LeapStart Learning Table
by LeapFrog
Average Customer Review:
Toy (14 August, 2002)
list price: $44.99 -- our price: $39.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

This is a happy, noisy toy that should amuse most toddlers. Everything that can be touched reacts in some way, from a trombone-playing frog to a book that sings the alphabet. Our favorite is the colored keyboard that sings each color you press. The tabletop can be placed on the floor for those still in the crawling phase, or can sit on the included legs for a sturdy surface and leaning spot for little ones who are new to walking. If there is any fault with the Learning Table, it may be that it has too many features: each element of the table reacts in two different ways, depending on whether it's in Learn Mode or Music Mode. (Modes are switched by flipping the page of the book mounted in the center of the table.) Though this means more fun stuff for kids to hear, the mode concept is not one that they can be expected to understand, and the effect of the toy's inconsistent reactions is likely to be confusion. --David Stoesz ... Read more

Reviews (723)

Another Great Toy from LeapFrog!
My now 15 mo. old daughter received this table for Christmas.She really enjoys it and plays with it almost daily. It is a toy that grows with her- as she gets older she discovers different activities on the table.When she first got the table, at 10 mo. old, she played with the purple flip door and the center book the most.Later she moved to the trombone and now she really enjoys the banjo.The table is very sturdy and the perfect height for babies who are pulling to stand- she has never tipped it over.

Great toy!
My daughter got this table for Christmas when she was 6 months old. She wasn't standing yet so we took the legs off and put it on the floor for her to play with. She's been playing with it everyday since. She's now 11 months and still loves it.

Best table toy ever!!!
We bought our daughter this toy about 3 months ago and she still just loves it.She is 9 months old and it is one of her favorite toys.There are many different things to do.If your baby loves music like mine this is the toy for you.It has also been great to help her learn to pull up on.It's a great toy!!! ... Read more

Asin: B000062XQ8
Subjects:  1. Baby and Infant    2. Learning    3. Toddler    4. Activity    5. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    6. Electronic    7. Hand-Eye Coordination    8. Musical    9. Electronic Learning Aids   

Classical Chorus Gym
by Fisher-Price
Average Customer Review:
Toy
list price: $34.99 -- our price: $29.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

Toys that grow with your child from infancy to toddlerhood are well worth their cost. The Classical Chorus Gym is one such toy, allowing your child to explore music at every stage of his development. As an infant, your child can lay on his back and bat at the hanging toys while the keyboard plays 10 different classical or nursery melodies, some with a children’s chorus. You can set the music to play continuously for up to 10 minutes, or only when your child successfully hits a toy, teaching him cause and effect. When your child learns to sit, the keyboard adjusts with him to the proper height, and then adjusts one more times to accommodate a standing or walking child. At these stages, you can set the music to play part of a song when your child presses a key or let your child experiment with scales and individual notes. The keyboard’s "singing" stars light up as music plays to further delight budding musicians. The Classical Chorus Gym requires three "C" batteries for operation. --Cristina Vaamonde ... Read more

Features

• Infant toy combines music with sit- or stand-and-play activity
• 3 ways for Baby to play
• Parents can set to provide up to 10 minutes of music
• Plastic legs fold down for sit-and-play mode

Reviews (190)

You won't regret this purchase!
I bought this for my son when he was very young, maybe 2 months.At first, he wasn't too interested in it, but now I can honestly say, I have gotten my money's worth.He has more toys than he knows what to do with, and of course, prefers our telephone or remote controls, but he always loves playing with this toy. And now that is standing, he loves to stand and hit the keys. This has definitely been well worth the money.

Great for all ages!
I love this toy!Someone bought it for us when our baby was born.She's been using it since she was about 2 months old and had enough control of her arms and legs to bat at the toys that hang down.She is now 6 months and sitting up so I converted it so the sitting stage and she still plays with it all the time.When she was learning to sit up it was great too because she would keep her balance by hanging onto the keys and "playing" music.My nephew is 18 months and he still plays with his everyday.This is the only toy that has consistently captured her attention and she will play with this toy for at least 20 minutes at a time.

could be better designed
My main problem with this toy is it confuses my four month old.He hits a key, and a star above the key lights up.So he hits the star, and nothing happens.It's a small thing, but this toy would be so much better if either the keys lit up, or if he could hit the star and have it make a noise too.
I love how easy it is to set this up.The legs come off and on very quickly.My son can't sit up on his own yet, so I take the legs off the keyboard, prop him up against me, and have him play.And I really like the large variety of music.I think this is a pretty good toy, and definitely worth $30. ... Read more

