It Doesn't Giggle and It's Not Really a Ball

My daughter was acting up at Babies R Us a few months ago so I handed her this Giggle Ball off one of the shelves and hoped it would quiet her down long enough for me to finish shopping. She seemed intrigued by it. Since it had kept her quiet and we had a 1/2 hour ride home, I decided to buy it. It was an impulse purchase, but it seemed to keep my daughter (who had just turned 1 at the time) occupied so I thought it was worth it.

THE BASICS
The Infantino Giggle Ball is an infant toy geared to the 6 month and up crowd that looks sort of like a multicolored planet with two opposing rings of satellites. The center ball is yellow and red and can slide back and forth along one of the clear plastic tubes connecting it to the outer plastic rings. The plastic tubes are filled with either tiny multicolored beads that shake around or the “giggle” mechanism (a short red cylinder that makes a wheezing sound when it’s shaken). Two purple (one lavender, one plum) plastic wires with orange, green, yellow, and plum beads run from end to end of one clear plastic tube while flexible rubbery wires (in the same colors) connect the other clear tube. The whole toy measures about 6” in diameter. With its colors, shapes, sounds, and textures, this toy creates a multisensory experience for infants. Because of its non-conforming circular shape, it kind of toddles along when it’s pushed over a flat surface.

BABY'S VERDICT
At first, my daughter loved this thing. She was anxious for me to get it out of its box and as soon as I did, she turned it around and upside-down in her hands. The whole ride home, she was fascinated by it. Her interest waned over the next few weeks and now she only plays with it if it’s the only toy around. I ended up leaving it in the car and she’ll show some interest in it while I’m driving.

She usually just holds it and looks at it. Sometimes she’ll turn it around. If she brings it in the house, she’ll occasionally try to roll it on the floor. But that’s about it.

For some reason, even though she puts just about everything else in her mouth, the Giggle Ball wasn’t the teething miracle I thought it would be. I think it was too big or clumsy for my daughter to put in her mouth. So even though there are flexible textured wavy rings around the ball intended for teethers, they never ended up chewed on.

MOMMY'S VERDICT
Since there are so many plastic wires and doodads to grab onto, this is very easy for little hands to grasp. It’s fairly lightweight with a well-balanced center of gravity in the middle. With its combination of solid plastic and flexible and textured pieces, you’d think it would be great for teething. But my Little Miss I Eat Crayons, Pens, Spoons, Etc. has never chewed on this toy. The shape makes it too bulky to be an adequate teething toy.

The bright colors are attractive and the shaky sounds caused by the various beads make the Giggle Ball appealing for little ears. But there is no actual “giggle” sound. It’s more of a wheezing whistle and it’s difficult for youngsters to activate that sound. It takes a lot of heavy shaking. It’s hard for ME to get it to “giggle.”

Lots of kids, including my 15-month-old, enjoy playing with balls, but this toy will probably frustrate them since it doesn’t roll well and it doesn’t bounce. The only way I’ve seen my daughter play with it is by holding it between her hands.

The manufacturer suggests that this toy is appropriate for children 6 months and up. I agree with that age recommendation, but based on my child’s experience, this toy is a secondary purchase.

FROM THE MANUFACTURER
Giggle Ball™ encourages the early development of very important skills by promoting sensory exploration through sight, touch and sound, developing dexterity and eye-hand coordination, and teaching cause and effect relationships.

www.infantino.com