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Chad Valley 100 Plastic Play Balls
by NUDUL
These packs of balls are £5 each from Argos and contain 100 pieces to use in children's play pits. They are for home not commercial use and you need around six bags to fill the Chad Valley ball pools that they are advertised with. The balls are mixed in vibrant colours and you get a selection of blue, yellow, green and red or you can ... purchase 'pink' packs that are mixed pink colours for the same price. The balls are 6 centimetres in diameter and can be wiped down with steriliser wipes or washed in the sink as normal, and I haven't found they take on water if you do put them in the sink.
These balls come in a blue net carry bag which zips up and is ideal for storage when you want to put them all away and the bag also has a handle on top for carrying. The balls are recommended from nine months old but are okay for younger ones with supervision too. They are also useful for teaching fine motor skills, my little one likes to pick them up and pass them from one hand to the other, but as children get older they are good for playing catch and other ball games.
At the lower end of the price range for these types of play balls, I would recommend them.
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ELC Whirlee Ride On
by Dundunbanza
Christmas 2012
My son was given one of these for as a Christmas present, it came wrapped in silver wrapping paper and due to the awkward shape of the toy (it wasn't in a box) I was intrigued as to what it was. I helped my son to open present and, I have to admit I was rather disappointed with how it looked. My son gave it the once ... over and carried on playing with his other presents.
Why was this?
To me the ride on toy just looks really boring, my son has the toy in blue and its very non descript and bland. It looks like something that you would find in a minimalist house with smooth clean lines. There is nothing, in my opinion, to attract a young child. The photo of the toy above, in pink, has some type of pattern on it but the one we received is completely plain with no patterns.
How it performs
The toy works perfectly well, my son is able to sit on it and push himself along but he also has another more attractive ride on toy and the Whirlee Ride On is definitely not his first choice. Its very lightweight and doesn't take up a lot of space, and could be transported around easily.
Price
I didn't pay for this toy as it was a gift but it is currently on the Early Learning Centre (ELC) website reduced to £10 from £20 (March 2013). I think £20 is a bit pricey for a very plain toy, at £10 it's a good price for a basic ride on toy and lot cheaper than other ride on toys that are available.
Age Range
My son was 14 months when he received this and he still doesn't use it much at 17 months but he may grow into it.
Rating
I've given 3 stars as it works.
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Chad Valley Ball Pitt
by NUDUL
This has been purchased as an Easter present for my son as he is too little for chocolate and for a paddling pool this summer so we compromised and got him a ball pool (well Grandma did) and some balls.
The ball pool itself cost £10 from Argos and is brilliant. It's like one of those pop up washing baskets, you just undo the ... velcro and it pops up. Then there are four plastic struts that go into the material of the pool to stabilise it. I love this because it means you can fold it away and store it neatly. The pool is red and yellow alternating around the sides with a blue base. It is 100 x 100 x 30 centimeters which is big enough for my little boy to lie down in and it weighs less than 1 kilogram too.
You can use the pool indoors or out as the fabric is nice and thick. The age recommendation is for 2 and over but with supervision my 5 month old has been fine in it and because the sides are 30 cm high it prevents the balls from rolling over the top. It also prevents our little dog from jumping in to play as well.
The one thing that you might find frustrating about this ball pit is how many of the plastic balls it holds. We bought two bags of 100 balls at the same time as the pool and they barely cover the bottom. From what we can tell we will need to add another 5 or 6 bags to be able to fill it sufficiently. Having said that, because my son is so young he is more than happy to play in it lay down with just the ones we have already. This does add to the cost as the balls are £5 each so they soon mount up.
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