This sat in my cart for MONTHS. I loved the “house” with the connecting tunnel and ball pit. It was everything that I wanted for my active toddler - and she loved it.. at first.
Let me just say, my toddlers opinion isn’t influencing this review. She gets bored easily, which has nothing to do with the item.
1) Let me just say that this is HUGE and requires ample space if fully assembled as pictured. I am glad that I didn’t get the double tunnel version because it wouldn’t have fit in the space. That’s my fault for not measuring before purchasing.
2) Assembly, if you can even call it that, is quite literally the easiest thing in the world. It comes folded and you literally pop it open and it unfolds automatically. There’s no shaping required. You do insert rods into the house, which is very simple, and that’s what holds it up. There are ties for the tunnel and ball pit to connect to each other and the “house”. Included is a bag for easy storage if you don’t intend to keep it up all the time. It folds down to its shipping form without a problem.
3) It’s durable. My toddler is aggressive and sometimes destructive, so “gentle” isn’t really comprehended. She’s almost 2, so it’s expected. She has yet to be able to take the rods out and/or rip the netting of the tunnel. She’ll crawl through the tunnel and it’ll move, shift, and twist without an issue. The ties that attach the pieces together are nylon and haven’t ripped, pulled, or caused holes.
4) Versatility at its finest! Like I mentioned, it’s large. The connecting pieces can be set up in various ways to accommodate space, or completely separated. For example, we placed the ball pit in her bedroom and left the tunnel connected to the house for a while. Now, the tunnel is disconnected and the house is standalone. For whatever reason, she didn’t use the tunnel when it was connected, but now she uses it since it’s on its own.
5) The ball pit. IMO, this is where the con-ish part comes in. The ball pit is by far what takes up the most room. It’s very large and can be used for a multitude of different things. Some people put toys in it and use it more like a play yard; some use it as an actual ball pit. If used as a ball pit, due to the size, you’d need 1000+ balls to “fill” it. However! *BUYER BEWARE* Because it is open on one side, whether connected or not, the balls will never be contained and WILL roll into other parts. We bought a bag of 100 standard-sized balls and it didn’t fill the entire bottom, so she was able to move around without stepping on them - it also wasn’t enough to roll out.
5) The neutral color really compliments any modern home interior design. I also think the stars are cute and my daughter likes to point at them and say “gar!”
One of the things I most enjoy is that it’s roomy on the inside and I can easily fit inside with her. I was able to set up her pillows, stuffies, and included a little rug (just like the picture) to make it “her space”. She prefers the “doors” or “curtains” to be down, but they can be easily rolled up to connect the other pieces or create an open space. There’s 3 of them - one on the front and on each side of the house. Like I said multiple times, the configuration is really versatile. If you have the space, you can set it up as featured in the picture (and still have the front and one side open), or you can connect the tunnel on one side and the ball pit to the other (leaving the big door open in the front).
Overall, I’m extremely happy with this purchase and encourage others to buy it! It’s worth the money and something that gives your little their own space and/or something to get out some extra energy at times where going outside isn’t an option. I wish there was an adult version!
