I got this for my daughter at 8 months and 6 months later she still plays with it everyday.We saw a benefit immediately when she used it for standing.We really feel it helped her with leg coordination and balance.
*** Warning***
This toy is not the most stable when leaned against.We keep it diagnol in a corner so that it can't tip over.This toy has fallen over and backwards on top of our daughter.No harm done, but it does scare her.Even now, if not up against something, she easily pushes it over.
This toy "teaches":
Numbers
Letters
Colors
Opposites
Rhyming
Textures
Cause & Effect
AND MORE.....
My daughter still finds new ways for this toy to entertain her.She loves the music, she loves putting the balls down the slide, she's had phases where she HAS to flip the little "change-mode" book, or she must push down the frog.
I would recommend buying this at 6-10 months and will last a loooong time.I don't see how someone could be disappointed with this toy.It is well worth the money for the hours and hours of "entertainment" (a.k.a. peace and quiet...sort of)!
My son loves this toy, and has since about five months.I agree that it can be a little unstable, but at one now he doesn't have a problem with that and loves it still.You should note that there is a recall on this because several children have gotten a bruise by putting their arm in the ball shoot.I got the shoot topper from LeapFrog offered to correct the problem (no problem when I called; arrived quickly), however, once you put it on the ball shoot doesn't work.We haven't put it on since he loves dropping the ball in the shoot so much; we just keep an eye on him.I've never seen him try to put his hand or arm in there.
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Actually, not a choking hazard as someone below stated.There's a slot where a child's arm can get stuck.
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We were skeptical of this toy when we first got it; wanted to send it back, in fact. But it grew on us, and our 6-month-old daughter. Now she's 13 months and still spends some time with it every day. Its versatility makes it the anchor of our growing stash of toys.
Part of the reason we were disappointed at first, though, was that it's rather limited unless you attach the four legs. The toy's literature claims it can be fun when the "keyboard" portion is just sitting on the floor, for babies who can't yet sit up on their own, but certain functions (like the small letters of the alphabet) don't operate without the legs. Once our daughter was able to sit up and we put the legs on, we found a huge variety of songs, recorded rhymes, and noises. The computer in this toy is amazing. The other day it said something we hadn't even heard before.
Someone else wrote that the toy didn't announce the color of each of the three balls once they're tossed down the chute. The only problem we've had is that it occasionally gets it wrong, but the kid doesn't notice (I wouldn't be relying on this to teach your child numbers and letters anyway).
The "learning playground" function is definitely quieter. When the "musical playground" bit gets going, there's a constant beat, and that gets old. But this is compensated by the five levers beneath the number keys. Touch them and you get different kinds of harmonicas. This is just an ingenious toy.
A similar toy from Leap Frog is the "Learn & Groove Musical Table," which is square-shaped. A friend has one of these, and it might even be superior to the Playground. It seems less likely to tip over, and unlike the Playground, can be enjoyed equally from all sides.
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My son loves this toy.We got it for him when he started pulling up on things and he loved all the sounds and the music.He figured out the balls right away and that keeps him busy for a long time.He just discovered the keys underneath play the harmonica music.He will hit them and smile while they make music.I can see that this will grow with him as well.Once he is walking and no longer needs the table for stability, he will still be able to use it for letters and numbers.I found this online at another web-site, and went to several stores to try and see it in person.Couldn't find it, but was pleasantly surprised to find it here for less than the other site and with free shipping.This is a great toy.As other reviews noted, it does tend to slip on hard surfaces, but we just put some "grippy" tape on the bottom and that seemed to fit it.Other than that we are delighted.
I received this with the package busted open and a "Received Damaged" stamped on it in red, with some flimsy packing tape holding it together.Some of the plastic holding the item itself was busted open, and there was white crud stuck in the mat. OK that is the packaging.Some of the velvety surface was damaged too.Ok so that is just the packaging.
