You will never get to the beads
Written: Dec 02 '06 (Updated Jan 17 '07)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Colorful, gets baby's attention.
Rattle loud enough.
Cons: Handwash only.
Doesn't grow with baby.
Beads may frustrate baby.
Label gets in the way.
The Bottom Line: There are so many baby toys out there. Why get one you have to handwash?
|
|
|
| eiffelleaf's Full Review: Baby Einstein Caterpillar Ring Rattle |
Being a new mom, I had no exposure to baby toys. I've read and read about caring for your baby but was having a hard time finding ways to entertain my then-2-month-old.
Having done zero research on baby toys (how hard can it be), I went to Walmart and looked for rattles. I was looking for a rattle that I probably grew up with: a noisy ball on a stick. No such luck. All the rattles for sale were shaped like something else and had no handle and were not noisy enough (in my judgment) to get my baby's attention. There was really no contest, this was the loudest rattle I can find. And it was marked for ages 0 .
THE SPECIFICS OF THE TOY:
It is a simple enough toy. The whole thing is almost as big as my outspread palm and there is a happy technicolor plush caterpillar on top of a transparent ring that is made of hard plastic. Inside the transparent ring are colorful beads in a single file (I counted -- there are 10 beads). It is mainly these beads that cause the noise for this toy when shaken.
In between the ring is a wavy bar held on (to the transparent ring) by two yellow immovable rubbery-plastic clasps. On the bar are three small plastic rings the size of a $1 coin that baby can move about within the bar. Mine are purple, green and orange -- the picture above shows a different set of colors but there were no choices when I bought this item.
The yellow immovable clasps serve two purposes: to hold the bar with the movable rings right in the middle of the big transparent ring and to keep the caterpillar on only one side of the transparent ring.
The plush caterpillar is supposed to be filled with polyester but when I press it, it sounded like it had cellophane inside.
Oh, I shouldn't forget to mention the label attached to the end of the caterpillar that also says "new material only" and "surface wash only". This label is as wide as the face of the caterpillar such that when my baby tried to mouth the end of the caterpillar, he ended up with a mouthful of the label.
Needless to say I cut off the label for fear of any cuts to his tongue.
My friend's baby had the same toy but her label was not sticking out from the caterpillar's bum; it was pointed down towards the ring. I thought that was better placement for a relatively large label.
MY EXPERIENCE:
I had dutifully surface-washed the toy right before giving it to him for the first time, just as the label said. But after he started mouthing the toy and I had to wash it more often, it became a hassle that it is not dishwasher or washing machine safe. It took me so long to make sure that I got all the soap out so I ended up just handwashing the whole thing, dunking it in water and everything. I was glad to find out that the water couldn't get inside the transparent ring.
It seems none the worse for wear, but from now on, I am only buying machine-washable toys.
The first time I handed this to my baby, he didn't know what to do with it. He won't even hold it. He looked at it though, which was good enough for now. I thought it might just be a matter of getting used to.
By 3 months, he was holding it and was curious about the beads but mainly preoccupied with the three rings inside the transparent ring. Within a few weeks, he was trying to taste the caterpillar (this was when the label was removed) and trying to taste the beads to no avail. He would see the beads at the bottom of the ring. Then, with utmost effort, manage to turn it upside down to get to the beads whereas the beads will fall down again and hide under the caterpillar, hidden from his sight. I don't know if the toy was designed that way. What for? Apparently as a cruel joke: "You will never get to the beads, NEVER!!! HAHAHAHAHA."
He tries and tries anyway, until he gets frustrated or distracted, whichever comes first.
All in all, the other cons I listed were minor but I would have looked harder for another rattle if I had known that I would be handwashing it this often.
THE PRICE:
I can't remember how much I got this for, but it's US$4.99 on the Baby Einstein website.
UPDATE:
This ring rattle has been with me for about 4 months now and been handwashed about 10 or so times. The water now gets inside the transparent ring. It's not a big deal since my baby has lost interest in it, and will be interested only if I don't give it to him for about a month and then show it again.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 4.99
Type of Toy: Baby Toy
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
eiffelleaf
|
|
Location: Vancouver
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
First time mom to a 1 year old boy in Vancouver.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.