When my second child was 1 month old he suddenly became very interested in looking at things. He was absolutely fascinated with mobiles, ceiling fans, windows, and my face. I gathered up some of my elder son's visually interesting baby toys and would entertain my newborn with them. While strolling the toy store aisles one day I found something that I knew would entertain my baby boy as well as be interesting for my ball-loving 3-year old -- Fisher Price's Look-A-Rounds balls.

Product Description:

Fisher Price's "Roll-a-Rounds" series of ball toys are clear balls with cute or interesting things inside them (similar to their "Peek-a-Blocks", except in ball form). Each ball is just over 2 inches in diameter -- too large to be a choking hazard but a good size for tiny hands. Fisher Price has various themes for the balls - such as a set containing vehicles, one containing zoo animals, one with interesting textures, etc. The set we purchased are the Look-a-rounds, or the set with the visually interesting balls.

The 6 balls included are:

Dizzy Round
My baby's favorite ball is the one my older son calls the "zebra ball". Inside a weighted ball (so that it doesn't spin) is white with black stripes, and the clear outside also has curved black stripes. When you shake or roll the ball the 2 sets of stripes contrast with each other, looking cool as the black outer stripes spin against the non-moving inner stripes.

Colored Flutterball Round
Inside the clear plastic ball is a football shaped piece Fisher-Price calls a "flutterball". The flutterball is mostly pink (on one side it has green dots, on another it has blue markings). The edges are scalloped in different patterns. The flutterball is slightly shorter than the width of the ball, so as the ball rolls it will spin on the inside as gravity pulls it to the lowest point on the ball. It is one of the "prettier" balls to watch.

Spinning Disco Round
You probably guessed it - this ball has a suspended, mirrored disco ball inside. The disco ball is weighted so it moves independently from the clear outer ball.

Black & White Round
This clear plastic ball has a white plastic piece inside with various interesting patterns. There are hinges that open and close to reveal more patterns as the ball spins. The patterns include a red-outlined starburst, black and white waves, black and white nested circles, and blue and white nested squares.

Flipping Image Round
My eldest son says this ball contains "Saturn". Basically, this ball has an axis running through the middle. In the center is an orange ball, around that is a white & pink ring, and around that is a larger blue and green ring. The outer ring doesn't move, however the white & pink ring can spin on the axis around the orange interior ball. This is the least interesting ball in the group, as it is a bit hard to get that one ring to spin.

Beaded Corkscrew Round
A blue corkscrew path meanders down the yellow center axis inside this ball. A few multi-colored smaller balls can roll up and/or down the corkscrew path inside the clear-plastic ball casing. This is the only ball of the bunch that can also make noise.

Along with the clear plastic outer shell, each ball also has a circle of colored plastic on each side. The two colors are different for each ball, and each also has a different texture (dots, squares, triangles, lines, etc). Additionally, there is an indention in each plastic end that allow allows you to set the ball down without it rolling away.

The manufacturer recommends this toy for children ages 6 months and up.

Our Experiences:

We all like these balls. My now 5-week-old likes to look at the contrasting colors (particularly on the "Black & White Round" and the "Dizzy Round"). I like the balls because they are small, self-contained, and easy to keep close-by or throw in the diaper bag when I need to entertain the little guy quickly. My 3 year old likes them too because they are balls and he's always been a bit of a ball fanatic, plus he thinks it is cool that the insides move. He's learned that the baby likes the balls too, so it is the one toy that both of my boys will play with together (if you want to call my eldest waving them around in front of the baby "playing").

We've only had these balls a few weeks, but I must report that some of them are already getting scratched. We have slate floors in one room, so that may be the main culprit (clear plastic doesn't stand up against stone very well). Our 3 year old doesn't play with them very gently anyway. The balls have actually withstood quite a beating with only a few scratches to show for it (no cracks, no breaks), so they do appear to be quite sturdy.

Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) 6 cute, sturdy balls
+) Visually stimulating, each in a different way
+) Colored ends have different textures
+) Sturdy enough to withstand my 3 year old
Cons:
-) The clear plastic part does get scratched

Final Thoughts:

These balls are one of the few toys that both my 3 year old and 5 week old are actually interested in. I'm excited to see how these simple-yet-cute toys will continue to grow with my baby, and am pleased with how visually stimulating they already are for him.




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 6.99