My boys have gone through so many toys already at their tender age of 21 months, some have been brilliant and worth every penny whereas others have been a total waste of time and money! One that comes in the first catagory have been Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Keys. I was lucky enough to find a set of these at a Bootsale and pay just £1 but if I had of paid full price for them in a store I would be just as pleased as they have been fantastic and I'm sure they will continue to please both my boys and me!

To be honest the keys don't look anything special and would probably be hard to really capture anyones attention in a shop. When I think of toy Keys I think of rattles, but this isn't a shake about ring with keys on the end it's alot more than that.

To start with these keys are suitable for children aged 6-36 months which I totally agree with!

Three keys come dangling off a chunky and durable plastic case which is where you put your batteries by unscrewing the door on the back. This toy does require 3 AAA batteries and from looking on websites that stock this it doesn't actually come with them. On the front of this chunky case is three colourful buttons each in a triangle shape to nestle comfortably and neatly at the bottom so it all looks organised and together. Each triangle button is quite large and easily pressed down they require no force or strength just a simple push of the finger will do, so suitable for babies as it doesn't leave them struggling to reap the rewards from this toy.

There is surprisingly alot of rewards and fun that comes with this toy.

Each button has a different brightly coloured background and each has a different coloured picture on the face of it. When each button is pressed an enthusiastic women either tells you the colour, the picture name or she says a sentence with the picture name included. Let's make this simple for you, here's an example,

On the Blue button we have a Red Boat.
Press the button and the lady says in a clear and precise voice 'Blue'
Press it again and in the same voice we hear, 'Red Boat'.
Press the button just once more and you can listen to her sentence which could be, 'I have a Red Boat'.

The woman isn't all that boring though she doesn't just say these things she even sings, which adds to the fun excitement and learning.

You can hear exactly what she says as she is clear and has just the right volume, she is not too quiet so you question what she says but she's not loud enough to pierce yours or your babies ears either. The fact that what she says is repeated makes quick learning for toddlers who let repetition of words etc sink in like a sponge soaks up water. It was in fact this toy that taught them the word 'Car' and they even knew what button to press to hear it again, now they are 'brummer' and 'car' mad thanks to that button. If however you don't fancy listening to the words or the noise there is on the side an on/off switch for convenience.

Now for the keys, well attached to the bottom of the white chunky case is a ring of material with a plastic circle hanging off it that has a small gap which allows your keys to hook onto to make them secure enough for young babies not to pull off yet easy for a parent to just unhook them if need be.

Each key is plastic and has rounded edges to make it safe for children, each key has a differenct acitivity and many colours to make it eyecatching and fun for any child.

You have a bright orange key with a bright blue car that can spin and click - introducing new movements and sounds to a child. The bottom end of the key is multicoloured rollers which can be spun - again introducing colours and new movements which is all so fun and entertaining for young children.

The green key has a yellow house at the top with a spinning orange door, this key also has multicoloured rollers that can be spun but these spin in a different direction and are also a different shape.

The blue key has a red boat that you can slide side to side - it slides along wavy lines which resembles waves. The bottom of the key is encased in a see through window the wave theme continues inside this with blue squiggly lines and small colourfull balls wiggle about inside. This makes noises too the way a rattle does.

The toy is as simple as I've made it sound but it has provided so much fun as my boys have grew. At first I didn't think they would think much of it being only 7 months when I bought it but the bright colours and unusual noises pinged their attention for a few minutes at least. These giant plastic keys that dangled before their eyes were astonishing. They soon grew though and were able to move their hands and fingers exactly how they wanted as well as being able to hold things comfortably. The white casing is chunky and does weigh a little for a small toy but it is not too heavy for a toddler, for a younger baby who is just beginning to hold things I would be careful though as it may be a little weighty.

As they gained confidence holding heavier objects they become comfortable holding this one whether the keys were attached or not. The keys were the first astonishment. They were interested in the spinning rollers that spun at a speed their eyes couldn't keep up with as well as the sliding boat. They couldn't work out why it wouldn't come off though! The spinning door on the house took their interest too and of course that car, especially when they realised it clicked as they moved it. Grr that constant clicking lol!

I switched the on/off button to ON and that is when the fun begun, they were around 1 when they first started listening to it. They would sit for ages pressing buttons continously until even the woman got confused and seemed to be babbling rubbish. They soon started to listen carefully though and really try and take in what the woman was saying. Slowly and gradually they picked out a few words, it also helped that I spoke about cars and boats too so they instantly recognised a few words and wanted to keep pressing to hear these few words they had already heard. Before I knew it they were babbling songs singing along with the woman too.

Now both being 21 months the fun hasn't lessened one bit, only now they understand properly what a car is, as well as a boat and they even roleplay with the keys at my back and front doors. As they grow now I know this toy which has kept their interest and captured their heats for so long now will help them learn the basic colours too.

I have been so impressed with this toy, alot of toys I buy have been looked at in disgust and never been looked at again. This one has been different though. Reading on the internet about it and what it can teach the descriptions have been EXACTLY right. Sometimes products, especially toys come with waffling info to try buy you in which later leaves you devatated when it's crap and doesn't do half the things you expect. On most websites you are told that this toy teaches;

First Words
Colours
Textures
Favourite Songs

This is exactly right.

It began as a simple eyecatching toy just being dangled before their eyes. It must of been love at first sight though, and the feelings mutual I think lol! The toy has not only taught them words such as Car, allowed them to feel new things such as them rollers which confused them for so long and introduced them to new sounds but it has also put up with some beatings and bashings. This is some strong plastic, yes it does have the odd mark but bearing in mind it has been thrown and chucked inside and outside now for god knows how many months it is still in fantastic condition. The age it is reccomended for is spot on - from 6 months to 36 months. From 6 months onwards it is just the basics, looking and listening, it soon grows with your child though teaching them songs, sounds and how to have fun with something so simple!

I really can't reccomend this toy enough, it is a strong and sturdy simple toy that provides so much fun and entertainment for so many ages.

It is roughly £20, maybe more to buy brand new - if I had more children in the future I would be more than happy to buy this toy again.