Panda Crate is a 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 well suited 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 "Count With Me" for ages 13-18 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 "Count With Me" (13-18 months) November 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 13-18 months, is titled "CountWith Me." This issue emphasizes building number sense skills with things like counting, quantity, and volume.
The back of the theme page shows every item in the box with brief descriptions on the right.
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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 Surprise Book
Poppy the Panda shows up all over the design aesthetic for Panda Crate! Every month has a Poppy Panda book. This one is about counting little turtles that show up for Poppy's birthday party. I love the art! It's so cute.
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Stacking Cups
My first two babies both loved stacking cups so I think these are a good inclusion for this box! My 13-month-old daughter is young for counting but she has fun knocking them over and nesting them. These are great for dexterity development, too, and they'd be fun in the tub.
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Cylinder Blocks
This wood puzzle has four cylinder pieces that are all different widths and lengths. I like that it's a wood puzzle, and it's really simple so I think it's a smart design for a "baby's first puzzle."
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Shape Puzzles
I like the ombre colors of these shape puzzles! And my daughter seemed to take to these faster than the other puzzle in this month's box. I wish these had little bases to set them on instead of just the floor so it would be easier to keep them together, but they still work just fine as puzzles. One day, pieces will get lost. But for now, they're fun.
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Counting Cards
These are cute counting cards. They go from 1 through 10; one side has a number and the other has cut out shapes of that number. The shapes have different textures so they are interesting to touch and you can sit and describe how they feel with your baby. I might hole punch these and put them on a ring so that she can flip through them alone.
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Reversible Canvas Nesting Baskets
These little baskets are made with reversible canvas, so you can have them like this (white rims) or flip them so the body is white and the rim is colorful. They aren't terribly sturdy, so they need to be shaped a little bit, but they are good so far for sorting things and the massively entertaining game (for babies) of putting things in and taking things out.
Verdict: Panda Crate is one of my new favorite subscriptions! The goal of the box is to deliver scientifically-backed products to help promote my baby's development, which I'm obviously a big fan of. We always get a lot of play out of the toys in each Panda Crate box. I'm also crazy about the design aesthetic! The branding is so cute with Poppy, the little panda, on everything. Plus 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 the 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 2020!
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