Hellobee

I think it’s pretty common for little kids to enjoy music, but Juliet takes it to another level. Since she was able to pull to stand Juliet has been dancing her way into our hearts. She loves to shake and move at any sound, whether it be you singing, to Drake’s marching band (eg him banging on things loudly while screaming), or to the songs that many of her toys play. She does the most adorable tushie wiggle as well as a shoulder shimmy and arm swing, and it seems like her whole body is ready to dance at a moment’s notice. All her grandparents have told us we have to sign her up for dance classes when she is older, as the sight of her shaking her tush in a tutu is a sight they all can’t wait to see. Her dancing lights us all up, including Drake, and we really try to get her to dance every moment because we love it so much. Here are some toys to inspire your own little music lover.

1) Allio MP3 Player – Juliet accidentally knocked the remote on the floor one morning and the TV flashed on to a Latin music station. Juliet started to dance like crazy, shaking her hips and tush, swinging her arms, and spinning in a circle. It was amazing. I kept the station on for a while and changed it to a children’s music station a bit later. After that day Juliet would stare longingly at the TV every day for a week (until she forgot I bet!) wanting the music to come back on. I decided that for her Christmas gift I wanted to get her some kind of music player. After searching for children’s MP3 players I came upon this Allio player and knew it was perfect. Besides being shaped like an adorable bunny, it comes pre-loaded with a lot of children’s songs. You also can download your own MP3s to it and even record little songs or notes in it. The ears also function as a night light. I ordered it immediately as it was low stock and when it arrived I was surprised to see how large it actually was. I was imagining a small handheld device but the bunny is actually several inches tall, which might be even more attractive and fun for Juliet & Drake. I can’t wait to test it out after Christmas.

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3) Fisher Price Record Player – This toy makes me nostalgic because I had it as a child. Drake & Juliet are going to be even farther removed from the idea of a record player than I was, but I think the idea of putting the pin down on the grooves of the record are going to be just as appealing as it was when I was young. I remember drifting off to sleep to the sound of this toy and I so wish I had kept it for my kids in hindsight.

4) B Woofer Guitar – This was Drake’s Christmas gift a few Christmas back. He loved playing with Mr Chocolate’s guitar so I got him one of his own to strum along. Drake likes to strum the strings but Juliet loves the little ditties programmed in and will push the nose then dance along to the little jingle. As an adult I find the songs more cute than annoying, which is always a plus when it comes to electronics.

5) Musical Instrument Sets – What could be better for the music lover than musical instruments to create their own beautiful music (noise) to boogie to. We have tons of instruments already including the guitar above, a xylophone, piano, and maracas of all kinds, but if I were to buy a set I am keen on this little drum kit, these wooden instruments, and this deluxe band set. Drake loves handing out instruments for the family to make a marching bad and even uses pot covers for cymbals and drums.

6) Mozart Magic Cube – This was one of Juliet’s Christmas presents last year and it’s still played with and loved in our home. Last Christmas Juliet was too young to really understand the toy, but Drake really took to it. We keep it in the playroom and Drake seemed to like having it play in the background while he played. I think it was from this toy that Juliet fell in love with music. She was too small at time to dance and move around yet, but she loved watching the lights flash. Drake would often set it down with her and press it, then go play and come back to press it over and over again as Juliet sat by it admiring the sounds and colors. Now they both dance and play to it!

7) Karaoke Player – This toy looks like it might have features to entertain both my kids: the microphone and special voice changers for Drake and the songs and educational value for Juliet. It also seems to have a wider range of children’s songs than many other toys, which is great since Drake is always interested in learning new nursery rhymes and different children’s songs to sing on his own. Reviews seem to be very positive as well on durability.

8) Leapfrog Violet – Violet stays in Juliet’s crib with her as Scout does with Drake. When Juliet is ready for bed I always turn on the bed time music as her signal that it’s bed time. I’ve been doing it with her since she was a baby as I did with Drake, and it’s a great cue. The songs are soothing and oftentimes, as with Drake when he was little, I hear Juliet turning the music back on again if she hasn’t fallen asleep by the time it finishes. In the morning when she wakes up she plays different songs by hitting a different paw and I hear her giggling along to it. When I walk in she is often having a dance party in her crib. It’s a great soft musical toy she can have with her for bed time and morning play.

9) Leapfrog Ocean Music School – We have the similar counting train toy that sings Old McDonald and a few other songs, and Drake and Juliet both love playing with it. I keep it upstairs in my bedroom to entertain them if I need to take a quick shower or am straightening the upstairs rooms. The reason I am looking into the ocean one is it seems more dedicated to teaching about musical instruments and the idea of creating your own music.

10) Lamaze Soft Chime Flowers – I wish I had bought this for Juliet when she was younger. I remember this toy from my nannying days and it was adorable. The little girl I watched at the time loved sniffing the flowers and carrying them around and she clapped and laughed when the flowers would light up and sing to her.

What are some of your little one’s favorite musical toys?