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The Best Musical Baby Toys – New 2020 Reviews

Music plays an important role in child development, starting in the early fetal stages and continuing into preschool and beyond. Songs and musical sounds help develop creativity, memory, language and many other skills. Plus, music is also very soothing and can help create a consistent sleep schedule.

Musical toys are often better and more fun for kids than simply listening to music. Kids can interact with a toy to make their own music. Also, musical toys can use songs to teach a variety of subjects such as letters, numbers, shapes, geography and more.

Looking for the best musical baby toys in 2020? Our complete buyer’s guide, including the best toys of the year, starts right now.

LeapFrog Musical Rainbow Tea Set

The LeapFrog Musical Rainbow Tea Set features songs, colors and plenty of fun for any tea party. The teapot makes realistic gurgling and sloshing noises. Also lights up with six different colors. Of course, what’s a Musical Tea Set without songs? Features seven sing-along songs which helps teach greetings, manners and polite behavior.

The tea set is great for parties with stuffed animals and friends. Includes six pieces of toy cake. The “flavor” of each slice matches with a “flavor” of tea. Lifting the teapot’s lid reveals a shiny mirror.

This tea set helps develop social skills including sharing, small group communication and patience. Plus, kids learn matching and colors by connecting the cake flavors to the type of tea. Don’t have a tea party without this Musical Rainbow Tea Set.

NextX Baby Electronic Keyboard Toy

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The NextX Baby Musical electronic keyboard and percussion toy is perfect for introducing preschoolers to a whole world of new sounds. By pressing the large center button, the child can select between musical instruments, songs and animals sounds. Features six piano keyboards, three drums and more. Also includes a variety of lights which flash in time to the music.

Kids love the colorful design. The toy is made from durable, non-toxic ABS plastic with round edges. Kids can bang away on the drum pads and piano keys without harming their hands or causing any damage to the toy. Weighing just a pound, the toy can easily be picked up and carried by most kids.

Play helps kids learn about different types of instruments and animals. Also helps develop a variety of motor skills including finger flexibility and hand-eye coordination.

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy

Give your child an early introduction to the classics with the Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes musical toy. Plays seven classic pieces by the world’s greatest composers including Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin and more. The large button lets kids toggle through each song which is accompanied by colorful lights which flash in time with the music.

Safe for children three months and older. However, many kids don’t show much interest in the toy until the age of six months. This toy is easy to transport. You can adjust the volume low enough that it can be used in a restaurant or other public place without causing a disruption. Also a good choice for helping a child fall asleep.

Lamaze Cosimo Concerto

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Meet Cosimo the multi-colored musical zebra! Kids love his bright colors, fun patterns and friendly face. Cosimo makes music, too. Each of his stripes plays a different musical note when pressed. He can also play a special song on his own, too.

Cosimo is made by Lamaze, a company known for their commitment to toys which both entertain and educate. The bright colors on this zebra help develop vision in young children, while older children will enjoy making their own unique musical tunes.

Fisher-Price Rattle ‘n Rock Maracas

Fun for the eyes, ears and hands, these colorful rattles are filled with beads which spin around with every shake. The Rattle ‘n Rock Maracas are designed for very young kids who are just learning to grasp (which is the ability to hold and release an object at will). With a soft pomp on the end of each rattle, the toy is safe and easy for little hands to use.

The Rattle ‘Rock Maracas have a simple design but no shortage of benefits. Regular play helps develop your baby’s senses and gross motor skills. Set includes one yellow and one green maraca.

VTech Musical Rhymes Book

Take nursery rhymes to a whole new level with this VTech Musical Rhymes Book. The book includes six classic nursery rhymes. Each page is fully interactive with flashing lights, sounds and activities to slide and twist. Includes a total of over 40 songs, melodies, sounds and phrases.

The book has two modes of play. Learning mode focuses on increasing vocabulary while music mode plays songs and instrument sounds. Playing with the interactive features on each page also helps develop fine motor control. Recommended for kids between the ages of six months and three years.

Infantino Hug and Tug Musical Bug

The Hug and Tug Musical Bug plays a short, catchy tune. The 90-second song starts when the bug is pulled out to its full length. As the bug’s body folds upward, the tune plays. This soft, huggable bug includes two clacker rings and a “peek n’ see” mirror.

This musical toy is perfect for cribs, strollers and car seats. The short songs are perfect for young attention spans. Plus, kids love to watch the smiling bug move.

PBOX Crab Bubble Bath Toy

When your baby goes into the bath, you can stick this frog onto the side of the tub or let it float in the middle of the seas while it sings songs to your baby. The lightweight construction and bubble unit make the entire toy more animated than most baby bath toys.

