At a glance:
This is a rubber duck with a difference – with no holes to let mould in, the Kawan Rubber Duck came bronze for its hygiene and environmental benefits. Our panel of mum testers really loved the fact that the duck can be used for teething as well, killing two birds (or ducks?) with one stone!
What they say:
“This larger than usual natural rubber duck toy can be taken anywhere and is especially popular at bath time... well ducks do love water. There's a lovely story behind him too. The founder of Hevea, Terese, learned of these amazing white ducks while in Malaysia. One of the farmers sons had a duck that same age as his seven year old son and they were great friends, they played together and had always been close and the boy even took him to school. Upon learning of these intelligent white ducks Hevea created Kawan, a completely natural rubber duck toy for children to enjoy.”
Tested by mum Kelly O’Donnell for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I love that this product is made from 100% natural rubber latex, is hygienic and made with no holes for water to get in, no PVC, no BPA, no Phthalates and no artificial colours. Even the packaging is made from recycled and biodegradable materials. I love that this product is so natural and environmentally friendly.
How did this product make your life easier?
This product was great for distracting my little one during nappy changes, these have become increasingly difficult now that he is always trying to roll over and crawl away! My little boy is teething at the moment and loves to chew on this toy to sooth his gums. He also loves to play with this product when in the bath and watch it move in the waves as he splashes.
Would you choose this product to win?
I love the design of this product, it is made with no holes so no water can get in. I have seen pictures of Sophie the Giraffe on social media and how mould grew inside the toy, so it provides great comfort to me knowing that this could never happen to this product because of the design.
What changes would you make to this product?
I think that this product is great, I think that it would be even better if you could order it in different colours so that it is more visually appealing to older children. I am also not sure about the price of this product, I am not convinced that I would pay that much for a rubber duck however there are lots of additional well-thought out features that benefit the environment.
Tested by mum Vicky Fernandes for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
The hygiene factor is an absolute winner here of course, especially for a toy that will be used in a wet environment. The fact that it can easily be used as a teether is also great - and the aforementioned hygiene factor means I am quite happy for my baby to gnaw away to his heart's content.
How did this product make your life easier?
This makes life easier in that I can rest assured that this product is more hygienic for my baby to play with in the bath than the average bath toy. The material is soft for teething, meaning my baby is happier - and therefore my life is much easier in that respect as well!
Would you choose this product to win?
I think so. I wasn't even aware that bath toys without holes existed, and the arrival of this product did coincide with me realising some flakes from the inside were entering the bath from our previous favourite bath toy (the batman rubber duck). With this rubber duck, there is no risk that nasty things are growing inside as there are no holes for water to get in.
What changes would you make to this product?
The main thing I would change about this product is to give it the ability to float on the bottom - whereas it currently falls to the side. It's a little thing, but the quality of this product made me feel like it would be able to do this. I had a slight design query as well, as it looked as though the feet on the bottom were facing the wrong way?
Tested by mum Jessica Bates for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
The cream colour isn't as garish as some other toy ducks so looks better in the bathroom. It also doesn't have any holes in it for the water to get in, so it can't get mouldy which is a huge concern for parents with other bath and teething toys. My baby loves to chew on the ducks beak and it seems to help his teething pain.
How did this product make your life easier?
The duck is good at entertaining a baby in the bath and distracting them when they are a bit unsettled, e.g. getting their hair washed. My baby also likes to play with it when he is in the bathroom at other times like when I am brushing my teeth, which is otherwise a struggle now as he wants to crawl away.
Would you choose this product to win?
I would choose this bath duck over other toy ducks as it fits in more with my bathroom decor and because it doesn't have holes in it for water to get in and mould to grow. However, there are probably other types of bath toys that children may prefer such as watering cans or cups to pour with.
What changes would you make to this product?
There isn't really much that could be changed about this duck as it is made from good quality rubber which is BPA free and has no holes in it. I do think that maybe its eyes are a bit too big and look a bit scary, so if they were a bit smaller it would probably look friendlier for children.
Tested by mum Stacey Stewart for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would certainly recommend the product to family and friends. Affordability wise I think it could be slightly less expensive, but the design is eye catching and soft, making it easy to grab hold of for little hands. The Kawan duck is practically weightless, so perfect to carry around from room to room. The duck is also easy to keep clean and there are no holes for any bacteria to hide.
How did this product make your life easier?
Since receiving the Kawan Rubber Duck I have introduced it in to our playtime with my six and a half month old son. I cannot say the product has helped me do anything better or do anything quicker by using the product. Bath time has become more fun and my son likes to bite down on the beak of the duck.
Would you choose this product to win?
I think this product should win, as in comparison to other similar products, the soft neutral colours are a big win - I love the simple design and detailing on the duck, which is very easy on the eye. All other products on the market are very bright and all look the same. There are no sharp hard edges so no worry of any harm to my baby.
What changes would you make to this product?
If I could pick some improvements I would say firstly, after watching my son play with the duck, he likes to bite down on his beak so this could maybe benefit from being of a tougher material providing better relief to gums when biting down.
Tested by mum Alex Pickard for the Mother & Baby awards 2018:
Would you recommend this to other mums?
I would definitely recommend this product for hygiene reasons. I didn't know about the bacteria in the other unclosed ducks, so now I know about this I will recommend the Kawan rubber duck to other mums. It’s also a good size for babies to grab hold of and has the added bonus of it being a teether. Like most mums, I really like products that do more than one job.
How did this product make your life easier?
The design of this duck is good because it's sealed so you have no worries of having bacteria in the middle. It’s simple for babies to play with it and they enjoy chewing on it. It’s also a decent size for little hands to grab hold of in water.
Would you choose this product to win?
If I was looking at bath ducks then this one should win, however if I was looking at all bath toys I think I would probably go with something more active. I definitely think the closed part to prevent bacteria is the big selling point and if the duck was cheaper I would definitely have bought one.
What changes would you make to this product?
I think the price is something I would adjust for this product. Although it feels great quality and is brilliant for hygiene reasons, I think the price is too high. Also from a design point of view, it would be good if there were some more prominent parts on the duck so babies can have more areas to teethe on.