toybin

i’m not gonna lie – i have a lot of toys. there are some that i like more than others and a few that i wouldn’t be all that disappointed if they “got lost” in the move. here is a rundown as well as some remarks on my toys.

rock-n-play piano: i generally like this. i probably do not use it as intended, but for what i use it for it like it. i almost always take the seat off and toss that aside. i like to push it across the room as it is singing away with a jammin version of ‘all around the mulberry bush’. it plays likeness of 5 different instruments (harp, violin, piano, carinet, and french horn) but i keep it on the piano setting. i also can grow with me. it has three settings, so i can just hit a key and it does its own thing, or i can try to learn how to play the songs on the keys myself with the advanced settings. mommy headache factor: the volume control is pretty good, as the lowest setting is a reasonable volume and the loudest setting doesn’t make mom put cotton in her ears. 3.5 out of 5 stars

rainforest jumperoo: a brilliant toy that i would not want to be without. i have loved this toy since my grandma holly got it for me and am a little worried as i am on the highest setting, and may soon outgrow it. i love jumping up and down as is well documented on this site, and this toy helps me accomplish that. i don’t really play with the toys or gismos actually on the jumper – i merely enjoy the jumping. the music is fun and has a few different jungles so they don’t get too old. mommy headache factor: again, a good volume control, though a tad bit louder than the piano. 4.5 out of 5 stars

pop-onz: a pretty lame toy that is not worth the $3 dollars paid for it (used). i can’t tell if i am too young or too old for this toy and not entirely sure what i am supposed to do with it. things are meant to stack, other things spin, but the drawer that houses all the pieces is impossible for me to open on my own. all i like to do with this is chew on the pieces for a bit. mommy headache factor: dull ache. the music plays at the slightest touch and never changes. if i am holding onto a spinning part there is this loud clacking sound along with the music. 1 out of 5 stars

fisher-price mail carrier walker: i have a special place in my heart for this toy as i learned to walk with it. overall, a good walker with a wide handle to hold on to and with empty space not blocking my feet (one walker i’ve used has a space of about six inches for baby’s feet to move in front of him. i have always enjoyed chewing on and pushing around the letters that come with it and like to take the mail slot doors off the front. mommy headache factor: there is no music, but just enough slope so i want to climb on it. climbing and wheels generally do not mix. 4.5 out of 5 stars

baby monet crib toy: this is great fun and of comfort to me at night. it is generally the last thing i hear before i drift off to sleep, and many times the first thing i wake up to (because it is interactive and i can press it and it plays music). there is a mirror on it and different pages with a different season-scape picture on each page. if i press a certain season page, i hear that seasons accompanying piece from vivaldi’s four seasons. mommy headache factor: the volume control is good, having two settings and the lowest setting lulls me to sleep. 4.5 out of 5 stars (unfortunately they no longer make this, although there are other kinds – too bad)

learn & groove musical table: dad got this table from a friend at work for $15. this has been well worth that – it has been one of my favorite items to play with since then and is so much fun. there are two settings – music and words. there are so many things to push that respond with some noise that no matter what i do, i get some sound. there are keys like on a piano, doors to open, handles to pull, knobs to slide and buttons to push. my only complaint is that it is top heavy and i can push it over fairly easily. mommy headache factor: volume control is loud or really loud. that’s my only complaint – the lowest setting seems like it should be the loudest setting. 4.5 out of 5 stars

brightlings exploration station: dad picked this toy out at the store, i think because it reminded him of something from a dr. suess book. it is a pretty interesting toy, and one that i’m sure will make more sense to me as i get a bit older. like the musical table, the settings it has are music and words, though this station raises the stakes by throwing in five different languages – english, japanese, german, french, and spanish (what no italian?). it comes with three orbs that have faces on them to drop down the shute. there is a good variety of music and will eventually help me with my alphabet. mommy headache factor: the two volume setting are good and the music is kind of fun and gets mom dancing every once and a while. 3.5 out of 5 stars

baby einstein activity center: this toy i have outgrown but enjoyed enough to give to a friend – or soon to be friend. mom’s cousin jami is having a baby boy later in august and we handed this toy down to them. i have my jumperoo like to bounce to much to sit and play in this. at the time this was a good toy and allowed mom to take showers and do other things without having to worry about what i may be getting into. it had all sorts of noisemakers and one weird and seemingly pointless (and attached) puppet. i could spin around in the chair and also rock around in it when the legs weren’t in place (it has a rounded bottom). mommy headache factor: the noisemakers are not very loud at all, and the music only comes after pressing one of the animal buttons 4 times in a row (plays a sound from the animal, says the animals name in english, then spanish, then music). 4 out of 5 stars