Kids Preferred Amazing Baby Sound Balls Review

from Kids Preferred

Ok, so maybe not all the Balls need to be jumpy and skippy and made of rubber. I mean here's a really wonderful set that your little one will simply adore. There are total of three Sound Balls that come in a 12 inch plastic tube. Each ball has unique quality for your little one to enjoy for a long time (you know, play with one, then switch over, then forget where he started, and so on...) One ball chimes, one jingles, and one crinkles. They're also very colorful, and soft, so you'll really see your little one's eyes light up and begin to study them.

There are certain complaints, of course, and people say that the balls are actually smaller than expected, but personally when I saw that the tube that holds them is only 12 inches I kinda had the idea. Also there is talk that there's some chemical that's banned in California that's in these balls, but I don't know how true that is because I wasn't able to find any support evidence.

Pros: colorful, will keep your little one lit up for hours, great design
Cons: smaller then you'd expect, but that's about it
Age: 6mo+

Final Verdict: Keep it!

Price: $13.87 at Amazon.com

Tiny Love - Activity Ball Review

from Tiny Love

So this is a great looking toy, and it has a lot of surprises. Although it's called an Activity Ball it doesn't really bounce, and it's not very round either (for that matter) :). This Activity Ball has 5 sounds and a bunch of different texture. It's also great for those still interested in chewing everything in their path (like my son). There is a head that pulls out/pops up and it rattles.



Peek-a-boo head has a rattle and it pops up, there are 5 electronic sounds, there are a few rattles and many different textures to explore. Some feel, however that this toy lacks stimulation, and it's difficult to operate for those little hands. The head is hard to move and pull out, so your little will require assistance.



Pros: an interesting concept, and visually stimulating, but to fully enjoy assistance (from adults) is needed
Cons: as I said before it's a little difficult to move some of the "movable" parts, especially for little hands, and it's just not that much fun, judging on how fast my son dismisses it... so see my verdict below.
Age: 6mo+

Final Verdict: Skip It!

Price: $19.95 at Amazon.com

Vtech - Move & Crawl Ball Review

from Vtech

I'm sure you're wondering when I'm going to be getting to actual ball that jump. Well, soon, I assure you! Meanwhile lets quickly look at this electronic roll-a-ball-move-and-crawl thing. So it's all musical and moves on its own. It responds to rolling, and there are many lights. There are six animal buttons that also emit animal sounds. So it's designed with that in mind, that your little one will learn animals!



Now I've written about Vtech before, and as you can see Vtech makes techy toys, and truth is I really love the laptop, and my son loves it too. I kinda understand where they're coming from with this ball, except no one expects a ball to be a computer. Plus the motor that makes it roll is kinds loud (and you can hear it in the videos). This scares some children. So to be objective I just want to say that you should weigh all the options that are important to you, and decide for yourself. My verdict is below.



Pros: musical, with lights, teaches animals
Cons: there are a lot of cons to consider. It's too heavy up until about 1yo, it's spontaneous, and this happens to scare some children. It's a little loud, and while moving it can hit a baby. It's too heavy to pick up. It's spontaneous, it moves around and will hit the baby, which scares her. It also doesn't give the child enough time to find the animals (about 30 seconds) and most kids at 6 months to a year take a bit more than that.
Age: 6mo+

Final Verdict: Skip It!

Price: $10.95 at Amazon.com

Haba - Colori Stacking Ball Review

from HABA

I love Haba, they have almost no crappy toys. This is a really great First Ball for many reasons. It can make a great toy from very early on, and being that this "onion" has many "layers" your little one can enjoy it for a long time. This isn't your bouncy ball, but it has five stacking parts (which also makes it a stacking toy) and these parts all make different sounds, rattles, squeaks and rustles and babies like that! Younger one's will just roll it around and chew on it, while older kids will take it apart and develop motor skills.



Of course it's also a really great tactile toy as well as visually. It's also the winner of Creative Child's Toy 2008.


