Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby's First Blocks
by Fisher Price
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List Price: Our Price: $6.89 You Save: $3.10 (31%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby's First Blocks
Customer Review: Concerned about possible use of harmful chemicals
Summary: 1 Stars
My son received this toy as a gift for his 6-month birthday. At the time, I remember hearing about how some plastic toys (often made in China) contain harmful chemicals that are known to cause cancer and feeling concerned that this toy might be one of them. I didn't do anything for awhile, seeing how my son enjoyed playing with the toy and thinking (stupidly) that if this toy were truly harmful, it wouldn't be sold in the U.S.
One day, I came across this toy on Amazon and noticed the warning to CA residents under "Product Details." I couldn't believe it when I read this toy is made with harmful chemicals known to "cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." I bet a lot of people who are giving this toy 5 stars are not aware of the warning.
UPDATE TO REVIEW ON 10-28-09: Amazon has removed the warning about the harmful chemicals, and in response to an inquiry I sent them told me "Product information from the item detail is added or deleted upon manufacturers information." Amazon suggested I contacted FP, which I did, and the FP rep said he couldn't find anything in their records indicating the toy's manufacturing had been changed. The toy's production has not been altered since 2007. He suggested that perhaps the warning wasn't accurate, and that's why it was removed. That may be, but it seems like a pretty big mistake for Amazon to make on multiple FP toys. I see now that none of the FP toys that previously had this warning have it now.
As for my son's reaction to the toy, he liked to bang the pieces together and put them in his mouth, but he never bothered to try to sort the shapes since the top doesn't stay in place, as others have mentioned. My son always removed the top and took out all of the pieces, no matter how many times I showed him how to sort the shapes with the top in place. Talk about poor design! I should have given it 1 star for the "educational" rating in hindsight, but I figured that theoretically it could be of some value if a child didn't remove the top. Also, Amazon wouldn't let me go back and change my ratings.
I just got another shape sorter for him from Amazon (the Tolo Rolling Shape Sorter), and within minutes he tried to put the shapes in the slots because he couldn't remove either the top or the bottom of the unit. Now that's an educational toy!
Customer Review: Great toy!
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband & I love this toy. My 10 month old plays with it everyday & has since she's been 7 months old.
Although I agree that the lid comes off easily, I don't see it as a problem. Infact, I actually like that about the toy because it can be used to hold other toys. There is no way a 6 month old has the ability to fit the shapes in the correct holes anyhow- that is a much more advanced skill that my friend's 2 year old is just learning now with the same exact toy. So I would argue that this toy is good for children of all ages because it can be used for many different stages of development. When she first started playing with the toy she'd just put the blocks in her mouth & knock the container over to spill them all out. Within the last few weeks we've noticed she now is much more deliberate and will take the blocks out & place them back into the container without knocking anything over. We can really see her development with this toy more so than with any other. Perhaps this is because she plays with them everyday. We also like this toy more than any other because it allows us to interact with her so much more. We can play with the blocks with her such as building towers for her to knock down, showing her the colors & shapes & how they fit, even tossing or rolling them back & forth to get her used to the idea of rolling, catching & throwing. The 2 biggest complaints I have are that 1) they are easy to lose, and 2) they are impossible to find in the stores. Toyrus doesn't have them in their stores or online as far as I can tell, and I could only find them in an actual target store, not online at all. So if you want this toy I suggest you order it from Amazon.com and don't even bother looking for it anywhere else.
Customer Review: An instant favorite in our house!
Summary: 5 Stars
These blocks were a gift for our twin boys, who started playing with them at about 6 months. Both boys instantly loved these blocks. They are easy to hold in small hands and the colors and shapes seem to be engaging. We have dozens of toys but this bucket of blocks are always the first thing either baby plays with. They are so drawn to them in fact, we used these blocks as stimulation to encourage the boys to sit up on their own for the first time by placing a couple at their feet, and now use them to entice crawling. While they are not anywhere close to actually sorting them through the appropriate holes, in the three months they've been playing with these, the red bucket and the lid are every bit as much fun as the blocks themselves. It is not uncommon to see each baby with a couple blocks or a piece of the bucket despite having countless other options for toys. As parents we love the shapes and colors and are constantly reinforcing both during play. I like that these can grow with the babies for a while. They started out just holding them, then teething with them, banging them together to make noise, now they put them into the bucket, eventually they can sort the shapes. Many of the toys we have been given have very short windows of appropriateness for babies, these blocks are certainly getting use throughout the first year of development and probably beyond. And while they probably would have enjoyed them earlier than about 6 months, they were best once they could sit unassisted, as occasionally someone would tip over onto a block and bonk a head. Once they were stable sitting the blocks were a hit!Customer Review: Not horrible, but there are better out there
Summary: 3 Stars
There isn't much to say about a shape sorter - they are (in general) great for young toddlers. It's one of the better early brain development toys, and any "game" where the goal is to put all the pieces away is something worth embracing.
That being said, most shape sorters aren't going to appear much different, so there is generally going to be one or two things that differ from one to the other. The Fisher Price model here has a rectangular base which stays firm, and comes with a carrying handle (which is nice, I guess.) The shape blocks have a small hole in the middle to make it a little less of a choking hazard.
However the major flaw with the product is the top of the sorter. It is easily removable, even by accident. Just pulling up on the top through the holes can pull off the top, eliminating any of the "challenge" of putting the blocks through the holes. I guess you could say the real brain development of this toy is whether they can figure out how easy it is to just remove the top.
I would think most toddlers don't want to take the cheap way out, so if you can find this cheap enough here (or need the immediate gratification of finding it in a brick & mortar store) then it's not a horrible pick, but if you're looking for a shower gift, I'd highly recommend the Tolo Rolling Shape Sorter instead. For a few dollars more, you get a much better product with locking tops (both sides) and rattling blocks.
Customer Review: Great toy
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this when my daughter was 6 months old. She loved to chew on the blocks. Occasionally, I would try to get her to put the blocks in the bucket and yes she would just rip the yellow lid off. My thought process was she's just a baby and she doesn't have to know her colors and shapes and learning shouldn't be a chore at that age.
Now that she is 2, she likes to put the shapes in bucket with the lid on. She knows the names of all the shapes but doesn't really know the colors just yet. She absorbs so much by interaction and by people saying the words to her. Not drilling her on a formal level, just by playing. You'd be suprised how much better kids will learn if you gave objects a name instead of saying "Pick that up over there, go get that. No not that, that!" Calling objects "that" does not allow children to learn that objects have different names and especially what those names are. I have said, "Where's the triangle? Go get the triangle. Let's put the triangle in this hole." When she was 13 months, half the time I'd have to go pick up the triangle because there were too many things and she didn't know which object the triangle was but eventually she learned it and now she knows which hole the triangle goes in. I'm sure if I was more vocal with colors she would be there too. I'm not too stressed though. She'll learn her colors eventually.