Parents searching for the right toy for there infants can often get confused by the myriad of choices on the market. Babies are often drawn to colorful and wonderful playmates and activity mates. Many companies have come out with there own version of playmates which makes the selection of the right playmate much more confusing and difficult. Parents are looking for quality and value for the product they choose. To help consumers to make knowledgeable decision I will compare few products available in the market.
Now I will compare each of the above products one by one by stating there pros and cons.
1. Discover and Play Activity Playmate: This playmate offers a good play time for babies ages birth and up. The price is variable at different locations but at target (www.target.com ) it is about $49.99. You can always try your luck at eBay (www.ebay.com ). There are some pros and cons which are listed below:
Pros: Sights, sounds and textures-the Baby Einstein Discover & Play Activity Gym gets Baby started on the road to learning. The activity mate is machine washable and features bright and colorful prints to entertain the baby. There is a star that lights up when the baby interacts with it which helps babies learn cause and effect. There are friendly and entertaining animal friends that babies enjoy while playing in the mate. Parents give a very positive review of the playmate in target (www.target.com ) and Babies r us (www.babiesrus.com ) sites. The price is variable at different locations but at target (www.target.com ) it is about $49.99. You can always try your luck at ebay (www.ebay.com )
Cons: The infant will not play with the friendly animals and will not interact with the star until they grow about 3-4 months. Initially they will just look at the star and animals.
2. Discovering Water Play Gym: It is the soft play gym featuring a musical aquarium with swimming animals and melodies. The product is available for $69.99 at Babies R Us website.
Pros: The Discovery Water Activity Gym is a soft gym they create a playful and musical ocean environment for babies birth and up. It includes plush and plastic accessory toys to stimulate baby. It introduces the ocean animals with a peek-a-boo flaps and plastic discovery cards in English, Spanish and French. It plays six classical melodies and features dancing lights. The Discovering Water Activity Gym is sure to give your baby hours of stimulating fun.
Cons: The volume can not be controlled by you and sometimes it could be loud for your kid. The Playmate goes through the batteries quickly. There are some reviews on Babies r us website which suggest that some kids did not like this playmate and they never show interest in the gym.
3. Ocean wonders Kick & Crawl Aquarium Gym: The Ocean Wonders Kick & Crawl Aquarium is a soft gym that features a toy bar on each end and 3 modes of use: lay at, tummy time and crawl through. The Playmate is available for about $29.99 at Babies R Us.
Pros: Detachable hanging toys and a mirror develop baby’s arms and legs while stimulating senses. Three bat-at-toys hang from the front of gym. There is a beach ball at the back of gym for baby to kick at. When baby begins to crawls, the gym converts to a crawl through play space. It is good for babies from birth to 18 months.
Cons: There are many negative reviews on Babies r us site for this product. For some of them the ball would not stay attached. When converting it into a tunnel it was hard to get it to stay. The toys are at wrong angle and Velcro attached toys are easily detached by even 4 months old.
From the reviews it is quite clear that cost of the item does not mean that it is a quality product. The costliest Product has some negative comments by users and the cheapest product has more negative comments. I would suggest the “Activity Playmate” from Baby Einstein as it has got good reviews and the price is also right in middle of the other two products.
I hope this product comparison helps you to decide on which product is right for you and reduces the confusion created by different companies coming out with similar products. The main idea is to buy the product from which your kid would learn and enjoy for a long time.