Asin: B0000789SZ
Subjects:  1. Baby and Infant    2. Learning    3. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    4. Electronic   

Chicco Flip 'n Play Table
by Chicco USA
Average Customer Review:
Toy
list price: $24.99
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Editorial Review

Variety is the spice of life, especially for toddlers. The Flip 'n Play table answers the call. It comes with a two-sided insert and stands 13 inches off the ground. The table's strong point is its vast array of features: a miniature rotary phone, a small flipbook of circus animals, three each insert number and letter shapes, a jingling flip handle, a clock with spinning hands, and a mobile of colorful, spinning "balls within balls." But that's not all. A lever easily activates a circular train track with attachable train. A button next to the lever sets off an authentic train sound. Flip the entire insert over and you have a building table for blocks of squares, circles, rectangles, pyramids, and cat and dog heads (all included). Your child can build a multiplicity of configurations. For even more fun, add to this play center from a wide range of available accessories. --Sandy Hirsch ... Read more

Features

• Multi-activity toddler play table
• Develops coordination and imagination skills
• One side building-block base; 1 side interactive train yard
• Comes with 20 accessories
• Handy storage bin underneath

Reviews (69)

Terrific Table
It's got bells--and whistles! Plays train sounds and the clack clack bell sound of a train crossing. You wind up the track for the train manually, put the train on it and away you go. I LOVE the fact that this toy is not a battery-eater like most of his others, and that it does double duty as a block-building table, too! Alex at 17 months still plays with this; we got it for him at 9 1/2 months. He loves to take the top off and sit in it, or sit on the floor on his knees in front of it and use the inside area for a little table to eat a snack off of. He has his own table and chairs, but sometimes he prefers to use this. THERE ARE NO SONGS THAT PLAY, AND NONE WERE ADVERTISED, despite a previous reviewers comments. There are two versions of this table available--this one, and the so-called new, improved, electronic, musical version, which I think pales in comparison to this original. Who needs one more musical toy that does everything but allow the kid to use their imagination and play? Not me! And if you want a good old-fashioned toy, that your kid will love for a long time and that will stand up to that type of use, get this. You'll be glad you did. I only wish I could find more of the plastic blocks that come with this by themselves, rather than in playsets that are sold separately.

too late for my 1 year old!
I think I missed the boat on this one; I bought it for xmas for my 13 month old and the only real play it gets is when my daughter and her 3 year old brother take off the "play top" and sit inside it!They think thats fun but thats about it.

Awesome Toy
We bought this table based on other parent reviews, and though we couldn't find it locally the shipping cost was well worth it.
Our 11 month old twins love this toy, and when they get done playing with the activity center they pull it all apart and play even longer. The best part is it seems virtually indestructible, and only one small part uses a battery, the train track just winds up. We're very happy with this purchase. ... Read more

Asin: B00000IZYR
Subjects:  1. Baby and Infant    2. Furniture    3. Learning    4. Toddler    5. Activity    6. Preschool    7. Hand-Eye Coordination   

Activity Table
by Small World Toys
Average Customer Review:
Toy
-- our price: $49.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (1)

The best purchase I've made so far!
As an early childhood educator, I must say this product has the most for the money. There are at least 4 different educational uses.My son began using it around 13 months and continued until about 20 months. He loved discovering that the wooden dowels fit into the holes of the blocks and the table -early lacing skills!As he got older, he enjoyed the activities of stacking the blocks and the shape sorter.These strengthened fine motor development and eye-hand coordination.Cognitive skills can be worked on by counting, and matching the colors and shapes.It was also great that he found other toys, like plastic rings that fit on the dowels too. More than one child or adult can play so this encourages social skills. Clean up time was simple when the center is used for storage.The only thing that disappointed me was that the cover for the center starage area did not fit. As for the 4 star rating on fun - I'm not big on electronic toys but if you have them, you will understand that this may not be the first toy your child runs to. It also doesHowever, if you kneel on the floor next to him to encourage and provide positive feeback, he'll learn much more than what an electronic toy can teach. Thank you Small World Toys! ... Read more

Asin: B00008ZCDX
Sales Rank: 14391
Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Preschool    3. Furniture   

Baby Walk
by Small World Toys
Average Customer Review:
Toy

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Reviews (5)

boring... don't waste your money
My son got this for Christmas and it only had about 1 minute worth of entertainment value. My son walked down the mat once and then was on his way to something else. Find something else.

