Fisher-Price Step & Play Piano; The Non-Essential I Don't Want to Live Without
Written: Sep 29 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Baby loved it!; grows with your child; variety of activities; encourages movement; possibly inexpensive...
Cons: Discontinued - must find secondhand.
The Bottom Line: The Fisher-Price Step & Play Piano kept my daughter busy for months - and saved my sanity on more than one occasion.
|
|
|
| krissingene's Full Review: Fisher Price Step and Play Piano |
Like most expectant mothers, I began shopping for the essential baby gear months before my daughter was ever born. The first of my friends to have a child, no one told me that the swing, the bouncer and the activity center weren't absolute essentials, and I pored over them all (and as it turns out, every one was a lifesaver at some point.) I didn't much care what most of our baby gear looked like, happy to let my husband feel important by making the little decisions like what color padding the stroller would have. But the minute I saw the Fisher-Price Step & Play Piano, I knew that this was the activity center that I wanted for my little girl, and that none other would do.
The only thing that stopped me from lugging it home the very day that I fell in love with it was a hefty price tag - $90 at Babies R Us. Unable to justify such a large purchase on a toy that my child wouldn't use for months - especially when there were newborn essentials still to buy - I left it there, and vowed that I would be back.
Now, baby gear manufacturers are in the habit of promptly discontinuing their products just after I buy them, or just after I decide on them, as the case may be. My stroller and highchair were both yanked off the shelves practically as I was leaving the store, and Fisher-Price saw fit to do away with the Step & Play Piano (in favor of a newer model activity center) before my little girl was old enough to "need" it. So I did what anyone in desperate need of a certain item would do: I turned to eBay. There, I purchased a very gently used Step & Play Piano for less than $30, which amounted to about half of the regular retail price when factoring in shipping.
~* Assembly *~
The great thing about purchasing a used activity center was, aside from the price, avoiding the whole irritating assembly process. The previous owner was nice enough to ship the toy fully assembled, and I had only a couple of wires to reconnect once it arrived. Since it is now discontinued, chances are good that if you find a Step & Play Piano now, you too may avoid assembly altogether - we can hope, right?
The instruction booklet was included, and assembly seemed to be only a matter of snapping plastic piece A into plastic piece B and working the cloth seat into the toy's frame. The most intimidating part of the process was obviously threading the wires through various pieces and connecting them via particularly hateful plastic clasps on each end. Have four C batteries and a Phillips screwdriver with which to access the battery compartment, and you'll be set. You'll have assembled much more difficult bits of baby equipment by the time you're ready for an activity center, I assure you.
~* Size and Capacity *~
When fully assembled, the Step & Play Piano is going to take up quite a hefty chunk of your available floor space. It measures 29" across the front, 26 1/2" deep, and 16" tall. The manufacturer cautions, of course, that this toy should be placed on a level surface to avoid tipping - but really, if you have floors in your home that aren't level, you have bigger problems than this particular worry. The base is wide enough to keep the activity center stable even on a somewhat bumpy front yard, I assure you.
This toy is recommended for babies and toddlers ages 6-36 months, although younger babies will be able to sit in it quite well once they have adequate head control. My daughter was five months and one week old when she began playing in the Step & Play Piano, and she did quite well.
The cloth seat has two height adjustments to accommodate growing babies, and the lowest setting let her little toes rest on the bottom nicely at five months. She was able to sit inside until about fourteen months - and my little girl has always been in the 90-95th percentile for height. Most little ones, of course, will refuse to be held captive inside the activity center once they're good and mobile, so this will be a non-issue for many parents.
Fisher-Price has thoughtfully designed this activity center so that the seat in the center is easily removed, turning it into a playset for older toddlers no willing to sit in one spot to play - thus the 36 month age recommendation. Minus the seat, toddlers can easily stand in the center of the toy to stomp on the keys on the floor of the toy and reach all of the toys on the sides.
~* What You See *~
The wide base of the Step & Play Piano is primarily purple with musical notes imprinted along the sides. The floor is comprised of four giant piano keys - blue, red, yellow and green - that actually move slightly when stepped on. (Black keys are present, but defunct.) The floor is, obviously, the basis of the name "Step & Play Piano", as the baby is encouraged to step on the keys to operate the toy.
