KiwiCo’s refreshed play kits encourage independent play

KiwiCo has built a reputation for helping parents solve playtime problems. It takes the guesswork out of toy purchasing by sending members bimonthly boxes of entertaining and engaging toys that help kids meet milestones. While similar subscription play kits on the market can run you $80 a pop, KiwiCo’s Essentials crate starts at $50 (and ships for free!).

Sandra Oh Lin, KiwiCo’s founder and CEO, understands that the pressure to meet milestones can be stressful for parents and take the joy out of playtime.

"I understand how challenging it can be to juggle everything while raising kids," says Oh Lin, a mother of three. "Many parents, like me, have the best intentions to support their child's discovery but face difficulties in finding the time or resources."

This desire to alleviate parents' playtime guilt inspired Oh Lin to refresh the brand’s popular Panda Crate line . Designed for children 0 to 36 months old, the collection continues to offer high-quality, stage-specific toys but now focuses on "moments of learning and joy, rather than stress over developmental milestones," says Oh Lin. It has also been redesigned to encourage independent play, something KiwiCo's new Expert Adviser, Emily Oster, highly encourages.

"Quality time with your child is awesome, but your job is also to help them be independent of you," says Oster, author and CEO of ParentData , says. "We've given parents the impression that more time with kids is always better. When parents encourage independent play, they feel guilty. We need to help people get over this guilt."

While Oster will not curate the boxes, her role as Expert Adviser allows her to create exclusive content for KiwiCo members to foster independent playtime.

"Independent time with a challenging and fun new toy makes it easier to integrate into the routine. I see the KiwiCo products helping with this," Oster says.

Great toys are only part of the equation. Encouraging independent play, as Oster notes, "can be an uncomfortable hump to get over."

"I see and experience the struggles parents talk about—my kid wants me to play with him, and I’d like him to play alone. It’s about finding the balance of boundaries and scaffolding: enforcing the need to play alone while recognizing they may need help figuring it out."

Oster suggests easing into it: start with 5 to 10 minutes of playtime a day and gradually increase it. This doesn't mean unsupervised play; it means you're nearby, doing other tasks while keeping an eye on them. Once you see your child engaging in imaginative, creative play, you won't want to stop watching.