Posts Tagged ‘playskool’

Jack watched a baseball game on TV the other day and was fascinated. He now constantly asks me if he can “hit de boll,” so I scored him many different baseball set-ups to embrace the little slugger’s new love.

First, we tried the Playskool Busy Basics Swing ‘n Score, which is a ball-and-bat setup with a plastic ball attached to a tee, which just spins around when you hit it. It’s very short so is actually for a smaller kid than Jack. It worked OK, but it makes crazy sounds, so I had to put tape over the speaker.

Next, we tried out the Fisher Price Triple Hit Baseball T-ball set. It was pretty good, but the bat was too narrow and the ball too small for him to really nail.

We then went for the Big Boom Tee inflatable set. Despite our decent attempt, any presence of wind will knock the toy over, making it difficult to hit the ball.

Lastly, I got him the motorized Fisher Price Better Batter Baseball. Its Velcro balls and electronic arm are activated by a big red button that lies on home plate. This one is definitely the winner! Although the Velcro on the ball becomes stuck to the arm, most of the time it works like a charm. With the arm moving up and down and the baseball-themed music playing, the motorized toy has helped Jack with the concept of eye-hand coordination and depth perception. The height is adjustable as well to accommodate kids as they get bigger. I see this toy sticking (no pun intended) around for a while!

Little Jack is turning two next week and is in love with a few fun things. Right now, I’m paying close attention to what he’s into now to try and figure out what to get him for his birthday.

Currently, he gets really excited when he picks up his little man MP3 player. The Playskool Made For Me Digital Music Player has the engine of a creative MP3 player and the body of an easy-to-operate gadget. It has nice big buttons that are intuitive for Jack to push. The forward and back buttons live on its feet and a big play button is front and center. It comes pre-loaded with 50 different sounds and tunes and has storage to upload Mama’s voice as well as his favorites. There’s also a soft jacket that can be placed on the player to transform it into a furry animal friend. He gets it, he likes it, and it makes him smile.

Next up is this very simple water toy from Step2 called the Fun Flow Play Sink. I’m so into this toy because it’s basic yet he plays with it for hours on end. It’s simply a sink with a working pump that circulates water – that’s it! A big red button on the top of the faucet allows him to turn it on and off, and on and off, and on and off. The tub of the sink is large and deep, allowing a few kids at a time to enjoy. I’m telling you, if I had to pick one water toy, this would be it.

Another one that’s had amazing longevity is a toy that’s been around forever, yet keeps the kids entertained. It’s called the Playskool Busy Ball Popper and it’s just great! The toy has a really easy to activate “on” button that sets into motion five lightweight, colorful balls that circulate through the toy and then pop them up into the air. The top platform then catches the balls on their way down then repeats the fun over and over by sending the balls down a slide. Slam dunk.

The funniest thing he plays with, though, is this small sheepskin rug that I got at Ikea. He calls it his “Kitty” and literally thinks it’s his cat. How cute is that? I’ll let you know what I end up getting him next week!