It Won’t Teach Concertos, but the Kick & Learn Piano Will Entertain!
Written: Aug 23 '06 (Updated Oct 02 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: ● Amusing
● Durable
● Volume control
Cons: ● Wakes sleeping baby
● Eats batteries
● No handle
The Bottom Line: The Kick & Learn Piano held up well, and it entertained my son, even though I don’t think he “learned” anything for the toy.
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| marybatson's Full Review: Fisher Price Kick and Learn Piano |
What is it with all the “educational” infant toys today? They’re everywhere. Go into any drug store, any you’ll see at least one “learning” toy. Toy companies recognize the benefits of putting the words “smart” and, or “learn” in the titles of their toys, and as parents, we fall prey to it. Does didactic learning actually start at 1-month of age? 2-months? Pull up a search for educational toys, and google will provide 46,800,000 different websites. Don’t believe me? Try it. All right, where am I going with this tirade? In reading the box for the Kick & Learn Piano, it states “Expands baby’s growing vocabulary.” Huh? I didn’t know that newborns had a vocabulary. Moreover, what does Baby Smartronics mean? It’s splashed all over the box, like an author’s name on a novel. Let’s get real! Although I’m disgusted with Fisher-Price for touting such gobbledygook, I am pleased with the performance of this toy.
The Kick & Learn Piano is a crib toy for newborns and toddlers up to 24-months. The plaything is designed to hang on the side of a crib with ties so babies can “kick” and play. In addition, it’s great for tummy time on the floor. Music plays, and lights flash when the keys are pressed, or kicked. It’s all-inclusive toy, so there are no attachments, or accessories. The 5-key piano is made of plastic with clear lights, although, it’s concealed with a cover and looks like it’s made of fabric. Sewn to the top of the cover is a plastic console that hugs the lights, and is enhanced with colored plastic. Therefore, when the cover is on, the lights flash in color. The lights are formed into 5 diverse shapes, and feature different letters: A-Orange Circle, B-Green Triangle, C-Yellow Star, D-Blue Square, and E-Red Heart. The piano keys are set just below the console, and feature a number, and an animal: 1-Ape, 2-Bear, 3-Cat, 4-Dog, and 5-Elephant. There are three modes of play: Melody Medley, Play & Learn, and Floor Piano.
Melody Medley
When the dial is turned to #1-Melody Medley the music plays continually. There are 10 melodies that play three times through for approximately 10-minutes of play. Carousel Waltz, Did You Ever See Lassie, This Old Man, The Bear Went Over the Mountain, Do Your Ears Hang Low are some of the titles.
Play & Learn
When the dial is turned to #2-Play & Learn the “learning” attributes are activated. For instance, if the first key is pressed, the voice says “A-Ape Oh, oh, oh ohhh,” and a short 5-second melody plays. If the same key is pressed a second time, the voice announces the corresponding number, in this case 1. The voice counts out the number and the same number of flashing lights accompanies the counting. The toy will encourage play with two prompts such as the cat will meow, or the dog will bark. If a key is not pressed, the Kick & Learn Piano will go into sleep mode.
Floor Mode
When the dial is turned to #3-Floor Mode, the toy plays like a piano, one note for each key. The toy encourages play with two musical prompts. It will go into sleep mode if a key is not pressed.
The Kick & Learn Piano is brightly colored in red, yellow, green, blue, orange, and pink, thus it may not coordinate with all décors. It measures 26½” x 11½” and weighs about 3-pounds so a toddler can lift, and carry it. There are no safety concerns such as strangling, swallowing, sharp edges, or smothering. The plaything does require three AA batteries, which are not included. The battery compartment is located on the back of the toy, and a Philips screwdriver is needed to change the batteries.
Assembly & Cleaning:
There is no assembly per se; however, the batteries need to be installed. For infant play, position the Kick & Learn Piano against the rails on the inside of the crib, near the mattress. Fasten all three ties, so the unit doesn’t flop around. To clean the unit, remove the cover by releasing the locking tabs on the back. Fisher-Price recommends spot cleaning only; although I washed it on gentle cycle, placed it on a towel to dry, and it came out beautifully.
Our Experience:
This toy is like the energizer bunny, it goes, and goes, and goes. For instance, when in Melody Mode, it would play for say 7-minutes, and if a key is pressed, it will start all over again. It could literally play for an hour. Then, there’s the shock factor. Imagine, your sleeping child accidentally kicks a key. Unless you’re sitting next to the crib, and you move fast enough to turn it off, the thing will play for 10-minutes straight. Hence, you either remember to turn the unit off when your child falls a sleep, or train your child to sleep through the noise. I have a problem with the first option, as it defeats the purpose of a crib toy. If I turned it off at night, my son couldn’t play in the morning, because at 14-months he didn’t have the motor skills to turn the dial to the “On” position. He later learned to use his teeth. A very resourceful child… The other problem I have in turning the unit off at night, is that he wouldn't play in the morning if I went to turn it "on" for him. Once he saw me, he was bouncing around to get out of the crib, rather than wanting to play with his crib toy.
In addition, the Kick & Learn Piano eats batteries. It seems like I replaced batteries every month. Thank goodness for the sleep mode, or it would have been every week. I wish it had a handle as well. William loved carrying his toys around the house, but this was awkward for a child to carry without a handle. The images don’t embody the animals either. They are very stylized, and I didn’t recognize number 2 until the key announced it was a bear. Now that’s pretty lame for a “learning” toy.
William had the perfect crib toy in the Fisher-Price Activity Center, but it broke, and I wanted to replace it, as the crib was William’s comfort zone. I chose the Kick & Learn Piano not because of the supposed “smart” and “learning” features, but because it was the only crib toy Zany Brainy had on their shelves. William loved the music, and colorful light show. The first night he played for 2-hours straight, and I wondered if he’d ever give it a rest. He did settle into the toy, but it doesn’t compare to the progressive learning the Activity Center offered.
I loved the High/Low volume control. The Low volume was perfect for crib play, but too soft for floor play, so it was nice to have options. Another pro is that the keys are wide, and sensitive enough for little babies to recieve cause and effect. Once baby is kicking, and the piano is positioned low enough for them to reach, they will be able to make the music play, and the lights flash. It doesn't require a lot of strength to recieve result, on the other hand, it's not too sensitive that is goes off in the middle of the night when baby turns over. In the end, the Kick & Learn Piano held up well, and it entertained my son, even though I don’t think he “learned” anything except that his teeth are good for turning knobs.
Fisher-Price Headquarters
636 Girard Avenue, East Aurora, and NY 14052
Telephone: 1-800-432-KIDS 8 AM ~ 6 PM EST Monday through Friday
www.fisher-price.com
Additional Fisher-Price Reviews:
Activity Center
Symphony Star Beads
Farmer Says See ‘n Say
Infant to Toddler Soothing Rocker
Sesame Street Grow N’ Go Play Gym
View-Master Thomas & Friends Gift Set
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 29.95
Type of Toy: Baby Toy
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
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marybatson
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Member: Mary
Location: Phoenix
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