Fisher-Price Link-a-doos Teething Ring; Something New to Chew On
Written: Jul 13 '04 (Updated Dec 28 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy for baby to grasp and shake; attaches most anywhere; inexpensive.
Cons: Somewhat limited appeal.
The Bottom Line: Fisher-Price Link-a-doos Teething Ring is a quiet and inexpensive toy that will hold your baby's interest for more than thirty seconds - isn't that worth two bucks?
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| krissingene's Full Review: Fisher-Price Link-A-Doos Teething Ring |
Ever on a quest for the perfect baby toy, I found myself detouring through the baby department of our local Wal-Mart one morning about a month ago, hoping to spot something new and wonderful. This was a rare occasion for me as my husband usually does the grocery shopping, and while I usually add something along the lines of "surprise for Rachael" to his shopping list, he tends to think of surprises as being more along the bath product line (at least I get decent gifts!) So on this particular morning, with my then four-month-old in tow, I decided to do this 'surprise' thing right.
Unfortunately, there was no miracle toy waiting for us that day - the most interesting thing I found there was a display of brightly colored Fisher-Price Link-a-doos toys. Having just purchased the Link-a-doos On-the-Go Goldfish a week or so before to rave reviews from my little girl, I hoped to find a toy among these that she would love just as much. Among the many rather similar teethers, rattles and toys, the Link-a-doos Teething Ring jumped out at me as something my daughter may enjoy (and at only $1.99, it was hardly an impulse buy my husband could argue with!)
I pulled it off the shelf and dangled it in front of her face. No response. Umm, hello? Bright colors? Spinning shapes? Dangle, dangle... She swatted at it half-heartedly, but showed no more interest in any of the other toys presented to her. Guessing that she just wasn't feeling playful, I put the toy into the cart beside her and continued shopping. And, even though she still hadn't acknowledged it's presence when we were ready to check out, I bought it anyway. Can't leave the store without something for her and all that - you moms know how it is.
~* Where's the Teether? *~
The Link-a-doos Teething Ring consists primarily of a large yellow ring with no openings, featuring a yellow sunshine with eyes, nose and cheeks (what? no mouth?) at the top. Strung along this ring are five large-ish plastic shapes - in order, a green flower, a blue butterfly, a teal flower, a red bee, and an orange flower. They are situated on the yellow ring so that there is room for them to slide around, but due to the sheer size of the flowers and bugs, they don't slide well; while the plastic they are made of isn't exactly hard, it's certainly not flexible enough to allow for bending around the curve of a ring.
A teal-colored braided nylon loop is attached securely to the top of the sun, and a red "link-a-doo" is attached to the top of the strap. This link is shaped like a bumblebee with a small opening between one side of its body and wing to allow for the strap (or other links) to pass through.
This toy is packaged on a bright blue blister card, but only the red bumblebee link at the top is protected by plastic. This is nice in that parents are better able to gauge their baby's reaction to the toy prior to purchase, but I still had to wonder how many tiny mouths it had been in before coming home with me? (I threw it in the dishwasher before handing it over for good, with no adverse effects.) The back of the blister card reads:
"It's easy to grasp and ideal for teething, with comforting beads sized just right. It's perfect for stimulating fun, with bright colors and interesting textures. And the easy-attach link keeps it in baby's hand - not on the floor!"
This toy is recommended for ages newborn and up.
~* Playtime! *~
After a nice nap, my daughter was a bit more intrigued by her new toy - true to Fisher-Price's claims, it was very easy for her to grasp, either by the link at the top or by the large yellow ring itself. Even the sliding 'beads' were simple enough for her to hold on to although, because of the shape of the petals, the flowers were a little more tricky than the butterfly or the bee. My daughter enjoyed holding the toy and shaking it around as the beads make a rather loud clicking noise when rattled together. Now, at five months, she enjoys throwing it on the floor even more than shaking it, mostly just to watch Mommy jump.
I'm still not sure why this toy is touted as a teething ring rather than a rattle, though - while it's true that my daughter very often attempts to gnaw on the bright beads, they're simply so large that she can't get enough in her mouth to really chew on for any length of time. Once in a while she'll manage to chomp down on the blue butterfly's wing, which is rather thin with raised line or dot textures, and she can hold on to this for quite a while - but maneuvering the large ring to get a flower petal into her mouth is, at this point, nearly impossible. She generally has much more success chewing on the red ring at the top of the toy, which (I assume because of it's bright color) is usually the part she grabs first.
~* The Go-Anywhere Toy *~
The wonderful thing about Link-a-doos toys, from a parent's perspective at least, is that the toys are highly portable and very easily made to stay in one place. I have, on occasion, linked this toy to the rails of the changing table, and the colors and sliding beads keep my daughter entertained through the most thorough changing. We've played with it in the floor - especially during 'tummy time', she'll twist and turn in an attempt to grab the ring - and she loves tossing it off her high chair tray (where there is conveniently no place to link it to.)
More often than not, however, we leave this toy attached to the carrying handle of her carseat/carrier. The red ring at the top, while rigid, may be opened just enough to fit around the narrow part of the bar near the handle, and falls only a very short distance to one side, hanging just low enough for her to reach while in the seat. (Her Learning Links hang on the other side of the handle and get more frequent use, perhaps because they stretch farther...) When we leave her carrier in the car for whatever reason, this toy usually comes with us - it takes no time at all to pull it off of the handle and clip it around the strap of the diaper bag and, while a little noisy when shaken, it's quiet enough to play with even during a church service (another place where ours gets lots of play time!)
~* Overall *~
Okay, to be quite honest, this isn't her favorite toy - probably not even in the top five. It simply can't compete with music and flashing lights. But when her other toys aren't available - and let's face it, we can't lug them everywhere - this one certainly keeps her entertained for a reasonable amount of time. That's worth much more than $1.99.
~* Contact Information *~
For more information, visit Fisher-Price online at www.fisher-price.com or call 1-800-432-KIDS (1-800-432-5437).
~* Also By Fisher-Price *~
Cradle Swing B0639 * Deluxe Take-Along Swing * Healthy Care Booster Seat * Kick 'N Play Piano * Laugh & Learn Learning Table * Link-a-doos On-the-Go Goldfish * Ocean Wonders Aquarium * Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer * Sesame Street Light-Up Pet Pals: Ernie * Sparkling Symphony Twinkle Dancer * Swim 'n Spin Fish Rattle
Recommended:
Yes
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krissingene
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Member: Kristin
Location: Southern VA
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