Thermal Aid is a line of special stuffed animals that serve as heating and cooling pads for kids. They say they were developed by the medical field to provide therapeutic relief for your child, but how well are parents saying they work in real situations?
Overview
Kids can come down with all sorts of illnesses, infections, bumps and bruises, and it can seem like they’re often in need of some sort of comforting or treatment. Keeping an ice pack handy is a good idea, and having a go-to heating pad is a must, depending on what the current condition calls for. Here is a product that hopes to provide both, wrapped up in a stuffed animal your child will prefer over standard cooling and heating packs.
The Claim
The makers of Thermal Aid stuffed animals say that whether your child needs a heating pad or a cooling pad they’ve got you covered, as these can go either way. They say that these stuffed animals provide therapeutic relief from a myriad of different ailments that kids can experience as they’re growing up. They say that these products have undergone university testing and that they’re approved by doctors, and it wouldn’t be hard to see why they would be, since it’s not as if they are introducing an entirely new concept to the market, just an enhancement on an already well-known product.
The Hype
There is an infomercial that goes along with this product that shows it being used, and shows kids feigning discomfort for the cameras. Of course they need to create a believable scenario to try to sell the product, but it does exaggerate things a bit. As a parent you don’t really need to be reminded of what it’s like to have an ailing child because you likely remember the last time quite clearly and see the value in a product like this.
The Cost
It’s $31 for two Thermal Aid zoo animals. We like that you’re getting a two-pack here because you’ll want one in reserve so that if the heating pack gets cool you’ve got a pack up, or if the cooling pack starts to get warm you’ve got another one ready right away. Having to take the pack away from your child and wait for it to get hot or cold again would be a real deal breaker.
The Commitment
This should make it easier for you to help your child, and also make them more likely to keep the heating or cooling pack on the affected area. Since it’s using the microwave to heat it, and the refrigerator to cool it, you don’t have to worry about plugging it in to keep it going.
Evaluation
The concept behind Thermal Aid packs is a solid one. You take a proven winner with kids, stuffed animals, and you integrate a time-tested product like heating and cooling pads, and it’s a recipe for success. One thing you might want to watch out for is the eyes and nose of the stuffed animal and how they respond to being heated in the microwave. They should be alright, since that is what the product is designed for, but it’s best to double check before giving it to your child.
When your child is running a fever, a nice cool stuffed animal is going to comfort them in more ways than one. It will be soft to the touch but also cool and soothing on their hot head. When they have body aches and pains the stuffed animals is the natural choice for a heating pad, and it will be easy for them to want to use it and keep it in place.
It’s awesome that these are filled with corn, as you’re getting an all-natural stuffing that you can feel good about your child getting up close and snuggly with. The corn is designed to hold both heat and cold for long periods, so you won’t have to continually recharge it, and it should provide long-lasting relief.
Final Thermal Aid Review
We’re giving Thermal Aid our Thumbs Up rating, which is our highest rating, due to the positive feedback it’s gained, as well as the design of the product and how it was manufactured and thought out. The price point is right on with these, and we like that you’re getting two of them. We like that you get a wide selection of animals to choose from, but it would be better if they let you choose two different animals rather than having to get the same one. Although it is good because you can simply swap out the same animal so your child might not even notice, but it would be nice to have an option at the time of purchase.
Our Recommendation
We recommend picking up a pair of these because at the price point of about $30 you get two of them delivered to your door, and you simply can’t go wrong with them. A nice thing to do when your child outgrows them is to donate them to charity as another child would definitely benefit from them after washing them. Kids are bound to need this sort of comfort, it’s just a part of growing up, and it provides a good feeling as a parent to know that you’re helping to comfort your child and ease them through the growing pains.
Homer bro, I agree with you my dude. Can someone answer my dude^^
Hey, I was wondering if you could please answer some of my questions relating this product. What is the product used, that is inside the stuff animal? (The heating and cooling pack). Where can I get more info about the pack? If I freeze the product overnight, how long will it stay cool before it begins to warm up again (you guys should include it in your commercial cause now I dont know now I’m fucking pissed off) Your cooperation helps a lot! Thank you!
My toddler absolutely loves his bear. He is extremely clumsy and also seems to sleep much better when he’s cool. I’ve used the bear myself and it’s not by any means uncomfortable. My son HAS to sleep with his bear every night so it can’t be all that uncomfortable to him. We have had problems keeping the bear clean though, as my son is practically attached to the thing on the daily. I did however find a wonderful natural solution though, it’s called dry washing. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 drop of tea tree oil, 1 drop of eucalyptus oil, and 1 drop of lavender oil in a large freezer bag and mix thoroughly. Toss in the bear, shake it real good to coat, and freeze for a half an hour. Remove bear, shake off excess baking soda and wipe down with a warm damp cloth. It’s got antibacterial properties, smells amazing, rids of odor and is kid safe. Also, I’ll add that we’ve been using the bear for a year and a half and the eyes and nose haven’t shown any issues of any kind. I give this bear 4 out of 5 stars. Although it’s amazing in many ways, the fact that it can’t be submerged in water is a huge issue for us. I’d love to just throw it in the wash with my son’s clothes and be done with it, but instead I must take more time to ensure it’s clean by surface washing. We have 3 kids so extra time isn’t something I have much of. Recently, our babysitter submerged the bear in water to clean it. It has a stench that just will NOT go away no matter what I do. I guess that works for the company though as we’ll be likely purchasing more since my son can’t live without his bear right now. To sum it up, all in all thermal aid bear is a great product and works for hours both warm and cool. I’ll recommend them to any parent, any person that suffers from chronic pain or illnesses in any way, clumsy and accident prone people, and anyone who gets frequent headaches/migraines. The uses for this bear are endless.