Parents of kids with special needs.......
My daughter has cerebral palsey she is very mildly delayed and is able to walk and is much like any other child. But as anyone with a child who has walking difficulties knows motivation is key. My daughter attends physical therapy and loves this toy there. It teaches her good foot placement and coordination. All the sounds encourage her and with all the kids that go in and out of her therapy center it's very durable. I highly recommend this toy to anyone with a child going through, physical therapy, rehab or any child that just needs a leg up on walking.

OK
I ordered this for a friend on-line, I was dissapointed when I finally saw it. You need to step hard on some of the feet in order to get the sound. It needs lights to make it more fun.I would rate this toy as just OK. ... Read more

Asin: B0000663SJ
Sales Rank: 14885
Subjects:  1. Baby and Infant    2. Toddler    3. Activity   

Lamaze: My 1st Fishbowl
by Learning Curve
Average Customer Review:
Toy
-- our price: $19.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

An innovative toy for those who are way too young to look after real fish, this soft baby toy is a seven by seven-inch "fish bowl" with two transparent side panels containing real water. Small aquatic critters float around in these narrow walls of water. Even more interesting are the four three-inch stuffy toys (a fish, starfish, clam, and crab) that fit into the "bowl" between the watery side panels; the magnifying effect of the sides really makes these toys (and anything else in the bowl) look as if they are under water. The soft base is weighted and makes the bowl quite stable. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (25)

So great, so special!
I have 9 month old Boy/Girl twins, and they Love this fishbowl.

I went on the market for one after my twins fasination with our huge fish tank that makes bubbles ect. We were going to get the fisherprice aquarium, but we really wanted something soft and easier for baby...

This fishbowl is great. Everything is safe and nice and soft. Nothing can harm baby, nothing at all. Theres a crab, starfish, fish, and a clam. Each toy makes a different noise, crinkle, rattle, sqeak and kinda jingle. Each toy also has a different texture, the babies love that! They all have cute little faces, yet no noses or eyes that could fall off and become a chocking hazard. They are lightweight and easy to hold and lift, yet not to small to fit the whole thing in babies mouth. They all fit nicely into the bowl, and unlike some other toys the twins struggle to get inside, these toys all easily go into the bowl without too much effort. The fishbowl isnt big enough to fit around a babies head, so its not a hazard without holes inside for breathing, but I always supervise the twins. The bowl is great if you shake it, the the water in the bowl bubbles and the little things between the two plastic pieces move, the twins will giggle for ever seeing this! Theres not really water, but a gelly water type thing inside. The plastic is also vey tough and durable, I really doubt it will break or tear.

The twins are always so excited and they cant get enough of it. The toy is great on the floor, and its great in the car too. Each toy is made so well, and I love each part of the bowl. I'm glad not every toy that my twins love is mechanical in anyway, this toy is just a little fabric and plastic, nothing much but the babies love it. I guess its more for the 1 month-18 month crowd until the toy just gets boring... we all love it and its great for tummy time, and crawling too!!!

I Have No Words!
This toy left me in awe.It is probably the greatest invention ever including condoms!

My baby daughter loved this!
This was truly my daughter's favorite toy.We got it for her when she was about 7 months old, and she played with it daily until she was about 2 1/2.She loved the bright colors and sounds the different sea creatures made, enjoyed teething on the crab, and when she got a little older, loved the "put in, take out" things she could do with the fishbowl.Although it's a little pricey at $20, for us, this toy was definitely worth the money! ... Read more

Asin: B00008BR9H
Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Toddler    3. Baby and Infant    4. Hand-Eye Coordination    5. Stuffed Toys    6. Stuffed Animals   

Lamaze: Octotunes
by Learning Curve
Average Customer Review:
Toy
-- our price: $24.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (72)

Daddy likes this too....
My son Jacob has this toy and I probably enjoy it more than him.It's a musical instrument!It's a toy!It's both!I can enjoy playing "Mary had a little lamb" while he drools on it.(Well, he is 2.)Definitely a good purchase.

Very cute, but some room for improvement
Like other reviewers have noted, it's too hard for a baby to use, and definitely too heavy for a small child to pick up, but my 4-month old really likes to sit in my lap while I play it for him. It's awfully cute, and would be adorable even if it wasn't a musical toy. However, I nearly sent it back at first because one or two of the notes (legs) are tougher to get a sound out of (the higher notes). The yellow leg on ours has to be squeezed *just right* in order to sound the note, and even at that, it squeaks rather weakly. I also wish it had come with instructions for playing more than 2 songs. All in all, it's a cute toy.