Pros: great ball from the get go, your little one will enjoy it whether just rolling it around or when taking it apart.
Cons: too difficult to get the pieces off and on - they are too tight
Age: 3mo+

Final Verdict: Keep It!

Price: $17.99 at oompa.com

Wonderworld Peek-a-boo Ball Review

from Wonderworld

So here we have another non-bouncy Peek-a-boo Ball, but rather a wooden one, which makes it great at rolling around. The smiley faces pop up or get stuck inside... either way they're there. So it's made from all natural environmentally friendly rubberwood and non-toxic water-based paints.



Although initially I found the idea and the design to be appealing, but after taking a close look I found it to be pretty useless. My 6 months old son was extremely frustrated with it, he couldn't really get a good grip on it, and couldn't really bit down. Plus those pop-up faces are kinda useless... So they might have as well just make a completely wooden ball and paint it different colors (I'm sure it exists somewhere, but it's just not for me).

Pros: great idea with pop-up faces, helps to develop hand-eye coordination
Cons: pop-up faces are useless, it's difficult to handle for your little one

Age: 6mo+

Final Verdict: Skip it!

Price: $11.00 at Amazon.com

Giant Personalized Ball Review

from Handmade Pretties

So there are of course those bouncy rubber balls, and then there are those soft kinds that are just fun to fall onto (remember those big bean bag chairs you used to have?) Well, this isn't exactly it but for your little one this is a perfect oversized Soft Ball to play with and fall on to... They are all hand made from soft fleece and stuffed with fiberfill. Really great for playing with your little one inside the home.



The upside to these balls being hand made is that they're all unique, so you can be sure that no one else will ever have what you have. They can be customized to your preferred color and your little one's name. They are made by Handmade Pretties.

Wipe clean with a damp cloth or wash as you would a pillow. Air dry.

Pros: soft and personal. Very cute and very soft, and they make a great gift.
Cons: nothing bad to say really, they're great!
Age: 6mo+

Final Verdict: keep it!

Price: $30.00 at Etsy.com

All About Baby Balls

So this whole week I decided to wrote about all the different Baby Balls the are out there. The thing is that my son recently learned sit with a straight back, without falling (much), and there's a world of activities that now opens up. So one of the very first items I've gotten him was a ball. It was a ball I recently wrote about in Supercalofragalistic Colorful Balls Review, and I got him the one with all the different animals.

Once your little can sit up, you can practice rolling a ball back and forth. Use a big, light ball that will be easy for your baby to push. Learning to roll a ball isn't just fun for your baby — it also helps develop eye-hand coordination, a skill that's essential for drawing, writing and, of course, every baby's favorite past time: eating (at least until a certain age).



In any case, you know that playing ball is the stereotype activity for children and their fathers, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to rob your little one of such necessary and important bonding experience. So please stay tuned this whole week as we cover Baby Balls, all sizes and colors, big and small, and we'll end with a Top 5 list for this week.

Enjoy!

Green Toys - Tea Set Review

from Green Toys

So this is a Green Tea Set, that's can be used for all types of (imaginary) tea! What makes it green is what it's made out of.

So this is a really great first tea set for your little one, and it's one that's good for the environment. Ever wonder what happens to all those milk cartons you use up and throw away? Well, they get turned into these wonderful Tea Sets! So this 17 piece set includes a tea pot with lid, a sugar bowl with lid, a creamer, four cups, four saucers, and four teaspoons. Really let that young imagination run wild! And of course the whole recycle conservation process helps save energy, reduce landfill waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions, all in the name of good green (tea) fun.



These sets are phthalate- and BPA-free, and are made in the USA.

Pros: a wonderful idea, very environmentally conscious, and at a very young age!
Cons: the pieces are very slick and there is no texture for gripping. This flaw is especially apparent when one tries to grip the lids of the teapot and creamer
Age: 3yr+

Final Verdict: Keep it!

Price: $17.66 at Amazon.com