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A few less “I’m bored” comments would be a win.

I am a contributor and former BuzzFeed Shopping editor who loves finding new problem-solving products, zero-waste swaps, and home organization hacks.

Promising review: "Great to use on a boat or in the pool!! Works and feels sturdy. Doesn’t shuffle like normal cards, but that’s to be expected lol. Highly recommend!" —Aussie 

The rules are simple. Deal the deck out to all players (works with 3–8 players). Everyone keeps their mini deck face down and goes around the table, flipping a card face up and saying one of the five keywords (taco, cat, goat, cheese, and pizza — in that order). Once the card played matches the word said, it's a race to slap that center card. Whoever taps in last has to take the center stack, and the round starts over. Whoever gets rid of all their cards first wins! 

Promising review: "We love Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza original game, so I am so happy that now I can bring this with us to the beach! My kids have already put these in our pool and have been 'diving' for them. It's not exactly how you play the game at all, but they think it is fun! Also, the little outfits for the characters are adorable. I was skeptical about the travel clip at first, but the circle shape makes it much easier to get the cards on/off." —Timothy M.

Promising review: "Excellent product. No mess, muss or fuss. My young grandkids had a blast 'painting' thoroughly washed and dried scallop shells. Very easy to create many different types of art with these. No odor. Great colors. Bought at a very reasonable price." —Sam I Am

Get a pack of 24 pens from Amazon for $19.99.

Recommended for kids ages 4–12, these body bumpers measure 25 inches L x 25 inches W x 23 inches H.

PSA: Make sure helmets are worn during bump-offs.

Promising review: "Absolutely hilarious to watch! I got these for my kids (7 and 8) because I thought it would be a perfect way to blow off steam and get out some energy... it was great! They ran at each other pretty hard, but it didn't pop, and no one got hurt! If your kids do a lot of bickering like mine do, get these! 😅" —Sky

Get two from Amazon for $15.99 (available in two other styles). 

Promising review: "We live in Texas, where the heat is no joke. My kids love water balloons but hate having to clean up the mess. I saw a friend share about these and almost didn’t buy them because of the price… glad I did! Totally worth it. All the money and time spent on water balloons over the years have me convinced. Received them, and they work great! My kids can’t get enough and constantly beg to use them. They can fill them themselves, and they don’t hurt when hit. Super easy to use and clean up. Buying more for sure. My kids' ages are 2, 4, 6, and 8. All could use them easily." —Eden

Get a 12-pack from Amazon for $29.99 (available in other multipacks).

Promising review: "This will carry four frozen breastmilk bags and keep them frozen six to eight hours, which is perfect for domestic airport travel or small outings. I like to bring a few extra bags with me on trips for a night out or if it will be hard to nurse somewhere. Awesome product and less bulky that other cooler bags." —Joshua 

Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (available in 20 colors and prints).

This is a save-the-day staple in the life of my constantly hungry, jetsetting nephew (he's four). I live in New York, and my brother lives with his family in Texas, so we primarily see each other in the context of family travel, which has involved this snack spinner since day one. 

Promising review: "A friend told us about this, and it saved us on our first flight with our 1-year-old. Not only is it great for holding a variety of snacks, it served as great entertainment also. He loved watching it spin, pressing the button, and opening and closing the door. It entertained him for a lot longer than any other toy we had. A must-have for traveling with a toddler, we won't go on another trip without it." —Nicole A.

Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in three sizes and five colors).

Promising review: "Love everything about it! It’s cute, easy to use (baby picked up how to used it right away), and both front and back cameras work. There are even games on there. Love it. Definitely recommend." —Mc & Fong

Get it from Amazon for $27.99 (available in five colors).

PicassoTiles is a small business developing creative toys that encourage open-ended play. 

Promising review: "A friend bought these for my son when he was 2 and he played with them more than anything else for a couple of years solid. We loved them. Perfect thing to take a few to a restaurant or family gathering to help keep the kids entertained. As he’s gotten older we found tons of ideas online for things to build too. I just bought a set for a friend’s daughter’s birthday." —rae malm

Get a 60-piece set from Amazon for $23.99.

Promising review: "I purchased two of these for my sons so they could play their Nintendo Switches in the car on road trips. It's been a game changer for long car rides! These are super easy to install, and because they're installed at headrest height, my motion-sickness-prone kids can look straight ahead to play games instead of looking down, thus avoiding car sickness and making our long car rides infinitely more enjoyable!" —Amazon123

Get it from Amazon for $19.55+ (available in two styles). 

Note: You shouldn't use flames with the colorant added to cook or roast s'mores. 

Promising review: "Kids love this stuff! Who doesn’t like to sit around the fire that is blue, green, orange, and red? I wouldn’t recommend cooking over a fire after you had all these chemicals for the visual effect." —Jake 

Promising review: "My son loves them, he is obsessed with them. Great quality, great size for him, and he loves to look around outside with them or even in the house. They aren’t even heavy, so he is able to hold them." —Holly

Get it from Amazon for $12.79+ (available in two colors).

Urban Infant is a Chicago-based small business run by a brother-sister duo, making unique and useful parenting products.

Promising review: "Our 1-year-old loves these. It was his first time using chalk, and he had no trouble with it. They are pretty thick; doesn't matter how he holds them, there will be contact with the surface, and there will be color!" —JW

Get it from Amazon for $9.95+ (available in seven styles).

