My littlest love. He’s my third and final baby. And every year for his birthday, I struggle to figure out what to get him. Not because I don’t understand him or “know” him, but because . . . well, it seems we already have everything, and I can’t imagine another toy entering my house.
But last year, after playing at a friend’s house in a ball pit, I realized we no longer had one of our own. A ball pit — perfect gift for D’s birthday!
He was thrilled! Delighted! And since then, I’ve come to understand why that very ball pit was the best and worst thing I’ve ever bought for my kids.
- It was so affordable! Keep in mind the balls came separately, but still, overall, very affordable. This is the one we have: click here to see the ball pit and the balls we ordered.
- It’s great for multiple ages. Even my 10yo still finds ways to have fun in it!
- You can lose pieces, and it’s still fun to play with. We bought 400 balls for the pit. I’m certain there are no longer 400 in there. But there are enough! And, unlike every other single game or toy in our house with missing pieces, this one is still in perfect working order, and nobody even notices when pieces — in this case balls — are missing.
Balls. 400 balls. - It’s portable! The ball pit itself folds up easily, and as long as you have somewhere to keep the balls (a hamper, a clothes basket, a bin, the bag they came in, etc.), it’s easy to move this activity from one room to another or even bring it outdoors.
- It’s great for being more than just a ball pit! Sort the colors, practice juggling, play basketball, pretend the balls are popcorn popping, or gumballs in a gumball machine, perfect for dumping the balls on each other’s heads, and, of course . . .for pegging them at each other so hard that they can leave red spots on the skin. So many games in one!
- The balls float! Which makes them great bath toys . . . or, apparently, for experimenting in the toilet.
They float! - It’s safe! Yes, the ball pit itself is safe, the balls are safe. Whether my boys play safely in it is another question (“Mom, watch me jump off the bed into the ball pit!”)
Totally safe. - It’s contained. When I need all my boys in one place, out of my way, I simply send them up to D’s room where the ball pit is, for good, clean fun . . . that mostly stays put.
- Except when it’s not contained at all. Like when my sweet littlest love decides to dump the whole ball pit (since it’s so lightweight and portable!) down the stairs, and then say he needs help cleaning up the almost 400 balls that have rolled around into the playroom and dining room and hallway . . .
Rascal. -  . .. which brings me to my last point . . . Really, what was I thinking? In this house full of boys, THE LAST THING I NEED IS MORE BALLS ROAMING AROUND.
Balls. Everywhere. Literally.
We have dogs so this would never have been a good idea in our house! Another toy to avoid is Nerf guns. Those darts will be EVERYWHERE! I had just finished cleaning everything Nerf out of our house when my cousin decided to bring Nerf guns for Christmas one year. OMG. I think they’re all in the back of a closet somewhere.
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Oh yes . . . well aware of the Nerf bullet issue. They’re EVERYWHERE!!!!
I’m still finding balls from our ball pit and I finally got rid of ours last year. I was always cleaning up balls! It was fun though!
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Yes, definitely fun! Messy . . . but fun!
Hahaha this is so true! I bought a ball pit for my first child (in 2002), and now three kids later I haven’t bought another one. They are a lot of fun though!
Hahahaha! Makes sense!
Oh my goodness I love this! We need a ball pit… or do we? I’m sure my girls would love one but I’m not so sure I’d like to find balls in the toilet.
LOL! Yes, it’s definitely a risk!
oh my, your kids look really happy but I’m not sure I could handle this at our house. I just envision the balls ending up everywhere or turning into projectiles.
I think my kids will have to settle for visiting ball pits!
Thanks for the fun read.
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Oh yes . . . the balls end up everywhere!
Pit balls are always funny for kids. So it was an awesome birthday gift.
Agreed!!!