Baby Bach Piano by Baby Einstein

This is a simple and fun cause-effect toy for very young children. The four big buttons on the top of the "piano" each light up and produce a different musical tone when tapped and if your child wants a longer musical experience, pushing the green button on the front of the toy will make a longer song play. Strengths: The buttons are very easy to push, so even if a child has low upper body strength, they should be able to get this toy to light up and make sounds. Weaknesses: There is no dedicated on/off switch, so the music plays at the slightest touch or jiggle. Price: ???? I bought mine about 10 years ago and I think it was about $20. Where to Buy: Good luck finding one! I've seen a couple on eBay, but other than that I'm not sure if the toy is available any more.

Baby Beach Band by Infantino

This is a soft sided band set that lets babies bang, shake, and rattle without potentially hurting themselves with an instrument that has a harder surface. Strengths: The soft instruments are comprised of different textured fabrics: that crinkle, shine, and squish under little fingers. Because there are four basic instruments (five pieces) there is a lot of variety in the types of play that babies can engage in. Weaknesses: Because of the soft sides the drum can become a little misshapen if you stick into the bottom of a toy box. Where to Buy: It's really difficult to find this toy anymore, but I have seen acouple of them on eBay.

Brightlings Exploration Station by Leap Frog

Home to Bobblers, Tumble Tunnel, Babbling Bandshell, Rainbow Balcony, and Alphabet Alley, the Brightlings Exploration Station offers a world of exciting activities for young children. This toy has two different modes, toddler and baby, which you activate by turning the green part on the top to hide the number or reveal them. In baby mode children can drop the brightling playpals in through the top and they come to the bottom which triggers music. In fact, just about every action on the toy triggers a song, except for the open/close gate and the yellow/blue/red tags you pull. When the toy is in toddler mode it will tell you how to say hello and goodbye in German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and English when you open/close the gate. You can move the tab around the ABC's so it sings the ABC song. It will also sing a number song when you drop the pals into the chute. Strengths: It's a fun toy to explore and you can easily use it with the other Brightlings play sets. Weaknesses: There is actually a HUGE weakness with this toy. It clearly states on the box that children under three years should not use it because of choking hazards on small parts, but the toy is obviously marketed for a much younger audience. It has a baby and a toddler mode, not a preschooler mode. This is a fun toy to play with, but you need to keep a very close eye on your little one when he or she uses it. Price: $20 - $30. Where to Buy: The toy was widely available about three years ago, but now you can only find them on sites like eBay or through online toy retailers.

Make a Sound and Move Around by Joe Rothstein

Toddlers and young children will enjoy the energetic songs on this CD created by a speech-language pathologist. Make a Sound and Move Around is designed to promote social, sensory, and speech skills through songs and games. The booklet that comes with the CD provides words for all of the songs as well as ideas for extending the songs to other play activities that help support development in young children. It's a great compilation of songs (my favourite is the Freeze Dance) that are developmentally appropriate for young children in the process of learning to use language.

Oval Xylophone by Plan Toys

This is another well constructed wooden toy offered by Plan Toys. The keys are strung on a flexible strong and the wooden hammer is easy to attach to the side of the toy with a ribbon or string. This is a great first xylophone for younger infants (8 months+) because it is easy to strike and is light enough that it won't hurt if little fingers grab at the keys. Strengths: Because the keys are wooden they make a soft, somewhat muted tone when struck, so they aren't as jarring as the tones produced by a metal xylophone. Also, the materials used in the toy are non-toxic, so they don't pose a danger if a child still likes to mouth objects. Weaknesses: If you are looking for a xylophone that lets you play true sounding songs where the notes need to be "in tune" this is not the toy for you. The tone quality tends to be muddy because the keys are made of wood rather than metal. Price: $20 - $23 Where to Buy: Most specialty toy shops carry wooden toys like Plan, but the toys can also be found through retailers like Amazon. Silly Goose Toys (http://www.sillygoosetoys.com/) is an online outlet that carries a great range of wooden and specialty toys.

Go Baby Go Crawl Along Musical Ball by Fisher Price

This battery operated little ball is designed to encourage crawling and walking in infants and young toddlers. When hit or batted at the ball rolls and the monkey rocks back and forth and giggles. Strengths: It's a cute toy that is visually appealing to young children. Those who are not yet walking find it the most interesting. Weaknesses: It does not work well on carpet or tile with deep grout lines. The toy would have more appeal if it actually played a song or had music that accompanied the movement rather than just the giggle, which can become a little annoying. Price: $13-$15. Where to Buy: Toys R Us, discount stores like Big Lots, or Amazon.

