Categories: Toys

Do Tummy Stuffers Really Work?

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Tummy Stuffers offer a way to fool your children into organizing and cleaning up their stuff. If your child is entering that phase where they’d rather throw their toys around then clean them up, you might need to do an intervention with a clever product like this. So let’s see how they fare in a real world setting.

Overview
Clean up time can be a real bummer because it marks the end of having fun and the beginning of a chore. The change in energy levels can be felt by parents and children alike, so if this works it would be a great way to keep things fun and put an upbeat spin on cleaning up and making the room look nice again.

The Claim
The makers of Tummy Stuffers claim that you can use these plush toys for both cleaning up, and storing items in your children’s room. It represents a way to make quick work out of what might be the arduous task of picking up several different pieces to a game, or different action figures, dolls, or other toys that come in multiples.

The Hype
The infomercial for this makes it seem like an absolute blast to stuff this thing full of all sorts of toys, clothes, and other items. The way they do it is to add a little sound bite to it to make it seem like it’s actually eating the things you put into it. This is easy enough to replicate, and you can add the sound effects yourself or encourage your little one to do it to make it more fun and funny. You might even considering adding a burping sound once he’s finished eating everything up.

The Cost
For $29 you end up getting a regular sized Tummy Stuffer, and also a mini stuffer delivered right to your door. They have this set-up so that you’re buying the stuffers straight up, without any gimmicks to inflate the purchase price. You really are getting the mini stuffer free, and if you end up returning the product within 30 days you’re getting the bulk of the money back, since you’re paying $20 for the item and $9 for shipping. It is unclear whether you are able to keep the mini stuffer, or if that needs to be returned as well in order to get your refund.

The Commitment
As a parent this should represent less nagging for your kids to clean up, and if presented in the right way could end up making clean up time fun.

Evaluation
Tummy Stuffers works because it’s basically just an animal with a mouth and plenty of slack so that it can get stuffed with any number of items. It might not be good for things that require more organization and separation between them, but for anything that can be jumbled together and tossed in a corner, this would work just fine. It makes a great dirty clothes hamper, and while they say it can also be used to transport clean clothes from the dryer, it wouldn’t be wise to keep them in there too long less they get wrinkled.

Regardless of how excited kids look in the TV promo for this, it’s easy to understand that there will be a difference between that reaction and how your kid reacts to it. Although what we’re hearing from parents is that the idea sticks, and kids really do like stuffing things into its mouth. Even grown ups appear to be getting in on the act, going around the room with the stuffer and saying things like “Feed me!” or “I’m hungry!”. From what we’re seeing it’s hard to tell who’s having more fun with this.

Like any good idea, this one has come competition. There are Stuffies that are available with the same sort of concept, and they clock in at $30 each. The only difference is that these come with a story book and contain secret compartments in addition to the main one where most of the larger items would go. It’s perhaps a more developed version, but might be a little too complex for some kids, and lacks some of the K.I.S.S. attributes that Tummy Stuffers offers. Down the hatch is the only way things can go in and out so it’s easy for anyone to grasp the idea of how to use it.

Final Tummy Stuffers Review

We’re giving Tummy Stuffers our Thumbs Up rating, as it’s a novel way to help your kids appreciate the joys of cleaning up without making it an unpleasant task. They also come in cute and funny variations so you can choose one that you think your child would enjoy based on what you know about them, or let them pick from among the different options.

Our Recommendation
Overall this is a good buy, since you’re not only getting the original sized version, but you’re getting the mini one as well. You can say that the mini version is the baby and that it’s important to feed the baby so the mommy will be happy. It’s up to you to add the creativity to this to get your child engaged and using it. Once you get them to enjoy it they should be able to autonomously clean up without your supervision, and even after they outgrow the stuffer, the idea of keeping things cleaned and organized should stick with them.