So cute!
My daughter is 5 months old, and loves her octopus.She can't squeeze the legs to make music yet, but if we put it by her feet, she can kick to get the sounds going, and she laughs when she does it.She loves to hug it and stares at the colors-she also smiles at the happy face on the octopus.She cracks up when we make music with the legs...even though she can't play with it by herself, it's a great bonding toy for us to play with together. ... Read more

Asin: B00005LLTM
Sales Rank: 485
Subjects:  1. Stuffed Animals    2. Animals    3. Water Life    4. Learning    5. Baby and Infant    6. Toddler    7. Activity    8. Stuffed Toys    9. Musical   

Imaginarium Tub Fun Letters/Numbers
by Imaginarium
Average Customer Review:
Toy
-- our price: $9.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (10)

no upper case letters
i wish this letter set came with some upper case letters.and i think it would be nice if they were a little bigger and if the pieces that needed to be punched out (like the center of the "o" or the "p" were punched out by the manufacturer, instead of by me, while my two year old waited (not-so-patiently).i couldn't give them to her to play with until the middles were removed because those parts were very small, definitely well within choking-hazard range.on the plus side, the letters stick well and there are a lot of them in the bucket; i'd guess about 4 of each letter.

I have a question, hope someone can answer.
I like the look of this toy on the site, it looks durable, and my child loves to play in the tub. My question is this, do these letters stick to the walls of a tub enclosure, or are ceramic tiles the required finish for them to adhere to?
Hope to get an answer soon and thanks

Love them!!
Only problem I have noticed is they are very small and that they don't have all the letters. My kids names have R's in them and they are upset that there isn't even 1 r in the whole tub. They stick to the wall great and even my husband and I have enjoyed leaving messages with them. Two thumbs up!!! ... Read more

Asin: B00005LLSN
Sales Rank: 474
Subjects:  1. Baby and Infant    2. Bath Toys    3. Preschool    4. Learning    5. Math    6. Reading    7. Toddler    8. Activity   

Discovery Ball
by LeapFrog
Average Customer Review:
Toy
-- our price: $19.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (202)

Good for older kids too!
I bought this toy when my daughter was a year old and she wasn't the least bit interested in it.If I wrote the review then, it would have been a mediorce one at best.I'm glad I waited.Once she was about two and a half, she began taking interest in the toy, pressing all the letters of the alphabet and singing the a-b-c song.She's three and a half now and still enjoys using it.She especially likes the setting with the songs.She presses the letter buttons and sings the words to the tunes she hears.

Some other good things about it:The toy is versatile.It can spin in it's holder, or be taken off and rolled around on the floor.There a few different settings, one that just says the letters, and another that plays tunes that start with that letter.On soft mode, it's a reasonable volume.There's also a band of red light that blinks on and off when a tune plays.It's very durable.It's been played with constantly for over a year and still looks brand new.

Though it's marketed to infants, toddlers would enjoy this toy too.I can't think of anything bad to say about it (except that loud mode is very loud) and would recommend it to parents with young children.

Fun and educational...
so what more could you want?I put this on my son's booster seat tray in its stand and even at 5 months he loves to spin it.
His grandfather thinks it is the best toy because of the fact that when the individual letters are pressed it says the letter or phonetically sounds them out depending on the mode its in.My son's grandmother found it on clearance for $7.00 and at that price I would say that it was a steal.

Good toy for tots!
My 10 month old loves this. It's not the best ABC toy out there, but it's different and that keeps her interest.I prefer the Alphabet Pal, but this is a good toy too. ... Read more

Asin: B00005BHK3
Sales Rank: 72
Subjects:  1. Electronic Learning Aids    2. Activity    3. Learning    4. Electronic    5. Alphabet    6. Talking    7. Baby and Infant    8. Toddler    9. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    10. Hand-Eye Coordination    11. Musical   

Kick N learn Piano
by Fisher-Price
Average Customer Review:
Toy
list price: $24.99
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Editorial Review

Parents who responded to piano lessons by kicking the instrument mayappreciate this toy as much as a baby will. Two ties hang it from the side ofthe crib, five "keys" on the soft cover conceal five buttons, and colored shapesabove each "key" light up when they are hit or kicked. In one mode, the five"keys" play individually, like piano keys; in another, they play a medley of 10tunes; in a third, they sound out animal names, numbers, and other concepts thatare keyed to the pattern on the cover. The Kick 'n' Learn Piano includes anon/off switch, auto off, and high/low volume control. Requires three AAbatteries. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (115)

Good
I think that this is a great toy because it gives babies a chance to have fun, hear interesting sounds, and learn piano!!!:)

Excellent toy that grows w/ your child
I read a great review about this product in Parents so I had to check it out for myself. My daughter who was 4 months at the time I purchased this, absolutely loves this toy. It has 3 different levels of interaction: music, animal noises, and counting/alphabet. She will wake up in the middle of the night and start kicking away, and if it's turned off - she'll actually get mad that the music doesn't come on! I initially thought the price was a bit high for a "crib toy" but it's worth every penny!!

