"This toy is simple for a baby to use and very entertaining for short periods of time. After reading several reviews here, I bought one for my 5 month old grandson and put it on the changing table. He grabs it immediately after I lay him down and it keeps him happy through diaper and clothing changes. Pros: It's easy for him to hold and the music is very pleasant. (I wouldn't really call this typical classical music, but rather a kids version of familiar classical selections!) It has a high/low/off volume control slider button. There are multicolored flashing lights that he likes to watch. He also loves gnawing on the handle and turning the beads around. Cons: The noise and the weight makes this toy something I wouldn't take in the car or on an airplane. It would be a hazard if thrown, and the music could be annoying to others in a confined space on longer trips. It does require batteries, another reason to limit its use to short amounts of time. A book or other "quiet" toy is what I use in the car. ~Update~ April 2014 This toy has become one of his favorites and gets dragged from room to room no matter what else we're doing. He wants it while I'm changing him, after we come in from a car ride, on the floor, in the crib after naps, before/after/during meals and would surely demand it during bath time if we'd let him have it (but can't because of the batteries!) I thought he would have grown tired of the same sounds/lights/colors by now at 8 months old, but nope... He just loves this thing! We've not had to change batteries yet (amazing, I know!) and it's been dropped from high chair height onto hard floors, drooled on, thrown and tripped over, and even banged repeatedly against crib rails and walker tray with no damage whatsoever. I highly recommend this toy for the 4 months and older group. And the price point is outstanding for the entertainment value. ~Update~ February 2015 Well, I can't say enough good things about this toy. Our grandson is almost 18 months old now, and still plays with it daily. He learned how to slide the switch off and on months ago and carries it fron place to place while dancing to the tunes. I guess I'll have to get him his own iPod soon, because he seems indignant when he can't figure out how to "shuffle" the songs on the Einstein! And the original batteries are still going strong!"
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy (Compare Deals from $6.69)
"Hello Friends, there are plenty of reviews on this toy, but mine includes that of the older version (2006) and the Newer Version which is currently being sold. They've tweaked the appearance a bit, but it's still very much the same as the one I bought for my then infant son in 2006. Today, my son is 6 years old, but I have a 2 year old daughter. This toy has had some longevity. My son loved it and carried it everywhere with him. We especially liked having the toy in the car with us because the volume level of the music is just right even when set to it's loudest, which also is good for the baby and toddler, too. A toy that is too loud can be a distraction anywhere, and not good for any babies developing hearing. Anyway, the music is a plus. It's lovely, sweet, and enjoyable even on a grown ups ears. My daughter has been toting the same one from 2006 around in the car, and often in the house while she is playing with other toys. It's got a lot of cheerful colors in it's design and from what I've experienced, both are very inviting to a boy and a girl. I recently purchased the newer version (based on my personal experience with it) as a gift for my girlfriend's 4 month old son along with about 5 other toys/educational products for infants. I can honestly say that when I received a thank you phone call from her, the first item she mentioned was this musical toy. She said her son lights up while playing with it, stays engaged with it for a while, and that it really entertains him. I have to smile and giggle at that because it brought back all the years of enjoyment that two of my children have had with it. I really enjoy writing reviews on items that can really use the attention because they have been exceptional in an ocean of not so great toys that are on the market today. I'm not a huge fan of flooding my children's lives with senseless electronic and noisy play things, but I am truly amazed at how well developed this toy is. I'd say if you're going to buy an electronic toy for your baby, start with this one because it will stand the test of time, and it will be a toy that you won't think about taking a hammer to while your child plays with it over and over again. I really recommend this musical toy for gifting as well as for your child. It's definitely one that has the potential to get great usage as your child grows."
"I bought this for my son for Christmas when he was 6 months old. It was 'okay' but not heavily used at first. Now he is almost 8 months old and LOVES this toy. I made the mistake of letting him nap with it, and instead of napping he was playing with this toy. I removed it from his crib before his next nap and that was the first thing he looked for when I laid him down. He hasn't quite figured out what he's doing to make the music go, so when it stops, he'll try shaking it. I'll start it again for him and then he'll hold it to him and listen and/or watch the lights until that song ends. When it does, he tries shaking it again to get it going. Sometimes he succeeds as he accidentally bumps the button. He's teething right now so he loves rubbing it over his gums (another use for the toy). I like that the songs are longer than the songs that play on most baby toys, and I love the music enough to play for myself sometimes. I saw a negative review regarding the button changing songs each time it's pushed. I don't see that as a negative as I recall my other son at 8 months of age, pushing a button on another toy purposefuly to get to a song he liked at which point he would stop and rock to the music. When it ended, he would cycle through the songs again until he found that one and then rock to the music again. I don't know if my baby will do what his brother did, but at least he has the option on this toy. The only reason I'm not giving it a full 5 stars is that (1) it is a bit hard and heavy and when my son first got it he cried when he banged himself with it. He's gotten used to it, but I still feel it's a bit heavy for babies; and (2) I'm concerned about him eating the sticker on the button. He hasn't yet, but I am surprised it's there on a baby toy. Other than that, I really do like it and so does my baby."
