My youngest child loves squishing things, however he tends to make a mess, even when playing in his sensory bins. We’ve tried all sorts of things – Kinetic Sand, Playfoam, Play-doh, you name it.
Most of these sensory items are extremely messy for our child. And Play-doh dries out too quickly. As we’re always on the lookout for something that might work, we tried Pluffle.
I have to admit the name caught my interest first. It’s just kinda fun to say Pluffle. However, Pluffle is not quite like anything else we’ve tried. I came across it in a search for Playfoam and originally thought it was Playfoam but they are totally different.
Pluffle is made by Educational Insights. This is one of my favorite companies to purchase from. Their products are usually well made and work great for my autistic son. This product is no exception.
Pluffle has a unique texture. It is soft and squishy, with a slightly rubbery feel. You can squish it into a ball. It does not hold its shape forever, like a Play-doh, but slowly expands in a mesmerizing kind of way. So if you are looking for something that holds its shape or to create things with, this is not the product for you. However, we already have products like this, so I was looking for another type of sensory toy for our son.
The Pluffle Sensory Station comes with two small bags of Pluffle, a sensory bin, scooper, cup and roller. My two biggest complaints are the lack of lid for the bin and the small amount of Pluffle. But frankly, most companies don’t give you enough of the product to adequately play it, so I ordered extra pink and green two pack of Pluffle at the same time. There are also four packs, but since it was new to us, we weren’t sure if we’d want that or not. Please note that the picture above is of the pink Pluffle that comes with the sensory station and the extra pink pack of Pluffle that was purchased separately.
We took the pink extra pack and mixed it with the pink packet that came with the bin. I noticed it looked glittery, however I was pleased that we didn’t have any glitter get all over our furniture afterward.
Our son enjoyed just grabbing handfuls of the Pluffle and letting it fall through his fingers back into the bin. He did this for quite some time before trying the tools that came with it.
He likes scooping up the Pluffle with the scooper and cup and dumping it back into the bin. When you scoop it into the scooper and dump it out, it starts out as a ball and then slowly comes apart. It’s almost like it’s like a living creature spreading out into its original form after being cooped up.
The nice thing with this product is it gives kids the squishing sensory input and also works on the fine motor skills with the scooper. It is very calming for our child and he really enjoys playing with it.
Pluffle is very easy to clean up compared to its counterparts. It’s big enough that you can spot it. It’s not slippery, so it’s not a slip and fall danger if it falls on a tile or wooden floor. It doesn’t get stuck in your carpet. However, it can get messy, but luckily it only took a minute to clean up.
We’ve had our Pluffle for a little while now. I found a few pieces on the table the other day that had been left out for a while and it still hadn’t dried up. Since the Pluffle Sensory Station doesn’t have a lid, we store the Pluffle in a one gallon Ziploc bag and put the bag inside the bin with the toys and then put the whole thing back in its original box.
Our son frequently brings us the box to set up for him, as it is one of his favorite toys. I like to set it up when I’m working in the kitchen and it keeps him occupied the entire time. If you want to change things up, you can also bury a few little toys in the Pluffle for your child to dig and find. We’ve got some translucent animals from his light board that we bury sometimes just to change things up and make it more interesting for him.
If your child is tactile focused and enjoys squishing sensory input, then this toy is for you! Our child loves slime, but it is way too messy for our house. He loves Play-doh, but it always ends up stuck in our carpet even though he plays with it in our kitchen, which doesn’t have carpet.
This is a great, less messy alternative that still gives a similar sensation. We give it a two thumbs up!
