My baby's first ever toy (Tiny Love Take-along Arch Tropical)

Member Name: azana

Product:	Tiny Love Take-along Arch Tropical
Date:	04/02/09 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: adaptable

Disadvantages: only usuable for a few months

If you are expecting a baby or looking for a surefire winner for a gift for a newborn this tiny love arch is an excellent buy.

I've been working my way through all the baby things I have amassed over five years as I have completed my family, and this is one of the things that I am really glad I bought but sad to be passing on. Unlike some toys you can buy for newborns this really does interest small children and is a very adaptable item.

The arch consists of two clips joined by a flexible arch which is fabric covered. There are 3 toys which clip on to the arch, these can be removed and also added to, tiny love produce other items which attach to the hooks. The tropical arch pictured is the exact same one I had - it had one mirrored toy (babies love mirrors), one crinkle toy, and one toy (the snail) that can be pressed to play a tune, the tune is loud enough to engage baby's attention but not too grating.

The bright colours attract your baby's attention, and there are other themed arches available too, including a fish and transport theme.

What I think is really excellent about this arch is that it can be clipped to first stage car seats, bouncer seats and also it worked well on my pushchair.

I bought this item for my second child. It was actually one of the very few items I bought second time round, by then you have worked out that you don't actually need most of the things that you think babies might want. Now it is true that most new babies are quite happy looking at leaves moving or faces, but this arch really did engage my baby as it moved around to gentle movement in the car or buggy. This toy encourages baby to make the first batting and grasping movements.

You can purchase this item for about the £15 mark, there is always a brisk trade of them on ebay too, it is an item that tends to be looked at rather than pulled or chewed at the early age for which it is intended. I would say that this item is good for newborns up to about 5/6 months or so, I(the tiny love claims an 8 months as the upper age range) but as it is likely to have daily use it is still a good buy.

Summary: a really deservedly popular baby toy