The Soothe and Glow Seahorse is bedtime toy for babies, made by Fisher-Price.  The Soothe and Glow Seahorse is the perfect size for a baby to hold.  The seahorse  has a light in the belly that light up when hugged, and plays 5 minutes of music or ocean sounds to help baby fall asleep.  The light and music are easily turned on by the light pressure of even a small child’s hug, or a parent’s gentle pressure.  The music is comprised of 2 ocean tracks, and  8 gentle classical lullaby selections.  After 5 minutes, the music and light gently fades away, so as not to disturb a sleeping baby.  Most important, there is a volume control on the Soothe and Glow Seahorse, as well as an ON/OFF switch, for times when parents need a break from the music of the seahorse.

Pros:

• Toy is very cute, comforting, and colors are soothing to most babies.
• Outer cover comes off of the mechanical parts of this toy, so it is safe to wash (preferably by hand).
• Since there is a volume control, the songs can be set to play loud or soft.
• Songs are calming and pleasant sounding to both babies and adults.
• Light is very comforting and interesting to most babies.
• Music and light can be easily turned on and off by gently squeezing the tummy of the toy.  Toy can be turned on by most babies that are 4+ months old without assistance.

Cons:

• There are only 2 volume settings, some have reported them as very soft and very loud, and nothing in between.
• The volume control is very difficult to reach without taking the whole toy apart, as it is on the front of the machine, in the stomach of the seahorse.  You have to wrap your fingers around the machine inside the stuffed toy in order to reach.
• The head of the seahorse is a little bit too heavy for many small babies to be able to hold on to.
• The Velcro in the back of the toy doesn’t always stay closed very well, allowing the mechanical portions of the toy to potentially hang out.
• There is no option to play the music with the light off.  Some children may be so interested in the light that they have trouble going to sleep.

The Learn and Groove Musical Table is an interactive musical table complete with over 55 songs and musical activities to keep baby “learning and grooving”, made by LeapFrog.  A variety of play instruments encourage baby to press, slide, push, pull,  open and close, helping develop fine motor skills.  All of the activities in this fun toy are designed to provide both auditory and visual stimulation, aiding in the development of  a baby’s motor skills, memory, and problem-solving skills.  The Learn and Groove Musical Table also provides opportunities for a baby to learn shapes, colors,  the alphabet, and much more.  There is also a switch that changes the language from English to Spanish to provide baby with an early introduction to foreign language.  This toy is best suited to children from 6 months to 3 years, and will grow with your children with the addition of plastic legs, to accommodate a standing toddler.

Pros:

• There are two modes:  verbal teaching mode and musical mode.  This creates a great toy that appeals to young babies that cannot yet speak or totally understand words, as well as toddlers that are learning to master language.
• Over 55 songs and musical activities to keep baby interested for long periods of time.  Because of the variety of activities, children are less likely to get bored and lose interest.
• The songs and sounds made by the Learn and Groove Musical Table are high quality and not annoying to parents.  The variety of songs is also very good to keep all members of the family happy while baby is playing with this toy.
• Teaches about the alphabet, shapes, colors and counting in both English and Spanish and easily switches between languages with the flip of a switch.

Cons:

• There is a potential that older children may us the table with legs as a stepping stool to climb on to higher places like the kitchen counter or a book case, causing a falling hazard.
• Stabilizing feet may have been removed from recent models, making the table less stable, and more likely to tip over if a baby uses the table for support to stand or, especially, if a child tries to use the table as a stool.
• There  is a model of this table where the legs are not removable, so this may need to be looked into prior to attaching the legs, especially for children that are not yet able to stand on their own.

The Busy Ball Popper is an air-powered, ball-popping toy, made by Hasbro Playskool.  The Busy Ball Popper comes complete with five brightly colored balls, silly sound effects and 8 happy tunes.  To enjoy the fun, simply pump the plunger, put the balls on the spiral track, and watch them pop out of the top and either roll back down the track, or spill over onto the floor.  The experience is heightened by the addition of the fun sounds to accompany the “popping and dropping” fun.  The sights, sounds, and continuous action of the Playskool Busy Ball Popper encourage lasting play and stimulate motor development skills.  This is a toy that is ideal for children from 9 months to 3 years.

