This is a review of one of my favourite gifts we received shortly after the birth of our daughter. The present came from one of my cousins and was a childhood favourite character of mine. The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle in the form of a money box which is made by the well-known fine china manufacturers Portmeirion.

Presentation
I had never seen these in the shops before but was really impressed by the packaging, a nice decorated box that has a wobbly Caterpillar in a see through panel at the front. The box makes a lovely keepsake in addition to the actual gift inside.

My thoughts
As I said earlier, this was one of my favourite presents of all the birthing gifts we received. A lot were clothes, some of which I would not have chosen, all of which do not fit now. This is a gift that will hopefully last a lifetime providing we don't have an accident with it.

Handy
People are always slipping a pound here and there to our daughter when they see her which is nice but she is a bit too young to spend it yet so I do keep it all in her money box and bank it when it reaches a bank-worthy amount.

Design
The actual money box is cylindrical featuring the caterpillar on the side, a slot in the top and a rubber seal in the base so it is a very traditional style of money box.

Quality
I am blown away by the quality of this money box. The material is described as earthenware and it has a nice thick feel to it. It is smooth and shiny and the colours of the caterpillar are lovely and bright.

Price
As this was a gift I did not know the cost but a bit of research tells me they are £10 at John Lewis. The quality of the item and packaging is outstanding for this money.

Final word
If you are looking for an inexpensive gift for a baby then I think this is a great idea. It is something a child will grow up to treasure and a great way of encouraging children to save from a young age. They will learn to love the very hungry caterpillar from the books and enjoy saving their pennies in this money box.


PS. I nearly fell on the floor laughing when I saw the picture DooYoo have provided to my product suggestion. A tin of dog meat pate!!! LOLL ... I am just hoping the advertising links show an actual picture of this beautiful item.