The Fisher Price Bounce and Spin Zebra is one of the few toys in our home that has made it through the attack of the first child and is still immaculate and in full working order for the second. It is also one of the few toys that both children loved equally. You hear about ladies buying investment pieces for their wardrobe. Well in my opinion, the Bounce and Spin Zebra is most definitely an investment piece for your play room.

I bought the Zebra when my eldest child, a little boy, was just over a year old. He was a big boy for his age and by that stage he'd been walking for a few months. The really baby toys he had were boring him and he needed something more physical. I remember waiting for my pay cheque to come through and taking him straight to the toy shop to buy him something nice. The Bounce and Spin Zebra was the one we decided on. Well, I decided on, as being one, he didn't have much say in the matter.

I remember it costing around £40, but this was three years ago now, so it has probably gone up a little. I didn't really think back then that it would be the investment that it has become. It's going to a friend soon, as my daughter has now finished with it too, and you wouldn't know it had been used at all. Not a bump, scratch or mark on it.

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What it is...
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It's a bouncing, spinning Zebra! It is exactly what it says on the box. You assemble the Zebra very easily. I managed it myself and believe me, I'm not very good at things like that. And the little one sits on the saddle and bounces themselves up and down and they can also rotate themselves too. There is a little cylinder at the head of the Zebra and it makes a rattle when the child rotates it. There are also lots of sounds, galloping noises and songs. It requires 3 AA batteries, and these are included. Mine have only been changed once in 3 years.

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And it's suitable for?...
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This is recommended for children of one year upwards, I would personally say that is quite ambitious. While it was fab for my one year old boy, who was large for his age, very strong and steady on his feet, it was not something that my one year old daughter could have used without help. She had to be held into place as she was not at the walking stage yet. She is also small for her age and her feet did not touch the floor. She would have been at least 15/16 months before the Bounce and Spin Zebra would have been enjoyable for her on her own. She's 22 months now and regularly climbs on for a quick bounce.

A child at the younger age of the scale is unlikely to be able to use the spin feature as it is a little more complicated than the Bounce feature.

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What it Promotes
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It certainly promotes a great sense of balance. When the child is on the seat, they are in control of the Zebra, it will do whatever they guide it to do. The songs and lights will flash as the child bounces and touches things, so it will also promote hand-eye co-ordination. It is really just a fun little toy, and rather than getting caught up in what my child will learn from a toy, I'm happy just to see them enjoying it. Is there any better sight that a toddler with a grin, or any better sound than a belly chuckle?


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Additional Information
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At the moment this gets used at least once a day. When my daughter goes in to her bedroom even for a second, she will sit on it and have a quick bounce. We recently moved her from her cot to a bed, which means when she wakes up she can get out of the bed herself. We usually know she is awake because we can hear the music of the Zebra! It scared the beejesus out of us the first night as we didn't know what was going on.

The Zebra has a very wide base at the bottom, so perhaps not ideal for homes that are pushed for space, but the base is necessary to keep the toy balanced.

When we have people visiting with young children, it seems that they can't resist a bounce on the Zebra either (the young children, not the parents!) It has had more than it's fair share of abuse over the years and it has taken it well. Not a single scratch. The only mark it has is where my darling daughter pushed some play doh in to the groves on the base plate. I have to scrape that out soon as my friend has just had a baby and I've offered her all our old toys so that we can make some space for more grown up ones!

A really good feature for the ears of poor mothers is that it has a degree of volume control. You can select a low volume, a high volume, or you can just turn it off. The Zebra will still bounce and spin, but it won't make any noise. My daughter has cottoned on to this now and she will switch it to the loudest setting, but we got away with it for a while!

The handlebars are very easy for little children to hold. You sometimes find they can be a little on the thick side on other children's toys, but these are good. It's been designed very well ergonomically.

I would recommend this to others in a flash. I expect my friend will get a further two years out of it, so that'll be six years by the time it is relegated. 6 years of play for £40 is a total bargain in my eyes. I think my daughter will be scolding me when I take it from her bedroom!