Pros:

• A great toy for teaching cause and effect, because the action will not begin until the red plunger is pushed, and the music will not play until the balls begin moving.
• Creates a great repetitive situation for teaching certain words to children, like “ball”, “push”, “stop”, “out”.
• Also an ideal toy for fine-tuning motor skills related to putting the balls in the track, picking them up from the floor, pressing the plunger, and potentially even catching the balls as they are blown out of the top.
• The balls are the perfect size for small hands to grasp, and place into the track.
• Toy that appeals to most children from 9 months to 3 years and is a toy that children of different ages can play with together.

Cons:

• For parents, the music is a bit loud and can become irritating.  Also, the balls tend to fall all over the floor and need to be repeatedly picked up.
• The funnel can get knocked off and even though it goes back on easily, it may disturb the child’s fun.
• Because the balls tend to roll away when they spill out onto the floor, they can get lost.  This toy does not work right without all 5 balls, so you may consider purchasing extras from the Hasbro website.
• The balls are not meant  to be chewed on, and teething babies can damage the balls to the point where they will no longer work in the ball popper.
• One of the older models (from 2007/2008) had a hole (where the balls come out) large enough for a small child to stick his arm into, so this could cause injury.  There is supposedly a newer version that has a cover over this hole, to keep a baby from getting his arm stuck.  You may want to check into the model that you are getting when you order.

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 Sunny Stroll Arch, is a developmental baby toy made by Tiny Love.  The Sunny Stroll Arch is brightly colored arch toy that attaches to strollers, car seats, and baby carriers.  The arch has toys that are ideal for developing babies in the ages of 0-3 months and in the “batting” stage, as well as babies that are older than 3 months and in the manipulation stage.  The toys that come attached to the Sunny Stroll Arch include a baby-activated propeller, a transparent sun prism, and a rattling butterfly ball, a crinkly-fabric butterfly, and flower mirror.  The arch also comes with attachment clips that easily attach the Sunny Stroll arch to almost any baby carrier, car seat or stroller.

Pros:

• Easily attaches to nearly any baby seat to keep baby entertained for hours, whether in the car, stroller, or at home.  It can even be straightened out and attached to a crib.
• Arch has multiple joints that allow manipulation of height and placement without having to entirely remove the arch from the seat.  This allows to place the toys closer to baby, or to move the arch out of the way to take baby out of the seat.
• Hanging toys are held on with Velcro, and can be easily swapped with other toys for increased interest.
• Easily folds up for storage.

Cons:

• Clamps may not fit on every car seat or stroller securely, so can be displaced if baby pulls too hard on one of the toys.  Does not fit on Bixtar car seats, or Graco strollers.  There may be other models that the Sunny Stroll Arch does not fit on as well.
• The is no black and white for very young developing baby eyes.  There may also be a bit too much going on to capture a newborn’s interest.

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 Sleep Sheep-Four Soothing Sounds from Nature is a toy made by Cloud b . This soft, plush sheep is the perfect soothing bedtime toy, complete with four sounds that are very comforting  to babies, including Spring Showers, Mother’s Heartbeat, Whale Songs, and Ocean Surf.  There is a Velcro tab on the sheep’s back to secure him to a crib.  The sound box has an ON/OFF switch, is removable, and has an automatic sleep timer that turns the sounds off after 23 or 45 minutes.

Pros:

• Sleep Sheep is soft and comforting, making it a perfect toy for a fussy child to snuggle up with.
• Sounds are repetitious, comforting and familiar, so it distracts babies from any other sounds going on in the house during nap time.
• The sounds time out after 23 or 45 minutes, allowing enough time for a baby to fall asleep, but not wasting large numbers of batteries from staying on all night.
• The controls are very user-friendly.  It is easy to change between the four different sound types, as well as control the volume level or turn the sounds on or off.
• The Velcro allows for easy attachment to cribs, car seats, play pens, anything.

