Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym
by Fisher-Price
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List Price: Our Price: $52.00 You Save: $22.99 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $24.90 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym
Customer Review: Charming & Entertaining Gym, Worth the Price
Summary: 5 Stars
My daughter wasn't able to interact much with this toy until about 4 months old, but before then she did still enjoy looking around the gym, staring at the brightly colored flashing lights, and cooing at the slightly swaying butterflies ahead. This gym is great because you can switch out the toys. My finance & I switch it up all the time, and we use every attachable toy we have on this gym. It keeps things interesting & surprising for our daughter, who is now 6 months old & enjoying this gym more then ever. She coos & "talks" to the animals & especially loves chewing on the monkey. The monkey has become such a special toy that her dad is thinking of getting it tattooed. It took our daughter Lenore awhile to discover the attachment mirror, and we knew previously that she loved mirrors, but once she has discovered it it is one of her favorites. She will stare in the mirror and smile and seemingly flirt with herself, then attack it with her slobbering mouth. Our baby gets much joy out of this gym! I do wish it were better priced. If it sold for $40 that would be great! But even still, the use & smiles & long play-times we've gotten out of this gym in the past several months, have no doubt been worth the money spent. Also the characters of this Rainforest line by Fisher Price are so cute! All the animals look very friendly & are all smiling in their faces. Quite sweet companions! We loved this gym so much that we purchased the mobile & waterfall soother in the rainforest's theme too, and if I would have known that they made a bouncer, swing & bassinet in this theme, we would have purchased those too!
Great little gym. Charming, sweet, entertaining, versatile, machine washable, easy to assemble & tuck away when not in use. However, this gym is in use, much more than it is not in use! There is not one day that goes by that our little girl doesn't enjoy spending some time with this gym. I will even set her on her belly on a blanket next to the gym & I'll turn on the lights & have the rainforest's sounds going, and it turns into a splendid tummy time activity center! We just hang some favorite toys from the attachment rings & she is thoroughly enthralled. She will roll back & forth now, but does not explore yet far from this gym.
I recommend! If you can afford this gym, I do not believe you'll be disappointed.
Customer Review: Worth the Price
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for my VERY fussy 5 week old. He is an ultimate velcro baby who never wants to be down and I wanted something to keep his attention so I could get a few necessities done.
This gym is a great size for a little one, not taking too much room but will be large enough that he'll play with it until he can crawl at least. I sometimes put it in the pack n play (always supervised) just to keep my little guy up away from our dog while he is playing. The music is not too tinny or annoying and there are two volume levels. There are also rainforest sounds if you are looking for a more soothing experience for your little one.
When I turn on the sound there are lights on the canopy that my son always smiles at and has now started to coo at. He does tend to get overstimulated if I leave the music and lights on for more than about five minutes but thankfully the colors and hanging toys keep his attention without the music too.
There are many places to take linking toys so you can add your own toys and move toys around to keep it fresh and entertaining. The mat itself has lots of colors and some black & white animals that keep little ones busy for tummy time.
My son spends fifteen to twenty minutes with this mat twice a day for tummy and play time and I pop him on it when I need a few minutes to accomplish something.
At 11 weeks old he was still using this every day. He really loves the lights and music now and is reaching out to touch the toys. He especially loves the parrot that has a spinner on it, so when he bats at it he gets the gratification of it spinning for him. We also use the mirror for tummy time and he enjoys smiling at himself.
UPDATE: At 6 months we still use this daily. The mat has gone through the wash several times and still looks like new. Our baby loves to lay on his back and play with toys above him, lay on his tummy and play with toys linked to the mat or play with the crinkly leaf in the corner, sit beside the mat and play with the hanging toys or hug the giraffe. I have also found that the ability to collapse this flat for storing and transport has been really wonderful, I didn't think I would use that feature but I do and love it.
Customer Review: There are better playmats out there.
Summary: 3 Stars
I have twins, and bought two playmats - this one and the Tiny Love. I have to say the Tiny Love wins hands-down, though this one does have some nice features. I would give it 5 stars if it only had more toys on it to hold baby's attention, but it is very sparsely populated in the toy department.
Pros:
has nice music and a couple of flashing lights
has a detachable monkey which the babies LOVE - they try to eat him every chance they get
babies also like the elephant rattle and spinning wheel toy
babies like looking at the playmat animals during tummy time - very cute design!
