The First Years Massaging Action Teether - Not as much action as we'd hoped.
Written: Jun 29 '07 (Updated Jun 29 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Soft, plastic star, vibrates, handle spins.
Cons: Heavy, hard to get to work, can't replace battery, cost.
The Bottom Line: Nice idea, but has some design flaws.
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| LisaDo's Full Review: The First Years Massaging Action Teether Y1479 |
I thought my husband was going to faint when he saw that The First Years Massaging Action Teether was almost $7. It was a fairly expensive purchase, especially for a teether, but since it entertained me, and Jesse was teething something awful, I figured it was worth it.
I am guess that, at some point, The First Years changed their design because ours doesn't look exactly like the picture here. We have a newer model of the same toy. Ours is roughly 5 3/4" tall, 3" wide and 3/4" thick. The star is molded into the handle, but due to the way it is molded and colored, you can tell the star has five points, even though the bottom two are joined to the handle. There is an opening in the handle for the baby to grasp, and at the bottom there is a little wheel that spins. It's purple and green and makes a slight rattle sound when you spin it. The blue handle is hard plastic, but the star is a soft, chewy plastic. There are little stars molded into the handle and one large star in the middle of the yellow part. The top three points of the stars have three different textures to help soothe irritated gums. One has indented lines, one has lines that stick out and the top star has molded dots sticking out. All three are soothing textures.
The First Years Massaging Action Teether is quite heavy, which is one of the things I don't care for about it. It's supposed to be for ages six months and up, but Jesse couldn't really handle it well until he was closer to ten months old. It was just to heavy and awkward.
The vibrating part of The First Years Massaging Action Teether still needs some work. While Jesse loved chewing on the star, it took a lot of pressure to actually make it vibrate. It will vibrate when you press the three tops points of the star, but you really have to push, and it won't stay on very long unless you maintain that pressure, which most younger children can't do without getting a sore jaw. Heck, I couldn't press on it very long before mine started to ache, so how they figure a 6 month old infant is going to do it, I have no idea. Yes, I sat in my chair with this star hanging out of my mouth (my husband thought I was nuts, and so did my sons) just to see how long I could do it. Within 30 seconds my teeth and head both started to hurt. I felt like a lawnmower was running over my head. I guess if I didn't have teeth, only gums, this might massage them to make them feel better, but it didn't do anything for my poor adult teeth!
My major gripe about The First Years Massaging Action Teether is that the battery can't be replaced. The package boasts a "try me!" area that is cut out of the plastic so you can feel the star and feel it vibrate. You really have no idea how much this toy has been used, or who has been touching it. Gross thought, huh? While the safety of a non-replaceable battery is a great thought, at the price, I'd rather find a way to hide one where I could replace it.
Cleaning can be an issue, as well. You can't immerse it in water, so the dishwasher is out, which is how I like to clean the infant toys. We often have friends with babies come over and, like my son, they chew and drool on everything. The only way to really clean The First Years Massaging Action Teether is to wipe the surface with a damp cloth or use a sponge with mild liquid soap. I guess that's better than nothing, but I'd still like to run it through a hot rinse in the dishwasher, just to make sure it's clean. Can't have it all, I guess.
Jesse is 14 months old now and he loves playing with The First Years Massaging Action Teether now. He's old enough, and coordinated enough, to handle the weight and make it vibrate when he wants to. It did take him a few tries to learn how to make it work, and I think he actually prefers when it doesn't vibrate. He has 8 teeth, so maybe it makes his head rattle, like it did mine.
Do I recommend The First Years Massaging Action Teether? Yeah, I think so. For all of it's faults, it is one of Jesse's favorite toys. I don't really think of it as a teether, since he couldn't really use it until he was older and had his teeth. I also think that they should put an on/off switch so that we can control the vibrating and not have to count on your child's chomping and staying power to make it go. Maybe they should think about redesigning it one more time. A few changes and maybe I could give it to four stars.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 6.87
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Epinions.com ID:
LisaDo
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Member: Lisa D
Location: Back home in Indiana!
Reviews written: 552
Trusted by: 273 members
About Me:
Proud SAHM, Navy wife and member of SHLEPS!
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