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Lifestyle
Sarah Handley

9 slime toys kids will love (even if their parents don't), including a no-residue option for mess-free play

Collage showing the best slime toys, including Slime Baff, Smashers Lava Slime Surprise and Galt's Slime Lab.

Slime can be a bit of a hit and miss toy - some children love the gloopy, messy fun, while others hate the fact it sticks to their hands (we have a suitable alternative in our list below). But there's no denying the popularity of this form of sensory play.

Playing with slime can be a brilliant way for children for experience new and fun textures, develop their language skills as they try to describe the sensations, and can help promote feelings of calm through play. Get a sense of the viscous fun and the clean up required by checking out my account of introducing my nephew to slime - so much glutinous and slippery fun!

In many cases, you can buy slime toys for less than £10, but do make sure that you check the age range guidance before purchasing, and make sure that younger children are supervised when playing. It can also help to make sure you have aprons, like these from Amazon, as well as waterproof tablecloths or mats handy to help contain the fun.

9 slime toys that kids will love

Why do kids love slime?

Slime is popular with kids for a multitude of reasons - it's tactile, it's messy, it's creative and it's great to play with others. As GoodtoKnow expert panellist and child development expert, Dr Amanda Gummer explains, these interactive play experiences "will help children develop essential social skills such as cooperation, communication, and even resilience, laying a solid foundation for positive relationships and interactions with others as they get older."

Engaging in sensory play can also help foster calming play, which can be especially helpful if you have a child who worries. Discovering the new textures and listening for the squelchy sounds can help to focus the mind on the senses and play more mindfully.

Plus, slime is kinda disgusting, and kids tend to love disgusting stuff, as the popularity of these gross-sounding games goes to show. And if playing with the slime creates some questionable sound effects then all the better!

Is slime safe for children to play with?

If you buy your slime from a reputable retailer in the UK, and you do you research and only buy products with the CE mark, which means it meets safety standards, then you can safely assume that it's safe for your child to play with. But it never hurts to be cautious when buying toys of this nature.

In 2018, research from Which? found that eight out of the 11 best selling slime toys weren't actually safe for children to play with. The products were found to have a toxic level of a chemical called Boron, which could lead to skin irritation, diarrhoea and vomiting. As a result of findings, those toxic products were removed from sale in the UK.

Even so, young children should always be supervised when playing with slime toys, and hands washed thoroughly when play is over. If you're worried about your child potentially ingesting the slime, you could follow our recipe to make your own edible slime instead.


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