Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy Review
- Posted On September 16, 2019
As a parent, you probably have some experience with various toys. Some are too loud, some are pretty tedious, and then there are those that are borderline impossible to have fun with.
3 to 36 months
One-piece toy
Fun
Musical
Engaging
If you’re looking for a fun, colorful, and musical toy – the Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes is an excellent choice. It’s simple, easy to use, and offers countless hours of fun adventures.
Take Along Tunes: The Basics
The Take Along Tunes toy is a small, battery-powered handheld device designed to play music and display colorful lights at the same time. The important thing to point out is that both music and visual effects are synchronized. In simpler terms, the lights follow the rhythm.
This is a perfect toy for boys and girls up to age 3 who like technology but aren’t allowed to use it for various reasons, mainly because they are too young. Given that this toy is foreseen to resemble an MP3 player, it is an ideal substitute for the real thing, especially if you have a kid who’s into high-tech gadgets.
Additionally, it’s quite easy to use, which is a welcome feature because most other toys that are more complex usually tend to become too hard to handle for a young child. Consequently, the fun factor falls off significantly, and the toy ends up in the corner. Luckily, that’s not the case with this particular toy as it only requires a mere push of a button to become the most fun thing in the world, at least for a couple of hours.
While it doesn’t come with massive educational properties, this unit is still a great toy as far as audio stimulation, and sensory development go. Lights and music are usually a winning combination in most cases, especially when coupled with chewable handles and colorful parts.
What You See and What You Get
When it comes to toys for kids, one of the most important things you should focus on is the build quality. The reason behind this is pretty simple – these toys are bound to be thrown, dropped, and mishandled, so it’s imperative that they are made of quality and durable materials.
The Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes musical toy is made of hard plastic and can withstand quite a beating before it starts showing signs of damage. This is a great feature because, as a parent, you can rest easy knowing that your kid’s new toy won’t come apart in a matter of seconds.
This is a chew toy because of the handle. So it’s perfect for 1-year-old boys and girls. The handle is somewhat of a controversy, but nonetheless, it’s there to be used. Now, while the handle is completely safe to chew on, it’s not something many parents would recommend, given that it’s quite hard to keep it clean and safe at all times. On the other hand, if your child is playing in a clean and safe environment, there is no reason to discourage chewing.
The included music is soothing and exciting at the same time, especially when the toy lights up. Some parents have pointed out their concerns about the longevity of the included melodies, saying that they are rather short and could be a bit longer. Given that there are seven melodies included by default, it’s safe to say there’s enough music to listen to, but then again, they could have added a couple more melodies to keep the fun factor at a high level.
How To Use
One of the greatest advantages of this particular toy is its ease of use. Unlike the vast majority of other interactive toys, this one does not require too much fine-tuning at all. All you have to do is put in a couple of AA batteries, turn the toy on, and that’s it!
Switching between melodies is also a piece of cake. There are four color- coded buttons which can be used for switching between songs, and they don’t require any effort at all. In other words, you don’t have to pay too much attention to the toy once your kid starts playing with it because it’s quite simple and straightforward – press a button – the melody will start playing.
As far as batteries go, this toy comes with two AA batteries included, but we would strongly recommend changing them as soon as possible. The included batteries tend to be of somewhat poor quality, and they usually don’t last long. However, if you prepare a fresh pair of batteries, you can count on countless hours of fun and excitement.
As we’ve mentioned, seven timeless melodies are included with this toy. They are as follows:
– Serenade No. 13 in G, Mozart
– Nocturne No. 6, Mozart
– Piano Sonata in A, Mozart
– Waltz in GB Op. 70, No.1, Chopin
– The Four Seasons, Spring, 1st movement, Vivaldi
– The Four Seasons, Summer, 1st and 3rd movements, Vivaldi
– William Tell Overture, “Lone Ranger” Rossini
Some parents have said that they would like seeing a list of more “popular” melodies, but many studies have shown that classical music has a massively positive impact on young kids.
Each tune plays for about 30 50 seconds, which isn’t impressive by any means, but it’s sufficiently long to keep your child interested and excited. Toys that play longer melodies tend to become an annoyance after a while.
Buyer's Guide
PROS
- Easy to use
- Fun to play with
- Colorful lights
- No audio distortion
CONS
- Somewhat short melodies
- Paper decals tend to peel off after a while
Advantages
The high fun factor is considered to be one of the main advantages of this particular toy. While it might not seem like a massive advantage in and of itself, toys with a high fun factor are quite rare nowadays, so it’s definitely a feature worth mentioning.
Lack of audio distortion is something that catches most parents off guard. The vast majority of battery powered toys struggle with audio quality, which consequently leads to annoying predicaments. However, when it comes to Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes toy, audio distortion is virtually non-existent. It may occur when battery levels drop low, but that’s something you simply cannot prevent or avoid.
The colorful display is a great visual distraction and provides visual stimulation, even though it’s quite simple and straightforward. The fact that the melodies are synchronized with light patterns makes this toy a great resource for teaching kids about music and visual stimulants.
The volume control button is also a nice addition, even though it doesn’t seem like it deserves to be mentioned. Most parents consider volume control buttons to be mandatory, especially when it comes to toys for particularly young kids (6-12 months). As you may know, not having a button that controls the volume levels turns into a burden quite quickly if you have a playful and excited child. Thankfully, this toy allows you to control the volume at all times and fine-tune it to your own preferences.
Disadvantages
Now that we’ve covered all the good things, it’s time to point out some flaws.
The first thing most parents notice is the fact that each melody lasts only about 30-50 seconds. Whether this is a game-breaking disadvantage is up for debate, but it’s definitely something you should keep in mind. Given that most melodies that are included with the toy are originally 15-20 minutes long, it would be quite unrealistic to expect them to be integrated in full length. Instead, you get a 50 second cut, which is enough to keep your kid entertained and interested.
Another thing that might be good to know is the issue with decals peeling off after a while. Since it is something that you can expect with almost any toy, it’s not a massive predicament, to begin with, but it can be a burden, especially if your kid is prone to chew stuff (most kids are). In the worst-case scenario, you’ll find your young one chewing a paper decal relentlessly, which isn’t a big deal in and of itself. However, make sure to inspect the decals for tearing after and before every use; it doesn’t hurt to be extra careful.
While this is a toy that has a couple of flaws, the advantages significantly outweigh the shortcomings.
To Conclude
As far as simple and easy-to use toys go, the Baby Einstein Musical Toy would be an excellent choice for parents who aren’t keen on wasting hours to mindlessly stroll through a toy store in search for a perfect product. It does come with a few shortcomings, but none of them are deal-breaking by any means.
If you’re looking to stimulate audio and visual development early in your child’s life, this is the perfect toy for that. It’s portable, durable, and most importantly – it will keep your kids occupied for hours. As a parent, those are probably the three most important elements you’re looking for in a toy. Don’t hesitate to give this toy a go; it’s definitely a worthy investment.
Catherine is a writer from Canada who simply loves toys, collectibles and superhero figurines. Writing is her passion, but she also loves reading, enjoying her “me time” and finding new ways to improve her work and ways to entertain the readers.
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