Galt Playnest and Gym

I first found out about playnests whilst browsing on eBay. I was quickly hooked. I spent so long every day finding out about retailers and various prices, as well as trying to get a cheap one from eBay, that my husband claims to have been driving to the point of insanity by me [again].He agreed to take me down to Mothercare the next day and buy one as long as they were never mentioned again.
The Playnest is advertised as

'A unique combination of a soft resting area and a self-contained play environment for babies and toddlers'.

It's a fabric covered inflatable ring which supports your baby. Multi-sensory features are incorporated in the activities around the Playnest to stimulate touch, vision and hearing. There are textures, patterns and sounds to explore. It also comes with a guide which gives suggestions on play activities which encourage development at different ages.

Galt produce 2 designs of playnest, a pastel one [which has teddy bears on] and a farmyard one [which is what we have]. The farmyard one can be purchased with a gym which has 5 objects hanging from it. The 5 Gym toys are different on each side to give varied colours and patterns to provide visual stimulation. They can be rearranged on the links to create a changing environment.

The cover, gym frame cover and soft toys can all be shoved in the washing machine, and do survive the wash very well. The colours don't seem to fade at all.

The Playnest is quite bulky [Outside diameter: 100cm (39") Height: 71cm (28")]. It's not a good idea to keep taking it up and down as it can be time consuming, so you do need to set aside a space for it. However, it is light so it can be moved from room to room.

I didn't have a chance to try it on a new born but it is advertised as being suitable from birth [you just don't inflate the ring fully] until about the 9 month stage. My baby has had it since he was 3 months old and loves it. He's now at the stage where he can reach out and grab the hanging toys. He can sit unaided but he's caught and supported if he falls back. What's great about it is that you can get on with the housework and know that your baby is completely safe. Obviously they could climb out of it once they can crawl, but even then they'll enjoy it but will have to be watched.

The nest is about #25-35 and expect to pay about #10 more if you want the gym as well [well worth it, the toys are really good quality and can be taken off and attached to buggies etc as well].

You can buy extra hanging toys from the Galt website [www.galt.co.uk]. They are #7.99 for 4, but I've actually managed to pick up a few for 10p each in charity shops and, as there are plenty of spare loop holes on the gym, you can hang most toys from it.