My son loves stuffed animals! I am sure that he would enjoy using these heating and cooling packs when he is sick and so I am really considering getting him one of these. However, I really appreciate this post mentioning the need to watch out for how the eyes and nose react to being heated in the microwave. Did any of those who gave you feedback about this product mention any issues with the eyes or nose or is that just a precautionary note not related to the feedback?
The Thermal Aid Stuffed Animal are great. You don’t always want to give a child medicine if they are having a stomach ache, but you can use the warmth from the thermal aid stuffed animal to help them lay down and yet be comforted. I plan on purchasing one of these, but going to wait for them to arrive at Walmart so the price is lower. I think they would make great gifts for children.
Having (who I believe to be) the most accident prone child ever, I think the concept of Thermal Aid Packs is brilliant! This product would appeal to both boys and girls, and some adults, too! I like the fact that they offer a variety of characters and that you get to pick two. This does provide a good back-up option, but also gives you the ability to have one for two different children or one to leave with grandma. I know my son would love this and I also think it’s wonderful that the product is stuffed with corn. There are far too many synthetic products so this is refreshing.
These are fantastic. A hot water bottle is the best thing when you’re feeling ill and you just want to curl up and die, so having a teddy bear shaped one for the kids is a very clever development in this area. All kids love their teddy bears, and they will love him even more if he provides warmth when they need it. I wish I’d had one when I was a kid! The fact that they work in hot or cold is awesome. Summer is tough on kids and having an iced best friend has got to be the kid equivalent of an iced latte from Starbucks. They retain the heat and cold for ages too. Definitely recommend.
These are adorable! My daughter would love them for how cute they are alone. We don’t have a microwave though…wonder if they can be heated in the oven? Probably not.
I agree that the idea of a corn stuffing doesn’t sound very comfortable to hold. However, they do seem like they could help a lot. I like the idea of freezing them for a fever…much more comfortable for a child than having a wet rag on their forehead. And I know heat definitely helps me feel better for lots of things…from a headache to a backache and more.
I hadn’t heard of these before, but as a mom I have got to say – what a great idea! I didn’t know corn worked that way. I have made heating pads out of white rice sewn into a small hand sized towel. You then heat them up in the microwave for about 1-3 minutes depending on how hot your microwave gets. While it works great, this product would help to ease a little person’s pain as well as be a comforting sight. I wish I would have seen this product a few years ago when my children were younger. I most certainly would have bought and loved them.
This is a really great looking product! I’ve never seen it before but I think it’s a great idea, and I love the fact that it can be used both for hot and cold compresses, which a lot of packs simply cannot do, forcing you to spend money on more than one product. With this one product, I can help my children feel better sooner using heat or cold to ease their aches and pains. Plus these are so adorable I may just use them on myself too! I regularly have back pain and muscle stiffness, and heat is my go-to remedy.
It’s kind of funny that these are filled with corn, and I wonder whether they’re actually comfortable to hold, but the idea behind this is amazing! I would seriously have loved these as a child, and to be honest, even now. I was a really clumsy kid, so I was always falling and hurting myself. I broke my arms three times, and it would have made me feel a lot better to have a little accident buddy to put ice on my injuries. When you need a heating pad or cooling pad, you usually need some emotional comfort as well. These stuffed animals are really cute and practical for use. I can see kids wanting to cuddle with these little guys even when they don’t need them for heating or cooling.
I see red flags in the last part of this review where it talks about donating these to charity after a child outgrows them. How are they laundered? If they are stuffed with corn you can’t very well throw them in the washer – and we all know what stuffed animals end up looking like after a little “loving” from a sick kid. I’m skeptical about that part – as well as the $31 price tag – but the general idea is great. I’ve seen little animal shaped “boo-boo” packs to keep in freezers, too, and children LOVE to hold those on their skin whether a bruise may appear or not!
These are actually kinda cool.They do go both ways as far as hot or cold are concern and I would say that they hold the temperature as long as is necessary. It is a nice addition that they come in stuffed animals because regardless of what they will do for a bump or bruise it is also comfort for a child’s bruised little heart as well. This is a thumbs up because of the psychological healing the provide. The corn stuffing is a plus both because it is natural and it holds hot or cold for a good length of time so you don’t have to constantly reheat it.