Four round yellow legs are stationed at each corner of the base, also imprinted with musical notes. They support the upper portion of the toy, which consists of two white toy bars that span the width of the toy, with tracks along which the center-mounted seat slides back and forth between them. Designed thus, even young, non-walking babies can actually scoot back and forth along the toy bars while safely seated. The round seat is well padded with a blue music note printed cloth cover that removes for easy washing. (This is very important as I have heard many a tale of the "Exersaucer laxative", in which babies with no inclination to go on a regular basis magically turn into little poop machines when seated inside an activity center. Thankfully, this never applied to my daughter.) The cloth seat may be washed and dried on gentle cycles and, even after several washings, ours has yet to pill or fade.
There is one toy mounted on each side of the seat, attached to the central plastic frame. On side is a plastic barrel, separated into two sections. One half is orange and red, the other green and purple. The halves twist independently of each other and make a loud clicking sound when turned. These are a little difficult for babies to maneuver, especially at the lower end of the age recommendation. By the time my little girl was about a year old, she had no problem with them. On the other side of the seat is a clear plastic barrel filled with colorful balls that make a horrendous racket when spun - and of course, the louder of the two would be easy for even the smallest of babes to play with.
There are five toys mounted across the front toy bar of the Step & Play Piano. They are:
* a microphone, mounted on a flexible rubber "cord". This toy wobbles around in circles and is in essence a large rattle. The red mic has a clear plastic end with more of those loud but oh-so-colorful beads inside.
* a round purple disc, imprinted with still more musical notes, with three finger holes. This disc may be twisted in a complete circle, and both makes clicking noises and plays a short tune when turned. Also difficult for younger babies.
* a piano keyboard, consisting of four (green, yellow, red and blue) keys. The keys light up and play music when pressed - more on that in a bit.
* a round orange drum pad, covered with circular grooves. Interesting for baby to feel, and easily pressed for drum sounds.
* another wobbly red thing on a flexible rubber "cord" that I assume to be another microphone? I'm not sure what this thing is, really, it's more barrel-shaped than the other mic and not easily identified. Two disc-shaped rattles set into the side of this toy rattle whenever the toy is moved.
Also located on the front of the toy is the on/volume switch, which may be set to off, low or high. Indoors, the lower volume setting is nearly always adequate; if your home is particularly noisy, you may need the higher one. Happily, even the high volume setting won't blast you out of the room. Just beneath the volume switch is the mode selector switch, with four settings that I'll detail further on.
Across the back toy bar of the piano are:
* a yellow plastic trumpet, attached to the activity center by a thick red ribbon. The trumpet squeaks when shaken, but must be shaken more vigorously than some little ones can manage. Even at nineteen months, my little girl mostly produces squeaks by accident. There is an oval indentation in the toy bar for the trumpet to lie in when not in use, but it inevitably gets knocked out and dangles from the toy bar by the ribbon. Thank goodness for that ribbon.
* a triangular (non-breakable) mirror set in yellow plastic. The mirror turns horizontally on a plastic bar with two large musical note shaped plastic beads on each side that baby can turn and slide along the bars on each side of the mirror.
* a purple snack tray, divided into two sections. This fits neatly into an oval indentation just below the mirror, and is ostensibly perfect for holding Cheerios, Goldfish, Puffs or what-have-you while baby is happily occupied inside the piano. Let me tell you, using this tray for its intended purpose is not a good idea. The tray was the first toy on the Step & Play Piano that my daughter mastered; it lifts easily out of it's little hole and is apparently lots of fun to chew on or, better yet, fling as far as possible from the activity center. To this day, it's still her favorite part of the toy. Go figure.
* a yellow plastic cowbell, mounted upright between red plastic holders. The bell rings when pushed back and forth. It's just a bell. Nothing special.
~* Modes of Play *~
The four different play settings are marked by tiny icons on the front toy bar of the Step & Play Piano:
* The purple music note is the easy/baby setting. In this mode, music plays and lights flash for the duration of a song, and pushing a piano key or stepping on one of the floor keys is all it takes to launch the toy into another complete song. Very little effort is required on the part of the child to be rewarded with lights and music, and this is certainly the best setting for keeping a young baby entertained.
