Baby’s Loved Ones Toy has a smooth wooden ring that links three soft photo frames together, and is made by Sassy.  Baby’s Loved Ones Toy features different brightly colored, textured fabrics on each photo frame, which create tactile interest, while the pictures create visual interest for baby.  This toy can hold up to three 4″ x 6″  photos of baby’s friends and family, and has a clear cover to protect each of the three pictures.

Pros:

• The wooden ring, that hold the photo frames together, also works as a handle for a baby’s little hands.
• Helps baby to recognize family,  friends, and learn the names of the people in the pictures, as well as learn to identify facial expressions (Daddy is happy).
• Small enough to carry along when traveling. The small size makes it conveniently fit into a purse or diaper bag.
• The materials of the Baby’s Loved Ones Toy are easily washable, which is great if baby chews on it.
• There are colorful leaf tabs on the pages that assist baby in turning the pages.

Cons:

• The Baby’s Loved Ones Toy holds only three 4″ x 6″ pictures, less than some similar products made by competitors.
• The felt-like material may pill if chewed on by baby.
• The actual size of the window for viewing pictures, in one of the three frames, is quite a bit smaller than the  4″ x 6″, so you may have to pick and choose photos that are compatible with the size of the viewing window.
• There is no support inside the second and third frames, which can allow the pictures inside to get bent, if handled too roughly.  This can be remedied by cutting two pieces of cardboard in the appropriate dimensions and placing them under the pictures within the two frames.

The Rock-A-Stack is a rocking cone and 5 brightly colored graduated rings that fit on the cone, made by Fisher-Price.  The Rock-A-Stack is a toy designed to encourage both motor skills and cognitive abilities, as they learn to stack the rings in the proper order.  All of the bright rings are made of safe, washable, soft plastic that work well for teething babies.  This is a toy that is best suited for children from 6 months to 2 years.

Pros:

• Because of the stacking order of the graduated rings, the child learns logic as well as developing memory, and problem solving skills.
• The rings and base are light in weight, easy for a small child to carry around with them.  More importantly, if they are dropped, they are light enough that they will not cause injury to a baby’s feet or toes.
• A great learning toy for many stages of development, as it can teach colors, coordination, and balance, in addition to the other skills of logic, memory, and problem solving.
• The toy is very easy to clean, durable, and not too large to take along on road trips.

Cons:

• There have been some issues (in early 2009) with blue dye rubbing off of the blue ring and getting on things, including the baby.
• For some babies, the task of choosing progressively larger rings may be more frustrating than fun, so this toy may not be for everyone.
• The rocking bottom of the cone is hard and can cause injury if used as a weapon.
• Do not let children chew on the rings unattended, as there have been cases where small pieces were broken off, causing a potential choking hazard, as well as jagged edges that can cut little fingers.

Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby’s First Blocks is a set of ten brightly colored blocks of different shapes and a storage bucket, made by Fisher-Price.  The bucket features a shape-sorting lid to teach baby hand-eye coordination and shape identification.  Baby can fill the bucket with blocks, dump them out and start all over again, for hours of learning and fun.  The blocks are also stackable for very young architects.  This a a great set for fostering early developmental skills in babies from 6 months to 3 years.

Pros:

• Entire set can be easily washed in the kitchen sink with soap and water.
• Blocks are small and easily held and manipulated by little hands.
• The entire set is light-weight and the handle of the bucket makes it convenient for little ones that want their blocks as they move around the house.  It is also easy for parents to pack in the car for outings at Grandma’s or with friends.

Cons:

• Shape-sorting lid does not snap on, so babies can remove it.  Some babies learn to put the blocks in by simply removing the lid, since it is more difficult to put them through the shape-specific holes.

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.

The Curious Crab Rattle is a brightly colored crab-shaped rattle made by Sassy/LeapFrog.  The crab is made with clear claws that contain colorful beads that rattle when shaken. He also has vibrant colored crinkle fabric for his feet with the names of the colors on each foot to help a baby learn and recognize colors.  The crab is complete with a happy open smiling face that doubles as a handle for a baby’s small hands.

Pros:

• Toy is designed with bright colors to attract an interest a baby.
• Rattle and crinkle sounds created by this toy allow for cause and effect learning, as well as audio stimulation.
• Crab mouth works well as a handle for small hands to be able to grasp, hold, and shake.
• The varying colors and fabrics of this toy make it perfect for tactile investigation.
• The varying colors of the feet help baby to learn and recognize colors.

Cons:

• The crab’s body is made of hard plastic that could injure a child or parent if swung or thrown like a weapon.
• Only soft parts on this toy are the feet, which are not easily held by a teething baby.  Some children may have  hard time grasping and holding on to the handle.
• The hard plastic of the crab’s body and claws can get broken or cracked with repeated dropping, so it needs to be checked regularly for any sharp edges that could cut a baby.

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

Jacques the Peacock is a brightly colored, high contrast, soft velour toy made by Lamaze.  The bright contrasting colors and patterns are designed to visually stimulate a baby from birth on.  There is a mirror for individual peek-a-boo or parent/ child peek-a-boo.  Jacques the Peacock also has auditory stimulation with a squeaker, rattle, and crinkle noise makers.  This toy is soft and cuddly, the ideal bed-time buddy or learning toy.

Pros:

• Jacques the Peacock comes with a Lamaze link for easy attachment to strollers, car seats, and diaper bags, which make this toy great for bringing along.
• Jacques offers both visual and auditory stimulation through the attachments of a rattle, mirror, crinkle noise maker, and brightly colored, patterned fabrics.  All of this makes for a great learning toy that will appeal to your child at various stages of growth and development.
• Jacques has a friendly face that babies find comforting and amusing.
• Jacques the Peacock is a soft toy that helps to sooth babies at bed-time.
• This toy is light-weight enough for most little hands to hold and manipulate with ease.

Cons:

• Tail consists of hard and large pieces that are difficult to bend and are not easy to manipulate for some babies under 6 months old.
• There are no stretchy or springy limbs. If your child is into interactive toys, this may not provide the type of stimulation that he/she is interested in.
• There are no rubber surfaces to aid in teething, only the harder textured feathers of the tail.