Ball Pits and Babies: What You Need To Know (Quick Facts) -

As parents, once your babies begin to sit up and crawl, you’d want to introduce them to some fun activities to get them thrilled. There are several ways to go about that and ball pits are certainly one of the ways to thrill babies.

However, before you introduce your baby to a ball pit, you may want to ask some questions. Do all babies like ball pits? Are there benefits to using a ball pool for babies? At what age should a child be introduced to it? and many more questions.

Getting answers to these questions would help you decide if a ball pit is worth the investment. In this article, we shall be answering these questions to give you a clear knowledge of ball pits.

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Do Babies Like Ball Pits?

Babies are usually thrilled when they are inside ball pits because it gives them a special kind of experience. However, the amount of time spent inside a ball pit varies for kids.

While some babies can spend more than 30 minutes catching fun inside the pit, some easily get uninterested after just a few minutes. Nevertheless, the first impression is always nice when you put your baby inside the pool.

If you want to invest more in your baby, you can get him or her a pit of balls, hoping that your little one will like it. If you are considering space in your home, you can get an inflatable one that can be inflated and kept for future use.

You can also carry an inflated ball pit to beaches and other outdoor events. It is a perfect way for your baby to catch fun while you also get busy. Nonetheless, you should check your baby at certain intervals to be sure he or she is doing fine in the pit.

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What Are The Benefits Of Ball Pits

Apart from the smiles and excitement your baby gets when he or she is inside a ball pool, this baby toy is designed for other benefits. Below are the benefits of a ball pit to babies.

A ball bit is designed to give babies a special kind of fun. Babies feel ecstatic when they dive in and start tossing the balls around. It’s a good way to get your child busy.
Ball pits can also serve as a pedestal for learning. Inside the pool, a baby’s cognitive function comes into play and he/she begins to understand how things work – tossing balls around and all that.

Playing inside a pool of balls helps kids to strengthen their muscles. It requires a bit of energy to go through these balls and it is a good way for children’s muscles to develop.
Going through the balls and tossing them around supports your child’s fine motor development and also plays a crucial role in sensory function.
Since babies interact with the balls when inside the pool, it is a good way for babies to start developing social skills.

At What Age Should Babies Use Ball Pits?

Typically, a baby that is 6 months old and above should be able to use a ball pit. However, you should always check the manufacturer’s recommendation before buying the toy.

Since babies are delicate, you want to make sure you are doing things rightly by checking safety recommendations before using any product for your baby.

It is always normal for new moms to feel excited about introducing new stuff to their babies. Nevertheless, don’t trade your baby’s safety for your excitement. Ball pools are designed for both infants and toddlers.

Once your baby can start crawling from one point to another, you can introduce him or her to the pit. Strict supervision should be in place because it is not safe to leave your baby alone inside the pool.

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How Many Balls Do You Need For A Baby’s Ball Pit?

There is no specific number of balls needed in the ball pit. However, you can get between 200 and 500 balls, depending on the number of kids playing inside.

Most of the bags of balls are either 100 pcs or 200 pcs per bag. You can either buy a 200-pcs bag or 2 200-pcs bags. Or you can get a 200-pcs bag and a 100-pcs bag. It depends on what you want and how much you want to spend on it.

The balls are not expensive. You can check Amazon to find the one that you like.

How Often Should Ball Pits Get Cleaned?

We recommend that you clean the balls every day (if your child uses them daily) and clean and sanitize the pit every other month. Your baby’s safety should come first before any other thing.

When your little baby is inside the pit, it is very likely for him or her to slobber all over the balls. You should get the balls washed before using them again. A clean environment should be encouraged all the time.

As for the ball pit, if you have a big one, you can clean and sanitize it every 3 months depending on the amount of usage. For smaller pits, it shouldn’t take you much effort to clean. You can do so every month or two.

Just make sure you get the balls cleaned daily because those are what your baby comes in contact with all the time.

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Are There Any Side Effects For Using Ball Pits For Babies?

Ball pits are meant to give your child some time to have fun. However, if proper safety measures are not taken, these pits could be a breeding ground for bacteria and germs.

This is why you need the keep the balls and the pit clean all the time. A baby can easily contract infections in an unkempt ball pit.

Also, you don’t want to go for a pit that is too deep and filled with too many small balls. This may lead to suffocation. Although there are rare cases of suffocation in ball pits.

Is It Safe To Buy A Second-Hand Ball Pit For My Kids?

You should only consider buying a second-hand ball pit only if you are short of cash. Also, the second-hand ball pit must be in good condition for you to buy it.

After buying, a thorough cleaning and sanitization process should take place before ever thinking of putting your child inside it. While it is possible to get a good fairly-used pit ball, it is always recommended to go for a new one.