KMINER's Full Review: Learning Curve Toys Lamaze Spin and Explore Garden...
I am a firm believer that children need every opportunity at a young age to develop both their physical and educational skills ... and that no age is too young to start. These days it is recommended that babies only sleep on their backs, to help with the rise of crib deaths. Babies that used to sleep mainly on their backs, while maybe not sleeping as safely, got a lot of motor development in their arms and working on turning over.
We have 3 children, ages currently are 7 years, 2 years, and 7 months. Each of them had some sort of "tummy time" - time to lay supervised on their stomachs to work on developing those muscles in their neck, back, and shoulders. It also helps to build the needed skills for crawling. Our youngest was the only one to have the opportunity to use this product though, being a newer one on the market. The older 2 though got some form of tummy time, whether it be on a mat, or with other supportive toys.
Lamaze puts a unique spin on tummy time play, an important developmental phase for all newborns. Babies gently and comfortably spin round on their tummies, stretching and building upper bodies while exploring lots of squeaky, crinkly, tactile fun. Remove the spinner once babies sit up (about 5 months) and the fun and learning grow on and on.
Employing a colorful play mat with varying texture and layers, baby will be visually and physically stimulated by the fun developmental features. It's time to spin and explore--on the Spin and Explore Garden Gym!
Ages birth to 6 months
I was excited to try this product, and yet a little apprehensive as well. When I received it to test, my baby had not even been born yet, so I first lent it to my mother and her new husband. He has 2 twin grandson's that were both born with delays and medical issues. He was looking for anything that would help them develop and reach milestones, especially for the smaller of the 2 babies. At age 3 months to 6 months they kept the Lamaze Spin and Explore Garden Gym to use. The family reported back that overall they did like it, and that it did help the baby's get some tummy time in a creative way, and that the baby with less medical issues was better able to spin and use the gym. They did mention to me to watch the mat, as it always seemed to bunch up around the spinner on them and they were forever straightening it out.
Finally my baby came, and quickly she grew. She was able to keep her head up at a young age, and at just about 3 months we pulled out the Lamaze Spin and Explore Garden Gym to use.
It comes as a flower shaped play mat with a spinning platform that goes in the center. The play mat has an assortment of eye catching details - a crinkle butterfly, a nest with hanging bird, a mirror (this detaches), and some bees and bugs with crinkly and rattley leaves and animals. The center of the play mat has a colorful ladybug. The platform spinner is a picture of a larger ladybug covering that slips over a white, plastic, scooped out stand that swivels (imagine if you will a mini baby lazy susan, you and are in the right ballpark!) The platform does not having any padding, just this decorated slipcover.
To use you simply lay the mat down, place the stand in the center, and place baby face down in the scooped out area. At 3 months when we started using this product, our baby weighed about 12 pounds and we found we'd have to adjust her a few times to get her into what we felt was a comfortable position. She could touch the mat with her fingertips and at first we'd have to spin her ourselves to she could attend to and attempt to touch the items on the mat. At this age she did not seem to mind using this, though she typically only used it for 10-15 minutes at a time. (other tummy times we have had have been that short as well as our babies at least are often resistant to being on their bellies at first) We quickly found out as well there were only certain times when we could let her use this - any time within the first hour of a bottle she would spit up a lot of her formula if she used this - I don't think the resting on her belly and spinning agreed with her.
And sure enough the mat pretty much twisted around the spinner each time we used it, so I frequently found I was sitting on a corner and constantly leaning over the baby trying to straighten out all of the "petals".
As she grew from 3 to 6 months she was able to try and use her hands to spin herself around. It was more of a combined effort of her trying to reach for items on the mat just out of her reach, her trying to get herself to them, and one of the adults helping her spin in that direction. Though always supervised by having an adult sit right with her when she used this, there was never a time we felt she was "independent" with using this gym. At 7 months now she has twist herself to almost push herself sideways over the thing, and so we've stopped using it at all.
It takes up some space in our house - at first I tried the toybox, but my 2 year old daughter often found it and pulled it out. After many explanations as to how it was not a spinning chair for her (which is how she kept using it) she would often lay her baby dolls on it and try and imitate what she saw her younger sister do. For those reasons, I kept it high on a shelf. The mat can be folded over and etc, but the spinner itself pretty much needs to stay the way it is, so there was no way to take up "less" room.
I personally don't feel this did a lot for her developmentally. I mean I don't think it did anything harmful, I just think it was unnecessary. She didn't get a lot of "upper body" building as she never really "pushed up" while in it, just sort of "cruised" around in a circular motion. Short of getting her off her back, I don't see where this may have helped her. Even with neck control, she already had that skill at her age, and often attended to the mat by looking "down" at the tactile pieces anyway.
I don't ever feel at any age her feet really touched the floor much at all. Even when she was in a good length to, she was in such a position to "spin" that her legs often "froggy kicked" behind her.
I don't need a toy that will help her develop her reaching skills, and that's primarily what I thought this did. I need toys or opportunities to help her develop her strength in needed areas and to work on building up to pushing up, resting on her arms and elbows, and flipping over. I still feel a simple, large playmat or blanket with toys just out of the baby's reach works best, and that's primarily what we still use. At 7 months this arrangement gives her the best opportunity to work on what she needs, and to still have some mobility. Even the mat alone is not large enough for her to use adequately.
Lamaze Spin and Explore Garden Gym is a very colorful, interesting toy, but I think, do to what little I feel it does to help babies with their needed skills, and the short time period babies can actually use this, not a needed one.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): free Type of Toy: Baby Toy
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
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