This is basically a set of toys which each make a different type of noise, really glorified rattles, however I have been really pleased with this set.

Halilit wasn't a brand I was familiar with before and I just happened across this set when searching Amazon for Christmas present ideas.

~ Cost and Availability ~

As I said above I bought this from Amazon for around £15. I can also see that you can buy this from a number of different online retails costing between £15 - £20 for the set.

~ The Set ~

To start this is called "First Birthday" set, however, my daughter was only 6 months at Christmas. In my opinion this set is good for babies who are able to pick items up - around 3-4 months old. There is nothing in this set which is dangerous i.e. small pieces and I feel that it has assisted in my daughters development.

The set consists of 5 "instruments" and a CD of music to "play" along to.

Bell shaped rattle - this is probably the easiest for a baby to use, as it is quite small, light and the handle is shaped for easy grasping. It is a bright orange plastic handle, with a bell shaped end made out of clear plastic with small plastic balls inside the. I think this would be appropriate from around 3 months as the child can practice their hand and eye coordination, as this was one of the first toys I saw my daughter pass from one hand to the other.

Jingle bell - This is a round shaped yellow plastic toy with a half moon cut out for a handle on one side, and the otherside are jingly bells inset into the plastic. This is larger and slightly heavier than the bell shaped rattle, but does make a lovely noise. It is probably my daughters favourite of the set. This is the one she chooses to shake around when Daddy is sitting with her playing guitar. She really does love music and I think this helps her feel she is joining in.

My daughter has never really been one to mouth and chew on toys, however, this is the only exception. All of the teething rings she rejected and has decided this is the best thing to chew on.

Clacking rattle - this is a bit larger than the other two, where one side is a handle, and the other side is a pole with shaped plastic disks which "clack" against each other when shaken. My daughter is more interested in touching and flicking the disks than shaking to make a noise, however, it does keep her interest.

Drum - This is a large and flat (about the size of a side plate) with two "drum" plastic surfaces, with a hard plastic rim. One side of the "drum" surface is colourful picture, and the other side is clear. Inside the drum there are plastic beads. My daughter both loves batting the drum and to pick it up with the rim and shake around to make different types of noise. It took a while for my daughter to grasp how to pick this toy up as it is larger than everything else, she started picking up with both hands and now is able to pick up with one (8 months).

Rainmaker - this is a small "rainmaker" which is a plastic cylinder with beads inside with bits that the beads have to fall through, mimicking the sound of falling rain. It is only short, less than 10cm long but quite wide, so my daughter has only just managed to pick it up (she does have quite dainty hands). However now she loves sitting there and shaking it around.

CD - this is a music CD with songs that can be played along to. I've only listened to the CD and do not usually put it on while my daughter it playing. I think when she is a little older 1-2 years this may be more relevant to her.

~Conclusion~

On the whole I think this is a brilliant set and is well made. I like the fact that each toy makes a different sound. It stimulates a lot of baby's senses - sound, sight and touch (and if your baby is like mine - taste) and helps develop fine motor skills i.e. picking up and dropping, choosing between toys on the floor in front of them, passing items from one hand to the other.

I also like that these are simple no battery toys, as too many of modern toys are heavily electronic orientated.