Holiday Gift Guide #10: Levels of Discovery All Star Sports Toy Box Bench from Hayneedle ~ Review & Giveaway

Before I had children, shopping was a fun and relaxing way to spend a day out with friends and family. Now with little ones, it is anything but relaxing. Standing in long lines and fighting the crowds while my kids are getting restless can be stressful, which is why I've turned to shopping online whenever possible. I love finding sites that make it easy to shop from home, which is why I appreciate Hayneedle so much!
It wasn't until Hammocks.com was launched in 2002 that founders, Doug Nielsen, Mark Hasebroock, and Julie Mahloch saw the potential for more sites, each devoted to a product category. After several years of hard work and growth, they took their vision, variety and revolutionary online shopping to the next level, and in August 2009, they unveiled a new name and a new, easy-to-navigate website...Hayneedle.com.

Hayneedle includes 200+ online specialty stores for home, work and play. Each store is devoted to a single product category which makes finding what you need easier than ever! What better way is there to shop than from one place with a huge selection of items at great prices?! Between their selection and great customer care, Hayneedle has become a place where people shop for anything they could possibly need.

I was introduced to Hayneedle a couple of years ago, and ever since...I've been hooked! I love the convenience of having so many stores and products available on one site. It not only saves me time, but their user-friendly site makes it easy and fun to browse and shop too! With the holidays just around the corner, I have been searching for great gift ideas for my kids, which is why I was excited to learn we were going to have the opportunity to review one of the Levels of Discovery products on their site!

Browsing through the adorable children's chairs, toy boxes, and more...I was impressed with the details and overall design of each of the products. Having just put Kaden in a new room with a big boy bed, we're busy decorating and getting things organized. We decided to go with a sports theme, so naturally, I was drawn to all the cute sports related products and decided to go with the All Star Sports Toy Box Bench for the review.

When the toy box arrived I was excited to check it out. Upon opening the box, I found there was some assembly required. As always, I couldn't help but wonder how long it might take to put together. Thankfully, there were user-friendly instructions and everything we needed (besides a couple of simple household tools) to get it assembled. In no time, my husband had it put together and ready to use.

I must say, I was very impressed right off the bat. The quality of this toy box is fantastic! I love that the wood is so sturdy and something that will last us along time. As with most kids, Kaelyn and Kaden can be rough on things, and it's nice to know that this will hold up through the wear and tear of daily use.

Seeing it all put together, I was also happy with the size. I didn't want something too big...but also wanted it to be large enough to still hold many of his toys to keep them up off the floor. The 32L x 13D x 28H in. size is absolutely perfect and well-suited for almost any size room.

Of course, one of the main things that stood out to me is how absolutely adorable it is!! I love love love the sports theme and Levels of Discovery put so much time into the details and making it unique and one of a kind.

The colors are vibrant and perfect for any young child's room or playroom. There are also many features I really like as well. For instance, there are sports balls along the top that spin which Kaden and Kaelyn both have really enjoyed playing with.

There's also a fun score board along the back rest which has also been a source for entertainment for the kids. What a fun detail and just another reason Levels of Discovery has me sold on their products!

The fact that this toy box also serves as a bench is something else I truly appreciate! It's the perfect place for Kaden (or Kaelyn when she's playing in his room) to sit and read, play on their computers, and more. He doesn't have a lot of extra space in his room, so having something that is multifunctional has been terrific, not to mention the fact that we've received several compliments on it from those who have seen it already!

Aside from the great quality, adorable details, and versatility, I was most concerned with how much this toy box bench would store. As I said, Kaden's room has limited amount of space, so being able to keep his toys off the floor and out of sight when he's not playing with them is a must. I am happy to say, that this toy box has met my expectations and then some. Although as a whole it is smaller, it has the perfect size box to hold everything we need it to and more! It's absolutely perfect for a bedroom.
I was a little concerned Kaden might pinch his fingers when opening and closing the lid, but found that it actually has closes slowly so fingers don't get hurt. It doesn't slam shut...but instead, must be pushed down to close. It's great for even his young age and very easy for him to use.

Overall we've been very happy with the All Star Sports Toy Box Bench from Hayneedle. The quality is fantastic, and the attention to detail and design sets it apart from any other toy box we've seen or had. Seeing how great this product is, it definitely has me wanting to get other Levels of Discovery products in the future. Just check out some of these adorable high quality children's products...


Any one of these, or others from Hayneedle and Levels of Discovery would make terrific Christmas gifts for the children on your list this year.

Buy It: You can purchase the Levels of Discovery All Star Sports Toy Box Bench from Hayneedle for $189.95.

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win a Levels of Discovery All Star Sports Toy Box Bench of their own!

Mandatory Entry - Visit Hayneedle and let me know another Levels of Discovery product you'd love to have.

Extra Entries: (Only valid after the mandatory entry has been completed. Leave 1 comment for each extra entry)

1. 1 extra entry - Like Levels of Discovery on Facebook

2. 1 extra entry- 'Like' Hayneedle on Facebook

3. 1 extra entry- Follow Hayneedle on Twitter

4. 1 extra entry- Subscribe to the Hayneedle Blog

5. 3 extra entries- Grab my Holiday Gift Guide Button and leave a comment with the URL where it can be found.

6. 3 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway (linking to this post and Hayneedle) and leave THREE comments with the URL to that post.

7. 1 extra entry- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (You can tweet once a day for one extra entry every day)! You can copy and paste:

#WIN a Levels of Discovery All Star Sports Toy Box Bench from @Hayneedle (ARV $189)! http://bit.ly/vE6eZ0 Ends 12/2

8. 2 extra entries- subscribe to A Mom's Balancing Act via e-mail (found along the side column) and leave TWO comments letting me know.

9. 2 extra entries- 'Like' A Mom's Balancing Act on Facebook

10. 2 extra entries- Follow my blog publicly on Google Friend Connect

11. Enter any of my other current giveaways running now. Leave me a comment on which one(s)....ONE entry for EACH giveaway you enter!!

Leave one comment for each entry you complete. Be sure to leave your email address with your comments or make sure it's visible in your profile so that I have a way to contact you if you win!

This giveaway will end December 2nd and is open to US Only!

**The products for this review & giveaway were provided for free by Hayneedle. All opinions found here are 100% mine and were not influenced in any way. The opinions of others may differ from my own**