The Count and Compose Piano is a  learning toy that combines visual, auditory, and language development all into one toy made by Baby Einstein.  Babies are introduced to melodies, different instruments and numbers with this cute little piano.  There is a screen that has colored, flashing lights  that move along to the music, to create visual stimulation, and a rattling roller drum that helps to promote a baby’s fine motor skills. The Count and Compose Piano has three different play modes:  counting mode (numbers 1-5 in English, Spanish and French), baby composer mode, and instrument key mode.

Pros:

• Classical music is pleasing to the entire family.  It is loud enough to interest a baby without driving parents crazy.
• The convenient size and light weight make this toy the perfect size to play with at home or put into a diaper bag for travel.
• There is an OFF button, so parents can take a break if the sounds get too irritating.
• Buttons are easily pressed by little hands.

Cons:

• Speaker is on the bottom of the piano and causes the sound to muffled.
• The is no indication what keys play what notes or a guide that shows how to actually play songs on this piano.
• Piano does not actually count, it says the number on the button that is pushed, i.e. when the button marked 3 is pushed, the piano says “3″.

The Animal Exploration Tunnel is an activity tunnel designed to excite babies with interactive developmental toys including discovery flash cards, bird that “tweets“, water filled teether , soft sun rattle, and ring rattle, as well as pictures of Baby Einstein characters and realistic animals on the floor mat. The Animal Exploration Tunnel is made by Baby Einstein.  The Animal Exploration Tunnel comes complete with a 4-foot long tunnel, with mesh windows, movable toys, and a  crinkle floor mat with bright images.  This is the ideal toy for early crawlers or babies that you are trying to encourage to crawl.  Best suited for babies 3 months and older.

Pros:

• Mesh cutouts in wall of tunnel allow for peek-a-boo between parent and child.
• Many of the toys are removable.  They can be moved from the arch to the mat, or taken out of the tunnel for a bed-time buddy or car ride entertainment.
• There are additional rings that can be used to hang other toys (that did not come with the tunnel), for added and constantly changing interest.
• The tunnel is really light-weight and can be easily lifted and moved out of the way.
• Because of visual images on the floor mat, the Animal Exploration Tunnel encourages both tummy time and movement in the tunnel.

Cons:

• The Animal Exploration Tunnel is quite large and takes up a lot of space when it is fully assembled.

• It is necessary to remove the metal support tubes to fold up the Animal Exploration Tunnel and put away.  Some people find this cumbersome.
• Children should never be left unattended while in the Animal Exploration Tunnel, as there are several common sense warnings: 1.  There is a potential suffocation hazard if used on a soft surface, other than the floor.  2.  There is also a potential fall hazard if this product is used some place other than the floor, as the tunnel is very light-weight and children can move it.  3. The tunnel could collapse on baby if the metal supports are used for support to stand with.
• The mesh sides of the tunnel are fragile and are easily stuck to Velcro in the wash.

The Bendy Ball is a brightly colored, soft plastic ball made by Baby Einstein.  The Bendy Ball has the recognizable Baby Einstein cheery, colorful caterpillar character around the center of the ball.  The flexible plastic makes this ball easy for little hands to grasp, hold and shake.  There is also a smaller rattle ball contained inside the bendy ball for additional visual and auditory interest.

Pros:

• Easily held and rattled by little hands.
• Because of soft exterior, ball is safe to be thrown on the ground to enjoy the different rattling sound that causes.
• Very durable.
• Easily clipped to a stroller or car seat using links.

Cons:

• The caterpillar is a bit hard and could cause injury if swung or thrown as a weapon.
• The Bendy Ball is a little bit heavy, but generally picked up by most young children above the age of 3-months.

Takealong Tunes is a cute plastic music box for babies made by Baby Einstein.  It is equipped with an adorably colorful caterpillar handle that allows for a baby to easily hold this toy and “take it along”.  Takealong Tunes contains 7 baby-friendly classical masterpiece tunes.  There is a large button that is easily pressed by a baby in order to start the music.  Along with the audio stimulation generated by this toy, there are colorful lights that move around on the screen along to the music to create visual stimulation as well.

Pros:

• This is a great toy for staying home or going on trips.  It is easily transportable and can keep a baby’s interest regardless of venue.
• Babies love the lights, the music and the, and the bright cheery colors of the caterpillar.
• The design of the toy is rugged and can withstand being frequently dropped
• The songs that it plays are long enough to hold a baby’s attention.
• It plays real classical music, rather than children’s songs, so it is less irritating to adults.
• It has an “OFF” switch for the times when the parents need a break.
• It is not too loud, and it has a two-setting volume control for easy adjustment.
• The button to start the music and lights is easily pressed by a baby’s small hands.
• The handle is easy for a baby to hold.
• The flashing lights keep babies visually interested in this toy.
• There are seven different (reasonably long) songs in the Takealong Tunes, which is enough variety to keep it from annoying older members of the family.
• Babies love the lights, the music and the, and the bright cheery colors of the caterpillar.

Cons:

• There is not an option to put the music on a continuous loop, to lull a baby to sleep
• The Takealong Tunes is made of hard plastic, so it could potentially cause injury to either a parent or baby if is swung around or thrown.
• The weight of the Takealong Tunes makes it less portable for very young babies, as the average baby under 4months old is unable to support the weight of this toy on his own.
• There is not an option to turn the flashing lights off, they are always on while the music is running