Vancouver-based maker of play tents for children, Domestic Objects, has made it easier for parents and children to ‘unplug’ from the digital world with their Play Tent Canopy. Designed and manufactured to fit securely over a mattress on the floor, the Play Tent Canopy offer parents a clearly delineated space for family time and imagination-based play, shutting out the digital distractions that can be harmful to early child development and lead to developmental problems such as anxiety.

Launched by Sarah Jagger in 2014, Domestic Objects has built a solid reputation in Canada, the U.S.A. and abroad for handmade, customizable play tents designed to stimulate a child’s natural curiosity and sense of play.

The Play Tent Canopy was initially created at the request of a mother with a very active toddler who was consistently climbing out of their crib. Now Domestic Objects’ best-selling product, it’s now available in four standard mattress sizes in a variety of fabrics, and as a custom order for non-standard mattresses.

“Part of the attraction of the Play Tent Canopy, I think, is practical. You can have a play area that doesn’t take up extra space in a child’s bedroom,” says Jagger. “Plus, being both a restful sleeping space and an imagination-fuelled play space, a canopy helps with the transition from a crib to a “real” bed.”

But, most important to Jagger, is how Domestic Objects play tents can bring parents and children together in play and spark a child’s innate imagination and creativity. A play tent can help a family unplug from the digital world and facilitate more natural and self-driven playtime.

A recent study by the Canadian Paediatric Society states that “[high] exposure to background TV has been found to negatively affect language use and acquisition, attention, cognitive development and executive function in children under 5 years old. It also reduces the amount and quality of parent-child interaction and distracts from play.”

Dr. Shimi Kang agrees. The award-winning, Harvard-trained doctor, researcher, bestselling author and speaker says research shows that children are less creative now than they were before the advent of the parental “helpers” like iPads and online educational games.

“We are living in an era of paradox,” says Dr. Kang. “Our society is technologically advanced, yet our children are becoming increasingly unhealthy with rising rates of anxiety, depression, and addiction. The Play Tent Canopy provides a space where children will receive the brain-boosting benefits of imaginary play, family bonding and precious downtime.”

Domestic Objects Play Tent Canopy (starting at $238 CAD) and its other products are available and ship worldwide through the Domestic Objects website and the company’s Etsy store.

ABOUT DOMESTIC OBJECTS
Domestic Objects offers eight different imaginative play products, including customizable teepees and canopy beds in an array of stylish fabrics, matching floor pillows, whimsical accessories and even and a children’s book, The Play Tent of Imagination, which Jagger wrote in collaboration with illustrator Lenny Wen.