_savings   frugal

Make Your Own Ball Pit

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

10 Oct 2007 09:06 AM

Why spend $40 or more on a ball pit. You can make your own for $10 to $20!

Ball pits are a big hit for kids from six months to six years. There is just something bout jumping around in the colored balls that is just a whole lot of fun. we had a small ball pit that was given to us back when my oldest was a toddler. He had loads of fun with it, playing with it several times a day. That is until a few weeks later, when a seam split and made it unusable. When inflatable toys split at a seam, there is virtually no way to repair them.

We looked into replacing the ball pit, until I found out that they go for between $40 and $60 for standard pits that contain 25 to 50 colored balls. And there was no guarantee that a new ball pit would last past the few weeks mark. Think about it, if we replaced it every few weeks, we could spend thousands by the end of the year. Fortunately, there is a much more cost effective way to have a ball pit. And you know what? My homemade pit will stand the test of time, lasting years instead of weeks. And if for some reason it does break, well, $10 is a lot better than $60 or more!

The first thing you need is a kiddie pool. For storage convenience, you can use an inflatable one, but a solid one will last longer. Just repurpose what you have for free, or purchase an inexpensive pool. I've seen kiddie pools at between $5 and $10 during the peak summer season, and between $3 and $5 at clearance sales. Next, buy the balls for your ball pit. I've seen them online at a price of $10 for 100 balls, or $20 for 500 balls. (You can split the larger amount with a friend, or resell them).

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans
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Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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