* The set of four blue music notes is a more intermediate setting, allowing each piano key on the toy bar to play only one note at a time, but the floor keys to play about half a song at a time before stopping to wait for another key press.
* The orange piano keys allows each key, on the toy bar or on the floor, to play only one note at a time. This is best for older babies who have better control over their hands and feet, or are active enough to press or step on keys in rapid succession.
* The yellow "SFX" symbol, like the previous mode, allows each key to play only one note, but whereas the keys on the toy bar play a music note, the floor keys play a short tune or funky, rippling sound effect.
~* Our Experience *~
My little girl had great head control and was dying to sit up unassisted by five months, so I didn't hesitate to try out the Step & Play Piano as soon as it arrived. She seemed a bit uncertain at first, but within minutes was happily batting at the colorful toys, squealing happily each time she made lights flash and music play. She was in baby heaven. The night that we first used this activity center was the first night since her birth that I was able to eat dinner using both hands. I was elated.
Within a week, she had gotten the hang of scooting back and forth along the toy bars and twisting around in the seat to play with one side, then the other. She was consistently happy to sit there for ten or fifteen minutes at a time, graciously allowing Mommy to shower, cook, eat or make a phone call without her assistance. This continued for about six months; shortly before her first birthday, she decided that she preferred a bit more freedom, although would still sit in it for a few minutes on occasion. To say that the Step & Play Piano was a lifesaver for half of her first year wouldn't be much of an exaggeration.
Although bulky, this activity center is easy enough to move around, weighing only 10-15 pounds (I'm horrid at guessing these things.) We constantly moved it from den to kitchen to hallway, even to the front yard on occasion, when there was gardening to be done and we wanted her to stay in one spot. Cleaning it after dragging it all over is just as easy - toss the seat in the washing machine, and wipe the rest down with a damp cloth. And unlike most of our other baby toys, this one is not a battery-eater - in fact, I don't recall changing the batteries even once so far. More than a year later, and half of that with frequent use, and ours is still going strong.
~* Overall *~
Just this afternoon, I pulled our Step & Play Piano out of the corner of the den, where it had been sitting unnoticed for a few months now. I cleaned off the junk that had accumulated on top of it and wiped it down, preparing to haul it to the basement to wait with the rest of her outgrown baby clothes for a sibling that may come along someday. I was more than a little surprised when Miss Too-Cool-For-Baby-Toys immediately came barreling over to get reacquainted with it - and even more so when she happily played with it for nearly an hour. Maybe it's not time to retire it to the basement just yet after all...
Sure, I still check out the new activity centers when we go to Babies R Us - and some of them seem to do everything but mow the lawn now. The Step & Play Piano won't teach your baby to count to ten or speak Spanish, but it does encourage them to get moving, and to keep moving, and challenges them to go after what it is that they see and want. (In the very early months, that was much more valuable to me.) I'm thoroughly happy with the decision I made - sooooo long ago, it seems - and am definitely hanging on to this one for babies to come. After all, who knows if I could get such a good deal again?
~* Contact Information *~
For more information, visit Fisher-Price online at www.fisher-price.com or call 1-800-432-KIDS (1-800-432-5437).
~* Also By Fisher-Price *~
Cradle Swing B0639 * Deluxe Take-Along Swing * Healthy Care Booster Seat * Kick 'N Play Piano * Laugh & Learn Learning Home * Laugh & Learn Learning Phone * Laugh & Learn Learning Table * Link-a-doos On-the-Go Goldfish * Link-a-doos Teething Ring * Ocean Wonders Aquarium * Ocean Wonders Aquarium Bouncer * Peek-a-Blocks Barnyard Friends Blocks * PowerTouch Baby: I Know My Letters * PowerTouch Baby Learning System * Roll-a-Rounds Jungle Friends Treehouse * Roll-a-Rounds Zippin’ Zoo Rounds * Sesame Street 3-in-1 Baby Explorer * Sesame Street Giggle Gabbers * Sesame Street Light-Up Pet Pals: Ernie * Sesame Street Splash & Scribble Elmo * Sparkling Symphony Twinkle Dancer * Swim 'n Spin Fish Rattle
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
krissingene
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Kristin
Location: Southern VA
Reviews written: 267
Trusted by: 120 members
About Me:
The strength of Motherhood is greater than Natural Laws. -Barbara Kingsolver
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.