Viral Toddler Light Box

This Christmas one of the best toys we got our toddler (3 year old) was the light box. We actually had two of them gifted to her so this post will do a quick comparison of the two light boxes! **This post may contain affiliate links. A small commission may be earned.**

Regular Light Box – $20

Sensory Light Box – $40 – DISCONTINUED and I am so SAD! Next best here… I’ll add a blurb about this one at the bottom.

Like I mentioned, we actually have both of these light boxes and both of them are super cool.

Features Both Have:
– 5 colors lights
– Can be used with batteries or plugged in via USB-C cable
– Transparencies to be used with the tiles

Additional Features of the Sensory Box:
– Sensory Tray
– Translucent Bugs
– Tools for Sensory
– Build It Flashcards
– Hard Container for Tiles and Cards

If I were shopping for these and could only buy one (which is all you need) I would 100% buy the Sensory Box. The additional tray alone makes it worth it because of everything you can add to it to keep your toddler entertained. As I write this 3 weeks after Christmas, my 3 year old daughter has asked to play with it everyday and spends at least an hour.

Ways we use the sensory tray of the Sensory Box
– Kinetic Sand
– Confetti Paper
– Water
– Colored Salt

I would say the current go to and favorite for my toddler is the Kinetic Sand. She loves to hid the bugs in it and dig them out. Of course she could do this without the light table, but she loves picking a color and letting the light shine through.

Water play is also a big win for my toddler. The Sensory Box comes with tools that make water play so much fun including the translucent bugs! My toddler loves to fish them out of the water with the tongs and toss them back in.

I love that the box is an all in one for sensory play and light play. When we don’t have the sensory tray on the light tray, she loves to do the tile transparencies or play with her magnatiles on it. Since the magnatiles are translucent, the light shines through them just like the tiles that come with the light box.

Basic Light Box

The basic light box is still a great toy, especially for just under $20. If you already have a sensory table that is well loved, you may find that this box is just enough for your toddler. The basic light box comes with the tiles and 3 transparency pages. You could still use your magnatiles on it too for another activity.

NEW EDUCATIONAL LIGHT BOX REPLACEMENT – $30

This one comes with:

Three coloring transparencies.
Tiles and number tiles
Dry erase markers and eraser

I think this one is still better than the basic $20, but not by much. I like that it has color matching in the transparencies and focuses slightly more on educational aspects, but I LOVED the sensory bin on the other. Still a fun toy that my 3 year old loves!

Fun Additions To Grab:
– Letters and Numbers