Every baby with an older sibling needs their own little island of protected space away from trampling feet and grabby hands and for Arlo that’s his Fisher Price baby gym! Suitable from birth (and it seems like only a few weeks ago that when he was on it he couldn’t even reach the animal!) right into toddlerhood, which we know because Athena loves playing with the balls on the arch too!
The Newborn to Toddler gym is now being used for the Sit & Play stage now that sadly the Lay & Play days are behind us! As soon as Arlo started to roll a couple of months ago he’d get a bit frustrated as he’d roll over to his front, then start scooting backwards so the toys were out of reach! Now he’s sitting the next stage is still wonderful and exciting for him! You flip the end of the mat up and attach it to the support Arch and voilà! You have three coloured net pockets so that you can encourage your baby to put in and take out the balls (over and over again if Arlo is anything to go by!
There are two musical modes, a long play (up to 20 minutes) and a baby activated short play, and as normal with Fisher Price toys there are two volume levels (for parental appreciation!) You will need 3 AAA batteries though.
This stage also means that the dangling toys can be seen from different angles and even get chewed on! Two of the animals from the arch detach and clip on the bottom of the arches where the balls fall down into, which is how Athena loves to play with the gym mostly! It would be great if the balls that come with the gym rattled as I think that would encourage Arlo to reach for them when the roll away from him. Athena also loves to see what else will slide down the arch (ricecakes being a favourite!) but the mat is machine washable if needed and the arch is made of sturdy plastic so can be wiped down easily.
Arlo has learnt to develop his motor skills along with his coordination, and also balance as he started to sit. He did actually try and pull himself up on the arch from sitting but crumpled to a little heap looking a bit irritated when he wasn’t strong enough! I’m sure it won’t be long though!
We were sent a Play Gym for the purpose of this review, all opinions and words are my own.
Do like the versatlity of this. We could only use our play centre for a brief period x