Review: My Sensory Crate

Subscription boxes, as a concept have really taken off over the last few years. Not long ago you’d struggle to find anything except maybe Lootcrate or its UK equivalent to sign up for. Now there are boxes for everything from geek goods to make up to Japanese snacks. My Sensory Crate takes that model and uses it to bring together items that appeal to children (and maybe adults) who would benefit from added sensory stimulation or have sensory disabilities such as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The items inside the box are intended to be a mixture of ‘fidget toys’ and tactile items that will engage the senses.

As a concept, I was really encouraged because I love to see kids with Special Educational Needs have something special just for them. My son Morgan has Autism Spectrum Disorder and our box was just for him. Have a look at the video below of him digging into his first My Sensory Crate.

I think the concept is great and it’s clear that the items in this crate and planned for future crates have been well researched to be stimulating and engaging. Morgan has a go-to sensory box that he uses when he’s stressed or needs to focus and this is a great way to find new additions we may not have considered.

As you can see from the video, Morgan repeatedly returns to the squashy green spider as this is clearly engaging him both in texture and also visually. This was a great item for him and one he continues to return to. Although it’s not shown in the video he had a great time using the bath sprudel as it fizzed away in the bath revealing a tiny sponge dinosaur. If anything this can help motivate Morgan into having a bath when he’s being particularly difficult.

I also loved that the crates are personalised. It made Morgan feel really special that the box was just for him and had his name on the top.

My Sensory Crate retails at £24.99 per month with slight discounts for longer subscription periods. We received our review crate for free. Judging solely by the items in the first crate, it’s difficult to feel that it would have been great value as a paying subscriber. The bubble wand, the skeleton and the fibre optic wand are all items that can be found retailing for close to £1-2. While the spider and squishy ball were more substantial, nothing in the box gave the impression it would have been in excess of a fiver. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a fidget toy, like maybe a tangle thrown in there.

Now that’s not necessarily a reason to bail on the subscription altogether. You have to take into consideration that 10% of your money goes to the National Autistic Society and as my charity of choice it’s a portion of the cost that I’d be happy to pay. I think that future crates maybe need to have 1 or 2 key items that feel really substantial to prevent people second-guessing if their money has been well spent. Also it may be worthwhile looking at how those items are being sourced, as I believe that the reason for the price tag is much more likely to be related to the cost price of the items than any kind of artificial inflation on the part of My Sensory Crate.

Overall I’m a big fan of My Sensory Crate. I think there’s some fine tuning to be done on content vs price but it’s a great concept and I’m encouraged by the marketing I’ve seen about the potential content for future crates. I’d recommend giving it a go even if just for a single crate or 3 crate sub to test the waters. Handily, if you use the code DADGEEK10 when ordering you’ll save 10% on your first month-to-month box.

Leigh

www.mysensorycrate.com

Disclaimer: This review was done in return for product. No financial agreement has been entered into. Our views are our own.