Discovery Ball by Leap Frog

This is a mixed blessing toy - it's educational, but it can promote some very isolated, non- social play in children who have a tendency to be a bit more solitary in their play. The ball lights up and plays music when you spin it, which is a great cause-effect lesson for young children. The ball can also be removed from the stand and played with more independently by older children. Strengths: It's a toy that can be used in different ways at different ages, so it is a good play value for your money. Weaknesses: As was mentioned before, this can be a very isolating toy for children. Some children become so caught up in the lights, music, and spinning motion that it precludes them from using the toy in a social way. Price: The original version of the toy (pictured) is no longer manufactured, but you can get collector's items on places like Amazon for about $70. A newer version of the toy Leap Frog Spin and Sing Alphabet Zoo is also available for about $16-$18. Where to Buy: The Spin & Sing Alphabet Zoo is available at Toys R Us, Wal Mart, Target, or anywhere Leap Frog Toys are available.

Sesame Street Singing Pop Up Pals by Fisher Price

This toy features four of Sesame Streets most popular characters, all singing excerpts from their famous songs. When the doors are closed, or in Oscar's case the lid of his trash can pushed down, children can activate the toy by pushing, sliding, or turning one of the four buttons to make the door open and start the character singing. Strengths: The characters are appealing and having to manipulate the buttons in different ways to activate the toy promotes not only fine motor development but also problem solving skills. Weaknesses: Ernie, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar only sing very brief excerpts of their songs (but this isn't always a weakness) and some families have complained that their Pop Up pals box was easily broken or malfunctioned quickly. I have had mine for about 2 years and it's gotten a lot of use by young children and it's still working well. Price: $21 - $25. Where to Buy: This toy has fairly wide availability. You can find it at Wal Mart and Target or at www.amazon.com.

Lullaby Ellie by Lamaze

This cuddly little elephant is a wonderful music toy for infants and toddlers who still enjoy a little lullaby at bed time. Pull down on Ellie's trunk and as it coils upward Brahms lullaby plays. To complete the picture, Ellie holds a little baby elephant in the end of her trunk. Strengths: It's cute and I have found that children like the challenge of trying to independently activate the music. Weaknesses: It has limited play value. As a child gets older Ellie can be pushed around in a stroller or cuddled, but there isn't really a lot of diversity in what can done with her. Price: $18-$20. Where to Buy: These are still available through an outside vendor with Amazon, but soon they will probably only be available on sites like eBay.

Xylophone Bird House by Lamaze

This is a visually appealing toy for most infants and toddlers. The brightly coloured keys on the xylophone, plastic hammer, and spinning bird all are designed to attract the attention of small children. Strengths: It's cute. Weaknesses:
Unfortunately, in my experience, the toy lacks the ability to sustain the interest of young children. Most enjoy spinning the bird that sits on the perch a couple of times, but the xylophone does not offer an interesting play option for most. They keys don't have a good sound quality and are actually difficult to strike/produce sound with. For the price you pay for this toy (about $20) you're not getting a good play value for your money Where to Buy: You can find this toy at http://www.amazon.com/ or at specialty toy shops that carry Lamaze toys.

Yookidoo KaleidoDisk by International Playthings

If you are looking for a toy that will tap into most of your baby's senses this one is worth checking out. It's actually a two-in-one toy that will take your baby from crib, to tummy-time, to sitting and exploring, and still be a favourite when your little one is even more mobile. The centre of the toy is a mirrored musical kaleidoscope that plays four different musical CDs that come with the toy. The disks are decorated with highly colourful pictures that are reflected in the mirrors while the disk spins. You can turn on the lights of the toy or change the speed of the rotation to further heighten sensory exploration. The mirrored section of the toy can be suspended from a crib and then be attached to the activity base during tummy time activities, when your baby is learning to sit, or when he or she become more mobile. The activity base has a range of different types of toys to explore. There is a clicker, spinner, squeaker, mirror, and movable beads. There are also two plastic balls that snap out of the toy for more independent play. Strengths: This toy is wonderful for sensory exploration and really is a hit during tummy time, even for babies who don't enjoy being on their tummies all that much. Weaknesses: This is an expensive toy and the price can range significantly across different retailers. The lower price range is about $43 (http://www.amazon.com/) and the upper range is $59 (specialty toy shops).

Swirlin' Surprise Gumballs by Fisher Price

This is a great cause-effect toy for babies and toddlers who like a little bit more action in their play. You drop the balls into the top of of the toy, press the blue lever, and a ball comes zipping down the ramp and out of the front of the gumball machine. There is also a yellow knob on the front of the toy that makes fun clicking sounds when turned. As an added bonus you can turn this battery operated toy on and lights flash and music plays when the gumballs come down the chute. Strengths: This is a fun toy for younger infants who enjoy the light and sounds and is also fun for older toddler who can operate the toy independently. Therefore, you are getting a good play value for the money you spend. Weaknesses: The toy is a little top heavy, so it tends to fall down with even just a slight bump. Also, there isn't much storage space for the balls, so if you use more than the four balls that come with the toy you might have difficulty finding a place to keep them.