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Developed especially for infants and toddlers (0 to 36 months old), Panda Crate is grounded in the science of early childhood development, and is made to be helpful, practical, and convenient for parents. Each delivery includes age- and stage-specific products designed by experts to help babies discover the world through all five senses. They also include a grownup guide to provide parents with research-backed advice and guidance to promote healthy childhood development.
Panda Crate has three levels to choose from:
- Panda Crate Essentials (starting at $40/crate with 2 year subscription) - This crate includes he basics to help your baby learn, explore, and grow
- Panda Crate Plus (starting at $68/crate with 2 year subscription) - This crate includes everything in Essentials plus 1-2 grow-with-me toys for their current age and beyond
- Panda Crate Deluxe (starting at $78/crate with 2 year subscription) - This crate includes everything in Plus, as well a curated book
Each Panda Crate Plus box that I received costs $80 as a one time purchase, though is less with a longer subscription. KiwiCo offers free standard shipping within the United States.
This review is of the following Panda Crate boxes by KiwiCo: Let's Bond! Plus, Let's Sense! Plus, Let's Pretend! Plus, and Let's Solve! Plus.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes).
Quick Backstory
I've had my eye on KiwiCo ever since I joined MSA back in 2021. At the time, I didn't have children yet but knew that I had to get these crates one day. Fast forward to today and I now have 2 under 2 which means it's finally time to stock up on Panda Crate's boxes (their subscription line for months 0-36)! I just got my first set of crates and wanted to share my children's experience with them. Here, you'll discover what's inside the following Panda Crate Plus boxes: Let's Bond!, Let's Sense!, Let's Pretend!, and Let's Solve!.
What's Inside Each Box
Before receiving my crates, I was able to see and preview each one available for ages 0-36 months and learn about how the items were designed for my baby and toddler's development at each stage. Each of the following boxes was a part of the Panda Crate Plus line and came with resources for parents, 3-6 stage-specific products, and 1 “grow-with-me” play item.
Let's Bond! Plus (0-1 Month): $80/crate + free shipping
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Let's Bond! is the first crate in the Year 1 Panda Crate subscription box series. It's designed to help you bond with your newborn and help them develop their vision and hearing while practicing attention and focus. The Plus version of this crate came with the following items:
- Grownup Guide - Research-backed guidance, development milestones, and activities
- Tummy Time Pillow - 3 different sections create a gentle slope for tummy time
- Star Lovey - Soft, comforting swaddle textures and a plush
- Black & White Cards - Big shapes and bold patterns in high-contrast colors
- Tummy Time Mirror - A 4-panel mirror with different textures that folds into different shapes
- Grow-With-Me Sensory Play Mat - 9 different activities and super soft
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My little guy was especially fascinated with the sensory play mat and tummy time pillow. He's currently working on having better head control and turning over from his back to his belly (and vice versa), so these products are perfect for him right now.
Let's Sense! Plus (3-4 months): $80/crate + free shipping
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Let's Sense! is the second crate in the Year 1 Panda Crate subscription box series. It's designed to help your baby develop their senses of touch, hearing, and sight by playing with sensory toys. The Plus version of this crate came with the following items:
- Grownup Guide - Research-backed guidance, development milestones, and activities
- Spiral Toy Holder - Soft spiral toy that doubles as a toy holder
- High-Contrast Wood Book- Features different types of vehicles
- Crinkle Book - Has grabbing and crunching the crinkly pages
- Hanging Toy Set - A sun, moon, and star they can play with and teeth on
- Wood Rattle Set - Shake, turn and roll them
- Ocean Explorer Baby Activity Wedge - This rectangular block unfolds into a wedge with 10 panels
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Little Stephen loved all of these little items but had so much exploring the different textures and creatures on the activity wedge. He was also amazed with the mirror and was trying hard to figure out who the handsome guy on the front was. 😉
Let's Pretend! Plus (20-21 months): $80/crate + free shipping
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Let's Pretend! is the fifth crate in the Year 2 Panda Crate subscription box series. It's designed to help your toddler strengthen their math sense and language skills through pretend play. The Plus version of this crate came with the following items:
- Grownup Guide - Research-backed guidance, development milestones, and activities
- Reversible Play Basket - Holds wooden veggies and can be taken on a picnic
- Wood Veggies - Early math through leaf counting or planting in order of height
- Cooking Set - Practice hand-eye coordination through cooking pretend meals
- Planter Box - Plant a crop of wood veggies into removable soil pillows before harvesting
- Fill-It-Up Recycling Truck - Can fill up with wood blocks and dump out
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The truck and cooking set were Maddie's favorites from this crate. She loved filling up the recycling can and dumping it out. She also made me some amazing imaginary meals - soon I'll be putting her in charge of cooking!
Let's Solve! Plus (22-23 months): $80/crate + free shipping
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Let's Solve! is the sixth crate in the Year 2 Panda Crate subscription box series. It's designed to help your toddler develop spatial awareness and explore early geometry with matching games and puzzles. The Plus version of this crate came with the following items:
- Grownup Guide - Research-backed guidance, development milestones, and activities
- Squishy Shapes - Promote tactile and gross motor play
- Beanbag Shapes - Stack, sort, and toss them
- Stacking Peg Puzzle - Rotate, match, and fit six shapes onto the right peg
- Lacing Beads - Thread the needles through 8 beads to make colorful patterns
- Sort-and-Stack Puzzle Blocks - Build imaginative worlds and playgrounds
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Maddie is obsessed with the blocks and peg puzzle! She plays with them all day and is learning her shapes and colors more quickly now.
The Verdict
Panda Crate was a total hit with my 2 kiddos! My newborn son loved the play mat, tummy time pillow, and small handhelds, whereas my 22-month-old daughter can't wait to get a hold of her cooking set, garden, and blocks each morning as soon as she wakes up. My son is gaining greater head control and making better eye contact through the help of their Year 1 crates and my daughter is developing her problem-solving skills and vocabulary.
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, unlike other KiwiCo lines that have new crates each month, this line is developmentally based, so all children of a certain age, i.e., 2-3 months, will receive the same crates.
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