However, the music and bubbles have a cost: batteries and bubble solution. You won’t find yourself needing to replenish the batteries too often, but you will need to add new bubble solution after each bath because it tends to spill.

Tomy Bath Do Rae Mi Dolphins

The eight dolphins in this toy set each emit a unique tone which matched their color coding. Aspiring musicians will love to tap on the different dolphins around the tub to make songs of their own.

Adults will find these dolphins slightly less charming, however. Each dolphin requires a separate battery, and they may not necessarily run out of batteries in a synchronized fashion. This means that you’ll be spending a lot of time replacing batteries.

PBOX Octopus Bubble Machine Bath Toy

These bath toys float, squirt water, and entertain your child with their gorgeous design and friendly demeanor. When your child fills them with water and squeezes them with the right pressure, the water will squirt out and play a quasi-musical tone.

The only issue with this tone is that a child with poor motor control will make the dinosaur sound more like flatulence than beautiful music.

Frequently Asked Questions

Kids respond to music from a very early age. Music is more than just entertaining to a child. Songs help kids learn a huge variety of concepts. For example, how did you learn the alphabet? If you’re like most people, you were taught the alphabet song when you were young. The same idea applies to tons of different subjects from numbers to geography and more.

While listening to songs can be effective, most kids prefer more activity. This is where a musical toy can really shine. Any toy which plays songs or allows kids to make musical noises is considered a musical toy.
There are a lot of options out there but we’re here to help. Here’s what you need to know when shopping for a musical toy:

What Types of Musical Toys are Available?

Musical toys for babies and kids can be divided into two broad categories. First, musical toys can be miniature, kid-friendly versions of real instruments, like a tiny guitar or keyboard. Musical toys can also be items which don’t resemble instruments but sing songs or maker other musical noises. The Musical Rainbow tea set is an example.

Babies and young children aren’t able to play any complicated toy instruments. So most musical baby toys are non-instrument items which use sounds and songs to hold the child’s attention. However, you will often find some overlap between the two types. For instance, the Cosimo zebra doesn’t look like a piano, but each of his stripes does make musical tones.

What Benefits Do Musical Toys Have?

Toy musical instruments can help children develop a lifelong interest in playing music. When they’re able to hold and play with a toy, they’ll be far more comfortable trying out a real instrument in just a few years.

However, musical toys also do much more. Any type of toy which sings songs or makes musical noises has a variety of benefits for growing minds.

Most babies and young kids want tactile feedback in a musical toy. They want to press a button, pull a switch or otherwise engage with the toy to create different tunes. This audio reinforcement encourages kids to play with the toy, which helps develop fine motor skills. Babies under six months old often have blurry vision, so toys which make noise help increase engagement.

Toys which play songs help develop language skills, especially in children between the ages of two and nine. Music helps kids learn new words easily. Also helps kids learn new concepts. You can find musical toys which teach letters, numbers, shapes, colors and more. Once kids are old enough to understand language, the repetition and rhyme in a song are often a valuable teaching tool. (source)

How Safe are Musical Baby Toys?

They’re very safe as long as you follow the recommended age guidelines. You want to make sure the toy has no small parts which could be swallowed. Also check out the weight of the toy. Toys which make noises are often battery powered. You want to make sure its light enough to not cause any accidental damage if dropped or thrown (at other kids, walls, furniture, etc.)

Do Musical Toys Make a Lot of Noise?

Yes, there will probably be a lot of noise at times. Young kids are just becoming familiar with sounds. As every parent knows, kids can often find a way to make any toy loud.

Most musical toys play at a reasonable volume. Toy instruments can often be a lot louder, especially percussion instruments. You’ll want to make sure the maximum volume of the musical toy will be appropriate for wherever you plan to take the toy.

Do Musical Toys Help Kids Sleep?

Absolutely. Plenty of musical toys help soothe a baby to sleep. Typically, you want a toy which plays a song. Classical music or other songs without lyrics are often the most relaxing. You also want the song to play for a long time. For example, the Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes plays classical music for about 20 minutes, making it a good choice for nighttime.

Final Thoughts

Practically from birth, kids are fascinated with music and melodies. But musical toys are more than just fun. They combine audio with physical actions to help kids develop motor skills, learn academic concepts and much more. Plus, toy instruments can help a child discover a lifelong love of playing music. Using our guide above, you’re sure to find an age-appropriate musical toy which your child will love – and that should be music to any parent’s ears!