Review: The Mini-B Beanbag

Room to Grow very kindly sent S and I a Mini-B beanbag to review.

When I was a kid, I always wanted a beanbag. When I finally got one for Christmas one year, I was disappointed - it was uncomfortable to sit in, and I usually ended up practically laying down. I couldn't even use it as a foot stool while I sat on a chair, because the beans just slid out from under my legs. When I was a kid, beanbags were not as much fun as they were cracked up to be!

When Room to Grow offered me one of their beanbags, I thought of that experience, and almost said no... Then I looked at the link they sent me. These beanbags are not what you'd normally think of when you think of a beanbag... they seem to have actually been designed with people in mind - people who want to sit down!

When our beanbag turned up, S was not impressed. It was big and scary and I'd plonked it on her playmats without making a proper space for it. After she'd gone to bed though, I made a space for it properly, and let Ted try it out:

When S came down for breakfast the next morning, I sat her next to Ted, and she stayed there watching TV with him for a while.

The beanbag has quickly become S's place to sit and read books. Also it's big (and comfortable) enough for me to sit on, with her on my lap.

There's a large rubber tag at the top of the beanbag, so that it's easy to move about. There are also air holes at the top, so that you don't risk popping it if you jump on it. There doesn't seem to be any danger of those pesky polystyrene balls escaping! Also, when it arrived it was in its very own travel case. That sounds like a silly point, but if you're moving house or decorating or something, a beanbag is a fairly odd shape - so a bag to put it back into is actually quite useful.

The Mini-B beanbag costs £59.99. At first, I thought that was a bit much to pay for a beanbag. I changed my mind when it turned up though! To be honest, when it arrived I thought perhaps they'd sent me an adult-sized one by mistake. I had to double-check the packaging to make sure it was the mini one. I could happily sit on this beanbag to watch TV, and it will last S well into adolescence. It's wipe-clean too, which I'm quickly discovering is a massive must for anything you're going to give a toddler to sit on!

The Room to Grow website also has a widget of "funny things kids say." Every time you click the button, it pops up with a new saying, and you can submit your own too, with a chance to win £200. Do go and take a look - it's guaranteed to brighten your day!

Disclaimer: Room to Grow sent us a beanbag for free in order to write this post. This was not dependent upon my writing a favourable review though.