Do you have an infant? Do you have a floor grate? Yes? Well then you are in luck. You might as well take all the other toys in your house and throw them in the trash. The floor grate is all a baby needs for fun and development.

6 Uses For Floor Grates:

1. Musical Instrument:

Your baby will love tapping out the beats to all of your favourite songs. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? She’s got it. Muffin Man? That’s yesterday’s news. Bohemian Rhapsody? She was born to tap out that song.

2. Wash Board:

So the days of the washboard are gone? Think again. Babies love running their hands over the sweet, sweet, grooves of the floor grate.  Try soaping up a stained shirt and having your baby rub it on the grate. It’s fun for everyone and it uses less water than a conventional washing machine. Your pocketbook will thank you (for other stain removal tricks see here).

3. Teacher of Self-Discipline:

Your baby is too young for martial arts? Don’t worry. A floor grate is the only sensei you need. If you don’t already have a half-bowl of cereal sitting in the venting beneath your grate, try placing a few pieces inside for your baby. Watch her learn to remain zen in the face of temptation.

4. Exercise Machine:

So you’ve been complaining about how your baby is too young for chin-ups. It’s time to stop. A floor grate is a great way for your baby to learn chin-up-readiness-skills. When your baby grabs at the grate and pulls herself forward like a little zombie, reward her with praise. If she has difficulty understanding the pull-up action, get down on the floor beside her to show her correct technique. 

5.  Zoo:

I can’t think of a better way to teach your baby about captivity. Simply throw a few stuffies in the vent and voila – you have a model zoo. Watch as your child learns the wonderment that comes from looking at animals behind bars.

6.  Sound System:

You want your baby to learn to bounce like Justin Timberlake? You’ve got to crank the tunes from your vent.  No speakers required. Just place your mobile phone inside and boom – your music is amplified throughout the whole house.

Okay, so I haven’t ACTUALLY tried all of these grate (great?) activities with my daughter yet. It doesn’t matter. The floor grate on its own is more than entertaining. Even with all of her toys available, more often than not, she can be found with her fingers or her face on the floor grate. I can’t quite figure it out, but I’m sure she’s not the only one who reacts this way to floor grates. Am I right?

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Additional “Makeshift Entertainment” can be found here:

1. Peeing on the floor
2. Baseball String
3. iPad Camera App
4. Display Racks
5. Escalators