscription. The goal of the box is to deliver scientifically-backed products to help promote my baby's development, which I'm obviously a fan of. This box, Listen With Me, is aimed at the 7-12 month age range and seems right on point to what my 7-month-old is ready for. Since opening our box this month we've reached for these toys a lot already. As I said above, my favorite thing about this subscription is the design! The branding is so cute with the little panda on everything, and the colors are modern and stylish. It makes me excited to see more from future boxes. Overall, considering the practicality, the information cards and magazine, the science-backed curation, the quality, and great design of the items, I'm happy with everything you get for the $39.90 per crate cost.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, this is one of the two boxes they send during the 7-12 month age window. Panda Crate is more of a "line" of boxes from KiwiCo than a typical subscription model with different themes each month. When you sign up, you input your baby's age or your due date and they'll send you the appropriate box for your child's age and development at the right time. (Good to know: you can pick what month you want your first box to arrive. By default, it will arrive the month of your due date.)
Check out other Panda Crate reviews, more KiwiCo reviews, and the best baby subscription boxes of 2019!
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