Rolling, crawling, walking, running, climbing....

Toddlers love to climb but most play equipment is made with preschoolers in mind making them way too tall for a beginning climber. Since it was free from my sister, I chose to provide my son something to climb on instead of letting him choose every chair, box or bookcase he comes across - oh wait he still does that too.

Climbing for Toddlers
Measuring only three feet cubed (with a three foot slide protruding out), The Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym is made especially with toddlers in mind (The gym is can also be found under the name Toddler Climbing Cube. I will be referring to it as a cube). In Little Tikes fashion the cube is made from heavy duty plastic comes in bright colors. Every one I have seen has different primary colors for each section. These can also be found in several other color schemes like the turquoise featured in the picture.

Building the Cube, One Piece at a Time
This really ends up being a pretty funny balancing act to get the pieces together. Seven pieces that must be fitted together to form the cube. Construction is best done with two people. The front and back panels have male connectors that securely and snuggly fit into the female slots on the sides. After the two sides are connected to the back, the landing pieces fit into holes in the side panels. The front and slide are then fitted on as well. The cube is very sturdy once put together.

Let's Get in There and Play!
Primarily, toddlers enter the cube at the back where there is an arch-style hole approximately two feet tall. There is six inches of plastic forming a step at the bottom of the arch to help little ones get in. In the middle of the cube is a 3' X 3' landing, minus the indentation at the back which helps little ones either get up to the top or squeeze underneath. Toddlers can then either play on the landing or head down the slide. There is really only room for 1-2 children at a time on the landing. A word of caution here: supervision is definitely needed as little ones can fall through this indentation if they are not paying attention or sit back too far without realizing.

Additional entrances include the circle "windows" on each of the other three sides. It is inevitable that your little one will figure out how to shimmy himself through the hole to get to the landing - this is also a very funny sight as well. These windows are also great for playing peek-a-boo.

Wheeeee
The slide of course is the main attraction of the cube. infants who can sit on their own can go down the slide with assistance. The first few weeks we had this Little Man needed help as he would always end up falling backward, hitting his head while sliding. It wasn't long before he figured out how to do it himself and began plunging himself down the slide in any position he could think of. From the beginning we taught him to come around to the back to go down the slide again - instead of going up the slide. Now as he is a little older, the fun is in sending stuffed animals and cars down the slide. Once legs get too long for the slide, most of the fun will be over - although I have had various older children absolutely love playing on the cube even though they were obviously too big for it.

Little Man's Love of Sliding - Our Experience with the Cube
The Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym has been in our home since my son's first birthday (about 9 months ago), which was before he could walk independently. I have pictures of him crawling around to the back and then pulling himself up into the cube to slide down. Quickly he learned how to slide independently. Just before he could walk alone, he would get on the landing and pull to a standing position then clap for himself. He would repeat this numerous times.

Now at 21 months, the climber may not receive daily use, it is still a very well loved piece of equipment in our home. Little Man loves to hide his toys under the landing as well as sit on top to look out at the world. As I mentioned above the new found activity is thrusting helpless toys down the slide. Once more children arrive on the scene (cousins and friends) the cube is the biggest hit in the house. Everyone clamors to be on top and run around to the back.

Our particular cube has been through 3 children already and is in pretty good shape. The only visible wear is scuff marks on the landing, which is inevitable with plastic. This cube is great for outdoor use as well as indoor (if you have the room). We happen to have space available so ours has stayed inside. I would assume the colors would begin to fade with prolonged sun exposure. This is also great for a daycare setting. Little Man's church nursery room has one and it is the hit of the room.

Availability
Unfortunately, Little Tikes has discontinued the sale of the toddler cube in the U.S. but is still available for purchase in the U.K. I have also found this cube available on ebay as well as craigslist. You may need to search some, but this cube is definitely worth finding.



What's in your backyard? Thanks to Kimmie for the inspiration. And a HUGE thanks to marytara for her help in adding this to the database.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): gift
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months