Baby entertains himself while you can brush your teeth!
Written: Jan 31 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Baby can play independently, and most aren't loud and annoying to parents
Cons: Baby needs to be quite tall to begin using it, takes a lot of space
The Bottom Line: A great activity center with lots of toys that capture baby's attention, allowing him to entertain himself.
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| blanders76's Full Review: Baby Einstein Discover & Play Activity Center by G... |
On about half the days since my son was born 6 ½ months ago, I haven’t had time to brush my teeth until noon. So I was delighted to discover one day that he finally fits in the Baby Einstein Activity Center that we received as a baby shower gift last year. I have a friend with three kids under the age of 4, and when she found out I was pregnant, she said an activity center was a must-have item in her house, allowing her little bits of time to get things done or tend to the older children while the baby sat inside entertaining himself.
The instructions state that you shouldn’t place baby in the activity center until both feet can touch the bottom. We had tried it out a few times since he was around 5 months, and though he is in the 90th percentile for height, he wasn’t able to comfortable reach both feet to the floor of the toy until he was around 6 months old. This surprised me, as he was eager to play in the activity center (each time we placed him in it, he’d get very excited and instantly begin playing with the toys), and developmentally was clearly ready to play in it (could easily stand for long periods with support, etc.). But this particular activity center, even on the lowest setting using the adjustable-height legs (there are 3 different settings), is very high. Some friends have others that my baby was able to reach the bottom in much earlier than this one. So, we had to wait an extra month or so before we could begin using it.
Now that he can reach the bottom, he’s SO happy to be set inside. He’d stay in there for an hour if we let him, but I’ve read that it can be bad for baby’s hips to leave them in a device like this for too long, so I usually limit his time there to a maximum of 20 minutes at a time, and only 2-3 times a day.
Once he’s inside, he plays with all the toys (there are nine total). I haven’t noticed any problem with him having difficulty turning the pages of the book, but this might be because he has another toy that has similar plastic book pages that he loves to turn, so he’s had lots of practice with this type of toy. He can easily spin the swivel seat within the activity center to turn from toy to toy all the way around the tray. Here are the toys included on this activity center:
- Bead toy: Shaped like the colorful Baby Einstein caterpillar, each segment of his body is a large, chunky bead that baby can move back and forth along a u-shaped bar. The beads feature different colors and textures. My baby loves to knock them back and forth, but sometimes he gets frustrated when he can’t move the caterpillar’s head (which is shaped and sized like the other movable beads, but is stationary, forming the base on one side of the “u”).
- Electronic module: Features 5 buttons with different pictures of animals. By pressing the buttons, the toy rotates between making different animal sounds, saying the names of the animals in English, saying the names of the animals in Spanish (I’m not fluent, but I took Spanish in college, and the pronunciations in this toy do not sound very accurate), and then playing a song. The center button also lights up. My son loves pounding on these buttons, but they can get annoying after a while, so I sometimes turn it off.
- Starfish toy: Plastic starfish that baby can bend and watch spring back upright. My baby likes to grab the starfish and bend toward himself so he can chew on the top. He was able to pull it loose once, but it only happened once (during one of the first days we were using it), and hasn’t happened since in a month of use, so I’m guessing we hadn’t installed it completely.
- Dragon puppet: A plush dragon puppet. Parents can fit their hands inside to make the puppet “talk” to baby. My gets a huge kick out of this, but pulls and plays with it by himself too.
- Noisemaker dials: Three brightly colored dials baby can turn to hear a clicking noise, bells, or a rattle. My son was instantly attracted to these toys the first time we placed him inside the activity center.
- Globe rattle: A clear blue globe that spins and is filled with beads. The globe is textured and it’s easy for tiny hands to spin it for a rattle sound.
- Smiling sun: A plush sun with a bright smiling face and a rattle inside sits on top of a bendable plastic post. My baby likes to pull on it and watch it spring back upright.
- Book: Two plastic pages feature photos of animals and their names printed. There’s a mirror behind the pages. My son turns the pages, but I don’t think he really cares about the photos at this point. He does, however, like to look at the mirror behind them.
- Plush stacked toy: A plush cube, sphere and triangle are stacked on top of one another and feature photos of foods, colored objects and different cloth textures. My son also likes to bend and twist this toy.
One thing I like is that most of the toys are quiet. There are rattles and clicking and ringing dials, but they aren’t very loud (and so aren’t as annoying to mom or dad as many baby toys out there!). The one toy that does make a lot of noise (and can get annoying) is the electronic module that features different animals. However, there’s a switch so you can always turn this toy off if you’ve heard enough “quacking” and “mooing” for one day.
The base of the activity center is shaped like a saucer-style snow sled. My baby loves the rocking motion as he moves in the seat, and it seems to be teaching him a little balance too – I’ve watched him rock from one side to another, then try to recover his “balance” back to the center as the toy tips. As he gets older and heavier though, I can see that I’d worry about him tipping it too violently (I don’t think it would ever tip over, but it might go to dramatically from one side to another). There are little legs that you can extend to the floor to keep the base from rocking to prevent this, or if your baby doesn’t enjoy the rocking motion.
One problem with this activity center is that is rather large, and it’s not collapsible or portable. So once you set it up, you’re pretty much stuck with it being out and the need the space to keep it set up somewhere. And if baby falls in love with it, you won’t be able to bring it with you on trips (unless you want to devote your entire car trunk to transporting it).
All in all, this toy has been wonderful for giving me a few minutes to get something done (like brushing my teeth! Or letting the dog out, etc.). While he’s in there, I know that he’s safe and happy when I’m not available to play with him for a few minutes.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
blanders76
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Location: Cumberland, Maine
Reviews written: 134
Trusted by: 9 members
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View my reviews on Disney World, kitchen gadgets, beauty products, baby gear, books and more.
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