Cons:
There definitely aren't enough toys on this! If they don't want to include more toys, at least include enough toy holders so you can add your own.
The toys that are included aren't all that interesting, with the exception of the three I mentioned.
The mirror on the giraffe points in the wrong direction - not toward the center of the mat as in the ad, but parallel with the edge, a position in which the baby would never be. I have to hold the mirror for baby to see herself during tummy time. No way to get it to point in the right direction.
To my horror, I turned around to see baby holding the mirror that had fallen out of the red frame and was about to chomp down - it's a thin, very sharp disc. Baby would easily have cut herself. It's constantly falling out - I've had to restick that $@#! thing a dozen times and watch the babies like a hawk. I've tried to glue it in, but need stronger glue I suppose.
The butterflies at the top should spin - seems like they are supposed to spin, since they are on a mobile that rotates - but they do nothing, and are too high up for babies to reach. Are we supposed to spin it for the babies? It's in an awkward position for this. Maybe mine is broken.
Overall I'd say this is cute, but kind of worthless overall and expensive. There are much better playmats out there. I have the rainforest bouncy seat which the girls absolutely love, which is why I bought this playmat, but now wish I hadn't.
Customer Review: Love it :)
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great buy! It keeps my 4 month old boy entertained for hours everyday. I can just put him in there and forget about him for at least 20 minutes till the music stops then he starts whining so I turn the music back on and he's happy again. He loves it! In fact, I love it so much that I sometimes pretend I'm a little baby and play in it too :)
Our pediatrician suggested that I put my son on his tummy for 10 to 15 minutes a day for play time, but my son would cry the second I put him face down, until I bought this gym. I put him on his tummy in front of the mirror hanging from the giraffe and it worked like a charm, for the first time ever my son was on his tummy and smiling :)
I highly recommend this product. The toys are really nice. The music and the nature sounds are also great, although the low volume is still a bit high, but it doesn't bother me at all. I love that you can change the position of the toys or you can hang any of your other toys to the loops on the arcs, just be careful what you're hanging (make sure it's safe and doesn't have any strings or anything that can wrap around your baby's neck or any small parts that can come loose and become a chocking hazard).
In response to some of the negative points mentioned by other reviewers:
- The gym comes with a sealable plastic bag. It can be easily disassembled and stored in that bag. It may be slightly big but it's flat so it won't take up much space in your closet.
- It may not be very sturdy but it is certainly sturdy enough that it won't fall apart while your baby is playing with it (as long as it's assembled properly).
- The mat is not very well padded but I believe that it's safer this way for tummy time, and it shouldn't be a problem if you place it on a rug or a carpet.
Hope you and your baby enjoy this as much as we did!!
(Sorry for the long review)
Customer Review: Definitely worth the money
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this while I was pregnant and started using it for my daughter very early on; I think she might've been only 2 weeks old. I read some of the other reviews and I think those kids might've been too old for this toy, when they are 3+ months old they are much more aware and more active and would want to do more than laying flat on their stomach or back for any extended period of time. This was my daughter's very first toy and she absolutely loved it from the very beginning up `til she was 3.5 month old! She would lay on it entertained for 20-30mins at a time which was enough time for me to heat up some food for myself to eat. She loved the lights and would smile & kick excitedly non-stop the whole time she's lying on the mat. I am amazed at the strength of her stomach muscles. In the beginning she enjoyed the lights more (probably because her eye sight weren't that great yet) then gradually she began appreciating the toys and especially the plastic mirror. She loves looking at herself and her own facial expressions. What I like about this: The mat is removable and washable. I totally thought the butterfly would move like a mobile too but apparently they don't...I eventually just took them off cause when I laid down on the mat and looked up at the lights the butterflies actually obstructs the view of the lights. I like that the music stops and then starts again when the baby kicks or make slight movement to the bars, based on the frequency of the music coming on I know that my baby is still active on the mat even when I'm not constantly looking at it. Oh, we also use it as a place for changing her diaper, the lights/toys keeps her entertained while we change her, and the mat serves as a good barrier between her bottom and our carpet (she's surprised us a couple of times and we've had to laundry the mat). Between her play time and diaper changing we definitely got our money's worth.