Too Loud!
This toy is cute and it has held up well but the music is so LOUD and very annoying.90% of our baby's toys play music and I usually love the cute music from my son's toys but this is almost unbearable...listen to it before you buy it! ... Read more

Asin: B00005N9YI
Subjects:  1. Activity    2. Baby Toys    3. Crib Toys    4. Musical    5. Pianos    6. Learning   

LittleTouch LeapPad
by LeapFrog
Average Customer Review:
Toy (01 August, 2003)
list price: $34.99 -- our price: $29.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

With a little help from a bigger friend (parent, guardian…), young children can launch into the world of learning via interactive books. Little Touch LeapPad is designed for tots 6 to 36 months, with three distinct levels of activities and stories: musical rhythms and sounds; short descriptive phrases; and rhymes and early learning. Stories or activity cards snap into the book frame, along with a story cartridge. Grownups will need to help little ones activate the book pages by touching the "Go" button every time a page is turned, as well as showing young "readers" how to touch pictures to make them come to life with developmentally appropriate narration and learning activities. A comfy cushion is attached to the LeapPad platform for cozy shared reading time. Four AA batteries required (not included). --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (284)

Good Product.But, maybe not for babies....
This is a very cute product and a great idea.I was so glad that they came out with one for 6-36 Months.Our son was given the little touch leap pad as a Christmas present when he was 9 months old.The design of this product could be better.It is not a good design for the ages that they say it is designed for.A child this age can't push hard enough on the pad to make it work.My son is now 15 Months old and still can't push hard enough to make it work.Also, the "On/Off" button and the "Volume" button is right on the front at the top and is a major distraction to children this age. A child this age has a fascination with "buttons" and the only thing he wants to do right now is turn it off and on.

All in all, I think this product is nice, it seems to work and everything.However, I would hold off buying it until the child is at least older than 16 or 17 months.I think my son may pay it more attention in a few more months.

Frustrating, poorly made, but a good idea
I wish this Leap Pad had lived up to its potential! I was so excited when it came out just in time for my 3rd child.My older two had greatly enjoyed Leappad products, and I was eager to start my youngest on them too.I bought the Little Touch and 3 book sets right away.My daughter was too young at first to try them.I first gave it a try when she was 6 months, and she had no interest.So I tried again at 9 months.This time she was VERY interested, but it was a totally frustrating time for her.She caught on right away she needed to touch the pages, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't touch hard enough.She broke into tears after a short time.I tried touching for her, but she has little interest in books unless she can hold and mouth them.She tried holding the pages, and badly wrinkled several of them.It's not really a fun learning experience when you are constantly saying "no"!

I do like the whole idea of this product, and I think that if they overcame some of the engineering problems, it would be quite nice.I like the different levels, so that you can just hear music, or hear simple phrases, or hear the whole book.The activity cards included with each book also seem a bit more heavy duty than the regular books, but they too greatly frustrated us in terms of being touchable!

I also question including Where the Wild Things Are as one of the books.I love the book, and my sons do too, but it's NOT a baby book---it's probably fine for 3 and up, but not really something a baby would relate to.I think it's a choice to draw in parents, not babies.

I might try the similar Fisher-Price product if I can find it for a low price.Sorry, Leap Pad!

Also disappointed
My twin daughters got this product for their 1st birthday.We have tried to use it several times, but my daughters are more interested in playing with the on/off button and the volume button placed right on the front of the base than they are in listening and looking at the book.It would have been smarter for LeapFrog to have placed these buttons on the back or on the side where they would have been out of eye sight of little ones.I also agree that the touch pad isn't sensitive enough for little ones to push.It's a pain for even ME to get the different spots in the book to activate.However, I haven't had the troubles others have had with the pages ripping.They are made of a paper-type material, but have proven to be very durable.My daughters drag the leap pad around the house by the pages of the books and still haven't had one tear.BUT . . . the pages are very wrinkled making it hard to see the images and also causing the pages to no longer lay flat.My girls are now almost two and still don't care for the leap pad. ... Read more

Asin: B000096R0P
Subjects:  1. Learning    2. Electronic Learning Aids (ELA)    3. Electronic    4. Alphabet    5. Baby and Infant    6. Electronic Learning Aids