Seaside Spinning Top

from VTech

by Catriona Watson |
Published on

At a glance:

Press & discover ocean animals, colours and numbers with the Seaside Spinning Top! The chunky press down plunger spins the ocean animals helping your little one discover cause and effect relationships. The press buttons introduce the crab, angelfish and starfish, colours and numbers. Includes 3 sing-along songs and 10 melodies. Suitable from six months onwards.

Would you recommend this to other mums?

Louisa: Spinning toys are a bit like 'reinventing the wheel' but they are successful as children love them. It is bright, cheerful and noisy. My little one didn't master the action and got a but frustrated- perhaps it is an age or development thing. It is bulky but it feels like a quality toy and is nicely packaged with an easy open box.

Samantha: It is a fab toy. It came ready assembled and takes hardly any room up. I like the fact it encourages interaction by getting the child to press certain buttons and asking them to count and sing along. The toy is very easy to transport and we have taken it on holiday. I like the design with the plunger as it is different than simply pressing buttons.

Rebecca: This toy is easy to carry around and small enough that you could put it in the bottom of your pushchair/pram and take it out with you. It has different volume levels which is always useful on a toy. It’s easy to clean and it’s enclosed under a plastic dome so can just be quickly wiped over and there are no concerns about mould.

How did this product make your life easier?

Nichola: The seaside spinning top is lovely and colourful. My little one loved it until he learnt to crawl as he won't sit long enough to play with it. I love the seaside theme because as well as the spinning fish there is some swaying seaweed ether side which I thought was a nice touch. My little one managed to push the plunger down, not far enough to make it spin but it turned slightly which he still enjoyed.

Ramnik: It is a safe toy to leave a child unattended with and entertains them for a good amount of time. I can leave my son playing with it and crack on with house jobs. I do not feel it makes my life any easier but this is not an expectation that I would have for this kind of toy.

Katherine: The Seaside Spinning Top is a great toy for entertaining little ones. My seven-month-old loved watching the animals spin and attempting to do this himself. At seven months, he generally needed help and supervision to play with this effectively.

Would you choose this product to win?

Jessica: Anything that enables me to put my clingy toddler down and get jobs done is a blessing. This toy is certainly a front-runner in our house for entertaining her the longest. I like the music/songs and don't find them as annoying as similar toys. I certainly think it could be a contender!

Nicola: I think this is a really fun and educational product that appeals to both girls and boys with its fun colours and ocean theme. I think it is a toy that can be enjoyed for a long time and is durable, safe and of high quality. I think for the price it offers a lot of value as it has so many additional features.

Elizabeth: I am unsure if this should win this category. The stand out feature is that it allows the baby to use it independently without waiting for someone else to make the movement or noises. It does have an educational value with the sounds but these are not the vital component of the toy. This is a very good toy at a relatively reasonable price point but I am not sure how long this will keep my baby’s attention and interest for.

What changes would you make to this product?

Mark: As it is seaside related, I would suggest making it bath-friendly. If it was bath friendly you could easily create another range of toys around it for bath time and bring those creatures to life and sounds to life. Adding suckers to the base to keep it secure would also be good.

Louisa: The buttons at the bottom of the toy are in an awkward place for baby to see and push. Unless seated in front of a table with it at eye-level you cannot see where to push them. The buttons are a bit small for little hands and I had to turn the item on its back to enable us to play with these. Perhaps they were designed with slightly older children in mind. It is on the expensive side but it does more than the average spinning top so it is justified.

Samantha: There could be more songs as it can get repetitive. The toy is really interactive with all the music and movement but I think it would definitely benefit from another song and more activities for the child to complete.

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