Anyone try the new Gymini Super Deluxe Lights & Music!?!!

[akc]

Hi - I was on the Tiny Love website and saw the new Gymini Super Deluxe Light & Music. It looks really great (cute style, has all the regular features & then can add batteries to play music). Does anyone have this or has anyone heard anything about it? Maybe the Fields have run across this - I'd love to know their opinion?! I'm usually a bit skeptical when something is brand new (especially when it has electronic features like music), but Tiny Love is such an award-winning reputable company and all my friends swear by the regular Gymini Deluxes). Wondering if I should register for it?! :)Please let me know if you have it or even have seen it in action?!

Thx -
akc

More info:

The description of its functions says, "This Gymini features the new Lights & Music Touch Pad with classical music by Mozart and favorite nursery tunes, accompanied by flashing lights which baby activates for immediate feedback and cause and effect learning."

Lists features of:
Electronic Lights & Music Touch Pad with classical Mozart and nursery tunes music.

Large sun mirror for motivating baby to lift her head.

Stimulating soft elephant jitter pull-toy.

Soft monkey with springy legs to pull.

Spinning, rattling parrot with crinkly wings.

Classic colorful bead rattle & teether in one.

Adorable soft giraffe rattle.

Peek-a-boo activity on the mat.

Sqeaker and crinkly area on the mat.

Includes trial batteries. Replace with three AA batteries after purchase.

You can see it at:
http://www.tinylove.com/pages/catalog.asp?PageID=235&prodID=80

[akc]

I just saw it on a website (only sold on one I can find) and it says it is available in May, so it may not be out yet. That would mean it would only be the Fields' who might have seen it and know the story? I'm still curious...

[egoldber]

FYI, there were some babies in my playgroup that were overstimulated and overwhelmed by the regular Gymini because of all the colors and toys. Add lights and sounds and yikes! Every baby has their own personailty and you never know if yours will be a lover of loud noises or will be scared silly by them. That said, my baby also enjoyed the regular Gymini. I actually took about half the toys off and used them around the house rather than having so many on the Gymini all at once.

Personally, I'm also not a big fan of toys that make noise. Babies need rest and sleep. Just looking at and reaching for objects is really enough to stimulate them at the age they typically really use and enjoy the Gymini (3-5 months). While Tiny Love is an award winning company, we should all remember that the main goal of all toy companies is to make money by selling products. They have to do something to differentiate this year's Gymini from last year's so that you don't just borrow your neighbor's or your sister's old one (or at least make you feel guilty about borrowing your sister's old one :-) )

Many child development experts say that the "new" toys that make noise, play music and light up actually detract from development since it gets children in the habit of being "entertained by" a toy, rather than participating in active play with it, which is important for developing an active imagination and healthy curiosity. Children under one actually don't "need" any toys to develop properly. Just interacting with you and the world around them is all the stimulation required. Not to mention the fact that many of these toys (I find the FP Sparkling Symphony toys particularly annoying) don't have an off button. A toy that was cute at the store, can become very annoying to mom and dad very quickly!.

HTH,

[egoldber]

I think my frustration with the FPSS toys developed at Christmas time. I was looking for the plain old Fisher Price ring stacking toy (the one we all had as kids and was $2.99) and couldn't find one anywhere! There were plenty of Sparkling Symphony stackers EVERYWHERE but nowhere could I find the plain one without lights and sounds. I must admit I've been sour on FPSS toys ever since. :-)

I finally found the plain stacker at a consignment store. I also saw one later at BRU WAAAYYYY high on a top shelf where you had to get a sales clerk to come and get it for you. :-(

Freely admitting my personal biases :-),

[suzska]

Agreed that some of them are annoying--like the snail or whatever it is that has the same stacking toys as the activity table. But he does like his piano.

--Sue B.
SAHM to Evan Jeffrey 03-11-01

[egoldber]

Glad that Evan likes his piano. The irony here is that someone sent us a FP Crawl n Cruise Playground as a baby gift. Has anyone seen these? I call it the "plastic monstrosity". They sent it to us mail order and I have never had the energy to drag the HUGE box to the post office to return it (nor did I want to pay the cost to ship it to return it). Well, irony of ironies, my baby now LOVES and I mean LOVES this toy. She will sit in the midst of the plastic monstrosity and SQUEAL in delight. Ah well... :-)

LOL,

[suzska]

Evan also has the Crawl and Cruise! LOL! He often does laps around it when he's wandering around in his room. He got it for Christmas, and quickly learned how to drop the balls down the chutes. He also learned how to drop binkies (when we were still using them) and all kinds of toys down them, too. Whenever I couldn't find a binky, I would drop a ball down the chutes--if it stopped, I knew where the binky was! Now he just likes to walk around holding onto one of the plastic balls.

--Sue B.
SAHM to Evan Jeffrey 03-11-01

[mama2be]

I was going to ask this and decided to go thru the archives where I noticed it was asked way back when...BUt it appears it was not out yet. Now that time has passed do any of you have experience with this play mat that lights up and has music. It was on an educational web site that I visited tonight.

Thanks!!!

[akc]

Hi everyone,

I'm replying to myself now that I've had my baby. We (now, she, but we didn't know then) received this Super Gymini deluxe (with the lights and music) for a shower gift, so that solved my dilemma. And, let me tell you, my daughter LOVES it!!! We did not use the music and all before she was three months because it tended to overstimulate her, but now that she's into it fully, it is helping her to learn the action/reaction stuff (she kicks the area that plays music and it plays music). On a personal preference note, I love the pattern and think the animals are really cute (a monkey who's a little scary, a giraffe, an elephant, and a parent). We've only had to change the batteries once and they are just AA's so it was easy. All in all, I give it a resounding THUMBS UP!

Alexa
(Mother of Maeve)

[suzska]

While I do find some toys that make noise rather annoying, I just wanted to say that the FP Sparkling Symphony Gym (the one that looks like a piano) is one of my son's favorite toys! It has two different modes (and an off switch) and depending on how you "trigger" it, it will play in four different ways. For the "younger" baby that isn't standing yet, but can lie underneath it, you can have it play 10 different songs (5 classical and 5 "children's tunes) continuously for about 10 minutes (I think) or it will just play one song and stop--either you or the baby has to move the bar that the toys hang from for it to start and the lights flash in time to the music. For the child that is able to stand, you flip the keyboard up, and when they hit the keys, it will either play a "phrase" from the songs or it will play single notes like a piano. I also like that it has 5 keys, and not just 4 like most "piano" toys. When my son was about 4 months old he was already able to lean on the keyboard and "play" the keys. He would "sing" and dance the whole time.

Sorry, but just had to get a "positive" word in for a FPSS toy. :-)

--Sue B.
SAHM to Evan Jeffrey 03-11-01

P.S. Here's a picture of Evan at 7.5 months enjoying his piano. :-)