A STAY-at-home mum has revealed how she saved over a hundred pounds by creating her a bespoke “busy board” for her son.
Taylor Cowin from Edinburgh produced the wall-mounted toy for less than £20, saving a fortune compared to a shop bought equivalent.
Busy boards are sensory play equipment which feature ties, zips, keys and other items children like to play with. They are often found in children’s soft play areas.
23-year-old Taylor was inspired to create her own version after spotting the £180-plus price tag on professionally-made busy boards.
Using spare wood and items bought from eBay she designed the whole thing for £18.
Photos show Taylor’s son Josh, 19 months, happily playing with his newly-constructed toy, which features a door handle, a latch and even a xylophone.
Other images show the construction process, which took a week due to bad weather slowing down the paint drying process.
A delighted Taylor took to social media to share her creation on Monday [2 Mar].
She posted a photo of the finished product and wrote: “Decided to make a busy board for our little boy.
“Lights were £2 from home bargains. Paint eBay £6. Button/zip/tie etc boards from Ebay £11.
“Didn’t need to buy wood as my mum and dad had some in their garden so just used that, cut to shape and painted. (I believe you can get these sheets of wood from B&Q)
“Our 19 month old boy absolutely loves it so that’s what matters! Very happy with it as these can be really expensive to buy.”
Taylor’s post, which has clocked up more than 6,500 likes online, has blown away social media users.
One woman wrote: “I was going to share, but you’d be better off selling them. Brill.”
Another added: “This is fab!”
And one woman said: “What a brilliant idea, your little one is so lucky to have such a creative parent.”
Speaking today, Taylor said: “I didn’t expect such a big response but I think it’s brilliant that so many people like it and even want to give making one a shot themselves.
“These boards can cost a fortune to buy so I hope it helps people to save some money.”