Promising review: "My 7- and 4-year-old granddaughters love this swing! They don’t have to wait for turns because both can sit or lie on the saucer at the same time! I used my swing hooks to attach the saucer swing. It worked perfectly. I just had to adjust the rope height so it was higher off the ground." —M K.

Get it from Amazon for $36.99+ (available in two sizes).

Promising review: "My son had this on his Christmas wish list, so I bought it for him. I am so mad that I didn’t try this game earlier. I am 100% obsessed with this game now. It is so much fun and easy to play. It helps my kiddos with spelling and sounding out words too, which is just a great bonus!" —Kkersten

Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in five styles).

This science kit includes natural crystal-filled geodes (quantity depends on the size you choose), a pair of safety goggles, geode display stand(s), and a learning guide.

Promising review: "My daughter is 10 and this kept her busy for HOURS! She had so much fun and was excited every time she got a glimpse of what might be inside. A couple of them were pretty cool, while the rest were just white. She didn't care, she loves them all. She was so proud to gift them to her grandparents." —Michelle

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in three styles). 

Promising review: "Bought this set for my son’s birthday. Love that there are so many uses for it — diving for gems, diving for numbers, solving math equations, and playing bingo. My boys (6 and 8) couldn’t stop playing this! They especially loved racing to do the bingo search. The quality of gems and numbers is fantastic and, honestly, quite beautiful. So so happy with this purchase!" —Mathew Campbell 

Promising review: "My cat loves this! I take him outside twice a day in the tent. He watches birds and gets some fresh air in the safety of the tent. During the day, I tie up the door, and he loves sleeping in it. I did put a blanket in there for him; it’s a very thin bottom with no padding. Highly recommended!" —Lava

Get it from Amazon for $20.99+ (available in three colors and two sizes).

Promising review: "Cannot believe the great deal we got. We got this for our 2-year-olds' birthday, and both boys LOVED it. There was so much included with it — the pretend lantern and cook stove that LIGHT UP, and the food toys, and a fake watch my 4-year-old wouldn't take off for a day. My run-on sentence could go on and on. They love it. They were entertained for hours, so I love it." —Bianca

Get it from Amazon for $31.99+ (available in three versions).

According to reviews, your new friends can stay fresh and squishable up to three days out of water and can retain their shape in water for about a week. 

The kit comes with magic gel, molds, gloves, a scooper, and magic powder to get things started. 

Promising review: "My kids are obsessed!!! This is the second time I purchased this kit, and my kids are always so excited when we open the box! They spend hours playing with it! ❤️" —Amazon Customer

BuzzFeed editor Heather Braga considers this a big parenting win: 

"These activity pads have become one of my go-to parenting products! My son will sit and 'color' for a decent amount of time, and I love that he learns while he does. All you have to do is fill the pen with some water, then securely twist the back onto it so it doesn't leak out all over (been there). I packed one as a surprise for a recent flight, and my toddler was *SO* excited. It kept him busy and didn't make a mess — big win for Mom!" 

Promising review: "This kept my little one entertained on a 5-hour flight. I especially love how it can be used over again once it dries back up! Great price!" —morenog

Get a pack of two from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in five styles).

The bubble gun comes with two bottles of solution, a charger, one battery, and a plate to pour the solution onto (to dip the gun into).

Promising review: "This is a perfect summer kids' toy. My grandkids had a ball playing with the bubble machine gun. It creates thousands of bubbles, and the rechargeable battery makes things easier and less expensive. I recommend this fun and safe toy for outdoor activities for the kids." —Tray

Get it from Amazon for $26.99+ (available in six colors).

Mollybee Kids is a family-run small business creating high-quality toys that promote learning, staying active, and most importantly, fun! 

Promising review: "A must-have. My 2-year-old son is obsessed. Always asks to play the 'find you' game, LOL. Then we play it, and every option on the game, he actually thinks really hard, then says, 'Come on mommy,' and runs me through the house to find the object. Highly recommended from a mom of four." —Britney bansley

Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in three other styles).

Promising review: "This is so cool. You can set up an entire obstacle course in your yard or home. So many options to create fun, exciting games! My girls have hours of play, creating their own games and using this product. Highly recommend." —Nichole

Promising review: "This looked like it might be pretty cheap, but so far we've used it five or six times this summer, and it's great! The fountain can get pretty high, and there's enough room for three or four kids to splash at the same time. It can get really slippery, though, so water shoes are recommended." —Ms Helpful

Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in six styles).

Promising review: "The best stomp rocket, my kid plays with this for hours. It’s a great outdoor toy. The Dino rockets are cute." —Aubrey Poteat

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four models).

Promising review: "Literal must-have for traveling with kids. We use this on long car trips or vacations. It’s a great place to color and keep markers and pencils close, and it's also great for eating in the car. Many vacations, we grab fast food to eat while we are driving, and it’s so much easier for the kids to eat with this tray that keeps all their snacks and food close to them. I honestly don’t know how we traveled without this!" —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $25.99+ (available in 12 styles).

Promising review: "Bought these for my 3-year-old as a stocking stuffer and she's obsessed! They are pretty well-made and float nicely from our second story. Have had them for a few weeks and they're still being played with." —Emily

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $8.99 (available in three styles).

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* Things That’ll Keep Your Kids So Busy They’ll Feel Like A Co-Parent

* It’s Beach Season, Baby: Here Are 30 Products You’ll Want If You’re A Parent Of Babies Or Toddlers

Plus, finds from Nordstrom, Target, and Walmart.

BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.