Amazon has toy vacuum cleaners that actually work!

Amazon

Now your kids really can help tidy up.

Little kids always want to help, and parents certainly want to foster that helpful attitude, but sometimes—like when you’re trying to vacuum the living room—it’s hard for kids to assist. Little arms can’t lift heavy vacuum cleaners and toy vacuums that don’t have suction can seem lame to kids who want to really help out.

Enter the toy Dyson vacuum: A plaything with (a little) suction power, so kids can vacuum alongside dad or mom and actually suck up some dirt.

It’s fun, it’s practical and if it keeps the kids from playing with your expensive adult vacuum, it’s $30 well spent.

BUY

This toy Dyson is made by UK toy company Casdon, but it’s available stateside through Amazon , Walmart and Bed Bath and Beyond and typically retails for about $30.

It’s got a 4-star rating on Amazon with more than 2,700 reviews, and many parents report their kids love it.

Don’t expect this toy to vacuum like your real Dyson though, but some parents share that it can pick up little bits of paper, dirt and animal hair, so the kids do feel as though they are really cleaning (and they kind of are).

toy dyson vacuum actually works 0 Motherly

While most retailers carry the yellow ball style vacuum, Amazon has multiple and there are even toy versions of other vaccums, like the shop vac seen above.

These working toy vacuums are so cool because we know that chores are good for kids, even for toddlers . Practicing vacuuming up a few specks of dirt isn’t just helping clean the floor, it’s helping develop their motor skills and their sense of responsibility. Kids actually appreciate having responsibilities , and while this toy vacuum is just a fun way to “help” now, it could lead to helping with the real vacuum a few years down the road.

As they say in the UK, happy hoovering!

[This post was originally published November 28, 2018. It has been updated.]