Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym > Reviews (11)

When my twin boys were born one of my biggest challenges was keeping them entertained. Buying a play gym seemed like and a great solution for those times when I had to spend time with one baby i.e changing or feeding or for those times when the boys were awake and I needed a break. However as a new parent it was quite a hard choice deciding on between the many play gyms available. Eventually I we opted for the Fisher Price Rainforest Play Gym and it has definitely been one of our best buys.

***What is it***

The Rainforest Playgym consists of a soft silky mat about 80cm by 80cm which is bright and colourful with felt loops around the edge to attach toys to an images of jungle creatures on. The gym has two arches across which attach to the corner of the play mat which means the gym can easily be assembled and disassembled and because it folds flat it can be easily transported in the plastic carry case that is comes in.

On the arches there is a large yellow giraffe that a mirror clips to which is great for babies to look at their reflection in. The other toys which come with the play gym or an elephant which rattles a soft monkey, a parrot with a section that rotates and a toucan with a bell inside. There are felt loops which the toys attach you so you can change the toys on the play gym and we attach other toys to these which we have bought separetly There are also two butterflies hanging from the control box which are attached and cant be removed.

On top of the arches there is a box which on the underside has lights which flash yellow and red for the baby to look at. On the upside there is the control panel. This allows you to turn on and off and control the music to one of two settings; quiet or loud. There is also a switch which allows you to have a continuous loop of music; nursey rhymes and rainforest sounds for 20 minutes, rainforest sounds alone or a function which is touch activated where the baby has to kick a toy attached to the arches to start off the music. This is a function which is great as babies get older but my boys who are 13 weeks old haven't really grasped this yet!

The gym takes 3 C size batteries.

***Price and Availability***

The Fisher Price Rainforest Playgym retails for around £59.99. It is available in most main stores which include Mothercare, Argos, Boots and Toys R Us. It is currently on special offer in Boots with £10. At £59.99 it is one of the more expensive play gyms available but it is definitely worth the money. I made the mistake of purchasing a £20 play gym which my babies both do not seem to like or find stimulating. The Fisher Price gym is very entertaining and stimulating for babies both for them lying on their backs and also on their tummies. It is also a very good quality play gym.

***Overall***

I would definitely recommend the Fisher Price Rainforest Gym to other parents and other parents to be. It is a brilliant toy which is suitable from birth. It is a more expensive play gym retailing at £55, in comparison to others play gyms sold in shops but it is very good quality and is stimulating for babies as they develop as it is so colourful and comes with a range of toys.

The range of music and rainforest sounds is just right and I think it is a definite advantage being able to have the music on a higher or lower volume!

My boys have used the play gym since they were 3 weeks old and seem to love it and haven't got bored with it. The boys love the lights and can gaze solely at the lights for up to 20 minutes at a time. The toys that come with the gym and clip onto the felt arches are good but as my boys were on the smaller side (born 4 weeks early) they couldn't reach these toys until they were around 8 weeks old. The toys are all soft apart from the elephant rattle so you need to be careful where you position this toy when it is hanging as if your baby hits it too hard it could swing back quite hard. I have looked for other Fisher Price Rainforest toys to attach to the play gym however Fisher Price do not seem to sell these. However the boys have many other brightly coloured toys which we attach so they are playing with different toys.

One of my boys can play on the mat for around 45 minutes. Even my more demanding twin who gets bored very easily with toys(usually after 5 minutes) can play on the Rainforest play gym for 30 minutes before he gets bored which I would say is a thumbs up from him!

This is a great playmat for twins as it is a decent size meaning two babies fit underneath and can play together. Obviously as your babies grow there will become a point where only one baby fits underneath but for the early months can be used as entertainment whilst you grab yourself a well deserved cuppa!! I can see the boys playing with this for another good few months yet. One of our best buys, 5 stars!