"because of the great reviews and I wanted my 12 mo old daughter to like it. She LOVES to push buttons on her toys to play music so I thought this would be great for her to carry around. But when she got it, she played with it for about 5 minutes, then tossed it aside. We've had it for 2 weeks now and she occasionally presses the button for the tunes, but I can tell its not her favorite toy. Few things I wished it had: -more buttons to press. I think having just one big button to press gets boring for my daughter. -the volume has two settings. Soft and VERY soft. I strained a little to hear the melodies on the lowest setting. Call me crazy, but I wouldn't mind another setting for medium. -songs. Yes, I know the product description is for classical TUNES. That's why I can't ding the Take Along Tunes for that. I looked at buying Fisher price Laugh and learn music player Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learning Music Player but didn't because its more then twice the cost of the Take Along Tunes. However, if my daughter doesn't show anymore interest in it, I may give this toy to my 1 year old niece and purchase the Fisher Price Music player to see if my daughter enjoys it more. Also, the lights that light up to the melody of the music are SUPER BRIGHT at night! Bright enough to light up my baby's face and car seat!"
"The pros: It does what it is designed to do. It plays the music when you hit the button. The songs are long and the sound is good. There are two volumes. I used this when my baby was learning to roll. I'd push the button and put it on the side of the baby and he would stick his neck out toward it and would flop over and that helped him learn how to roll. The cons: Now that he can actually get to the toy, I don't want him to have it. If he is holding it, then the sensitive button will get pressed over and over and the lights will blink right in his eyes. He isn't learning anything about cause and effect because it just races in rapid succession through the songs if he holds it at all. He loves the blinking lights, but he likes lights in general and would stare at a television too if one was on, but I don't want that and I don't want him just staring at lights, I want him interacting with his toys. Because of the cons, I hide this thing at the bottom of his toy box. I'll take it out every now and then thinking maybe it will go differently, but I'm constantly reminded, when I take it out, why I hid it. UPDATE: Now that my son is 13 months old, I like this toy more. He is learning about cause and effect because he will pick it up and walk around the living room with the music play and when it stops, he will look at it, push the button and then keep walking with it playing the next song. I would never ever ever recommend this toy for a child who stares at the lights, but used in this manner, it is educational and not harmful. I'm leaving my review as a 2, however, because the target audience is younger and I believe it deserves a 2 star rating for that age group."
"When it comes to a product for baby, you must care for the following few characteristics: (1) Non-toxic: baby bites anything they can find, their hands, their feet, anything you give them. lol. So the toy must be non-toxic; (2) No sharp edges: same reason as above, the toy must be baby-mouth-friendly (3) Durability: self-explanatory. baby throw things a lot, and the toy must be able to withstand that (4) Interesting: to my opinion, this is really the least important part, especially for a baby younger than 2 years. They have no idea what is been played for them, anything they see or hear is interesting. So let's rank this toy based on these attributes: (1) The toy is made of plastic.So far, I haven't seen my baby able to bite of any piece of that plastic, so I would assume it is ok. However, it would be better if the manufacturer specify what is in the content of the plastic; (2) As you can see in the picture, no sharp edges so far. All edges are round-shaped. That is good for baby's hands and mouth. (3) This toy has fallen from baby-stroller height several times, and so far it is still intact. Not sure how much longer it can still hold up though. My baby is pretty active. One down-side of having not very solid toy is that, it will create a sharp-edge if one piece falls off. That is something you wanna watch for. (4) In terms of the number of music stored in the toy, I don't really care that much. So far I don't see my baby show any signs of recognizing any of them, and that is expected. As long as it keeps making some noise, my baby is happy. LOL. Overall: I would recommend this toy as one of your many collections. It is cheap, it is durable, and it is baby-friendly. That is good enough for me."
"I have a 10 month old daughter, and she has fallen in love with this toy. I bought this because of its portability and size, but the small package has delivered so much more. The sound from the single speaker on the back of the 'Takealong Tunes' is extremely solid for such a small speaker, not tinny or hollow what so ever. The lights move in time to the music, and the whole thing is light enough for her to easily carry in one hand while she crawls around the house. The large button-like wheel on the front is extremely easy for her to push, with just enough resistance that it isn't going off incessantly, and the colorful caterpillar handle is a natural draw to her mouth. The only minor complaint I would have is that I wish the handle were rubberized instead of hard plastic since it is in her mouth so often. I thought I was buying a good sound & lights toy for the portability since it is not always easy to drag larger flashing, blinking, booping toys around with us, but I feel like I've gotten so much more out of this potent little package. It sooths her when she's tired, entertains her when she's awake, and has become her best friend over the past month or so. I would highly recommend this to any parent, another winner from Baby Einstein!"
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy (Compare Deals from $6.69)
