While we were in Center Parcs, Lottie discovered puddles and a passion for splashing in them. Up until recently, she hasn’t really liked getting dirty or wet, or unknown textures, etc, so splashing in puddles was something we really wanted to encourage. So when Bladez Toyz asked if we would like to test out the Teletubbies Inflatable Aqua Mat, we jumped at the chance.
As always, the minute the box was taken out of the packaging, Lottie wanted to have the mat. But it’s so easy to set up that I managed to avoid a tantrum and had the indoor puddle ready in a flash. You just blow up the edge, and fill up to the line with water and you’re ready to play.
Lottie was straight on to the mat, banging it to make the water splash and giggling. She soon realised that this made the little Teletubbies characters wriggle around and she soon calmed down and started pushing them around, fascinated by how they moved in the water.
As with everything in our house nowadays, it wasn’t long before Frankie was on her way over to investigate. I hadn’t realised when we opened the product, that it was suitable for six months and over and I hadn’t really considered it to be a toy that both of the girls could play with, but I was wrong. Both of the girls played with the mat together for ages.
They both got onto the mat, Lottie quite liked sitting on it, and Frankie was lying on it too.
Lots of toys in our house have a bit of a short shelf life, and after an initial excitement with the girls, they tend to clutter up our living room and never really get touched. But the Teletubbies Inflatable Aqua Mat seems to keep its attraction. We store it under the sofa (it’s nice and flat, so stores away easily when the girls have gone to bed), and every time we bring it out, one or both of the girls come over to play with it.
Lottie seems to flip between fun, splashy play, and more quiet, investigative play. She’ll also quite often lie on it to watch TV!
I quite often get the Aqua Mat out when Frankie is getting a bit fretful and whingey as it really seems to calm her down. There are lots of sensory elements to the mat, with the sound of the water, the cool feel of it, and the sight of the characters floating around. It seems to really focus her attention, and quite often comes out in the witching hour.
I love finding toys that have play value for both of my girls. We have so many toys in our house now that we have two children, so anything that entertains them both and means we can have one instead of two toys, is a winner in my eyes. It also means that Lottie can have some splashing puddle fun in the comfort of our own home with none of the mess of water play.
DISCLAIMER – We were sent the Teletubbies Inflatable Aqua Mat for the purpose of this review, but all views are our own.