Cons:

• There is not a continuous play mode, only two settings for 23 and 45 minutes.  This may not be ideal for babies that need constant sound while they are asleep to avoid waking up.
• The full-size toy is quite large, so it takes up a lot of room when traveling (12 inches tall).  There is also an on-the-go size Sleep Sheep that may be a wiser choice for a travel buddy for your baby.
• Older children (over one year) may find it difficult not to play with the Velcro and buttons on the sound machine in the sheep.  This could lead to lack of sleep for the children and potentially other family members as well, since the Velcro makes a fairly loud noise when played with repeatedly.
• The sound machine is not held in the back of the sheep very tightly and can potentially fall out, which may disrupt the sound, or cause other falling sounds, all of which have a potential to wake a baby.

The Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym is an activity gym designed to excite babies with interactive games, lights,  fabric textures, music, and nature sounds.  The Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym is made by Fisher-Price.  This Deluxe Gym comes complete with a floor quilt for the baby to lay on while looking up at colorful arches that suspend a variety of toys for baby’s amusement and learning.  The hanging toys include  a shiny mirror , a mobile of spinning butterflies , a spinner with rattling beads, a crinkly leaf that can be used for peek-a-boo, as well as a variety of movable and stationary activity toys.  This Deluxe Gym also has sound settings:  a  20 minute setting of parent-activated continuous music, a baby-activated mode with 8 to 12 seconds of lights and music, or a 20 minute setting of parent-activated rainforest sounds.  All of these sound settings not only stimulate a baby’s auditory senses, they also help to soothe and comfort a baby.

Pros:

• Upbeat  music for when baby is active and playing, and quite, soothing rainforest sounds for when baby is sleepy.
• Many of the toys are removable.  They can be moved from the arch to the mat, or taken out of the gym for a bed-time buddy or car ride entertainment.
• The removable toys and the mat are all washable.
• The music is not irritating to adults, so the whole family can listen to the music while baby plays,  and the rainforest sounds are soothing  to babies and parents, alike.  Best of all, there are two volume settings.
• Simple to assemble, and easy to change out batteries.

Cons:

• Some people find this toy difficult to fold-up for storage unless it is taken apart.  It will not fit into the bag that it came with, unless it is completely taken apart.
• The mirror attached to the giraffe may not point into the center of the mat.  This may mean that a parent will need to hold the mirror for the baby to be able to see into the mirror.
• It has been reported that the mirror has fallen out of the frame in some situations, and can present a danger if a baby tries to put the round, bare mirror into his mouth.
• The butterfly mobile does not spin on its own, it either has to be spun by a parent or a baby.  This could, clearly, be hard for a baby that is unable to reach the mobile.
• This gym is not readily portable, so it is not easy to take it with on an outing to keep baby entertained.

Mozart Magic Cube is an interactive music-making toy by Munchkin . This interactive musical toy cube allows your little one to add or subtract from any sequence  of five different musical instrument sounds, including violin, French horn, piano, harp, and  flute. Each selected instrument button flashes along with the sound of the music.  There is even an orchestra button that plays all the instruments at the same time.  Mozart Magic Cube is made with rounded, soft edges to ensure safety and fun for young music-lovers of all ages.

Pros:

• This is a great toy for parents with more than one toddler, as two or more children can play together with this toy.  And it appealing for children for 3 months to 4 years.
• The cube has six different buttons. It will plays five Mozart melodies. One button changes between the five different melodies,  while the other buttons turn on and off each particular musical instruments (violin,   French horn, piano, harp, flute).
• The toy has a very sturdy construction and can withstand being frequently dropped.
• The songs provide enough variety of Mozart classical music to be enjoyable to all listeners, children and parents alike.
• The buttons are easily pressed by little hands, allowing for a child to both play and select musical instruments all by himself.
• Mozart Magic Cube allows for association between a particular button and the instrument sounds that the button makes, so it is not only a fun toy for small children, it is also educational.

Cons:

• There is not a volume control on Mozart Magic Cube, so it is one fairly loud volume.
• There is a limited song selection of only five different tunes, which could become irritating to some parents.
• The instruments do not sound life-like, it sounds electronic, tinny, and squeaky which could also be quite irritating to some parents.
• There seems to be a potentially weak point at the battery cover.  The battery cover can break if the toy is repeatedly dropped.  This may make the toy stop working, as the battery will not stay in place.

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