One of my good friend's mothers spent a lot of my pregnancy practicing knitting and planned to knit him a little hat when she got the hang of it. Unfortunately I don't think her knitting skills were quite up to scratch and she gave up. So instead when he was born she sent us a "My First Boy Bear Grabber Rattle". When we opened the gift I saw the little toy and instantly thought it was so cute and exactly the kind of thing I would buy.

- The Bear -
This is essentially a little soft cream teddy bear but instead of a torso there is a ring. The material of the bear is so soft and fluffy, perfect for a new born. The head, arms and legs are made from this material. The bear has two little black eyes, a soft blue nose and the inside of his ears are blue and cream striped material. There is a rattle inside the head and at the top of the head there is a little loop of ribbon so it would be possible to attach it on to something. The ring part of the bear is made from the same blue and cream striped material as the ears. Overall the look is very sweet and tasteful and really is ideal for a new baby, it makes a lovely gift.

- Playing with the Bear -
We used this bear straight away, although initially my son didn't pay it any attention! We would take this toy wherever we went and it would always be in the car seat or moses basket with our son. As he got to about six weeks old he became more interested in things around him. We would put his arm through the ring of the bear so that as he moved his arm the toy would move too and the rattle would shake. My son seemed to really like this. At around three months he was able to hold onto this himself. The ring is ideal for little hands to hold onto. It wasn't long before he was able to shake it himself and he loved doing this. This was definitely a favourite toy until he was about five months old. At this point he was more interested in bigger, more noisy toys unfortunately!

- Age Range -
This toy is suitable from birth which is definitely accurate. I would say it probably won't be of much interest to a baby over six months.

- Cleaning -
I have put this in the washing machine and it has come out very well, as good as new even.

- Price and Availability -
This is available from Mothercare and is priced at £6. I think this is a very reasonable price especially considering how much my son used it when he was little. It makes the perfect small gift for a new baby boy. There is a girls version "My First Girl Bunny Grabber Rattle" which is a cream and pink rabbit version.

- Would I Recommend? -
I would definitely recommend buying this toy for your new baby or as a gift for someone else's baby. It is a very sweet little teddy and is also a fun rattle for baby to play with.