Tiny Love Gymini Total Playground Reviews

• Wont grow with your baby

  
  By A3UISFQMOSZJMO on 2006-01-22
  This was the second play gym that we have tried for our new baby. The first was the baby einstein discovering water, which proved to be to mature for her. This however was clear it would not grow with her.
  
  While looking at this in the store it looked like it had everything, music, toys, lights, a colorful mat and that it said it would grow through different stages with your baby. Once we got it home and put her under it I realized it wouldnt last long.
  
  The bars that hold the toys are extremely low, they dangle the toys almost on top of my baby. With the gym my first daughter had the bars were up high and you could control the length of the toys by looping more rings on them to lower them.
  
  The pad that activates lights and music requires your baby to kick in certain areas and to kick hard. Not great for little feet that kick wildly at first. Also when baby is laying down she cant see the lights as the pad isnt high enough for them to see.
  
  The 10 minutes of mozart is just a 60 second loop. At least other mats by fisher price or baby einstein play a selection of music that lasts longer and has more options.
  
  My older daughter used her play mat for longer than 10 months, it was educational and fun. This is clearly a young babies toy and at 70.00 thats too much to pay in my opinon.
  
  
  
  

• Anisa's Mom

  
  By A10TFATA0IH6LU on 2005-03-28
  I just bought this mat this past weekend from my local Babies R Us after comparing it online with other playmats. My local Toys R Us didn't have any in stock, and I didn't want to wait for one to be shipped to me. One reason I was drawn to this one is because the mat is much bigger than a lot of the other ones. I also like the idea of snapping the sides together to form somewhat of a border around my baby. As soon as I bought it home, I couldn't wait to unpack it. I set it up, which was very easy and put my daughter, Anisa, who is 3 1/2 months old, on it. Right away she started batting at the dangling figures and kicking on the kickpad. She really likes the tiger :-). She spent about a 1/2 hour playing on this mat and was just smiling and laughing. I left her with her dad for about another 20 minutes, and when I came back, she'd fallen asleep right there on the mat. I guess she played so much, she wore herself out. Wow!
  
  Another thing that I like about this mat is the fact that the bars that hold the hanging figures simply unsnap from each other, lay flat and I can then change her right on the mat without having to pick her up to change her diaper somewhere else and then bring her back to play.
  
  I do have an issue with the kickpad. It seems to take a lot of strength and exactness for the lights to light up and to play the music. If she doesn't kick exactly on the imprint showing the ball of the foot, it doesn't light or play the music. And I've gotta say my daughter has pretty strong kicks when we are playing, but I guess they are not strong enough when she kicks this kickpad.
  
  The description on Amazon.com said that 3 AA batteries were included, but when I bought it at Babies R Us, there weren't any batteries included. Now I don't know if Amazon has a slightly different one or they get some extras from the manufacturer, but I think if you are paying $70 (which is quite pricey I must say), batteries should be included. After checking 3 other Total Playground Activity Mats on the shelf at Babies R Us, I gave in bought a 4-pack of AA batteries at 4 more dollars :-(.
  
  Overall, I really like this mat because it has some really nice features, eventhough it is a bit pricey. Aside from the kickpad issues, we really do like this toy because it is both educational and fun and it keeps Anisa well entertained and happy.
  
  Update: I see that Amazon has corrected its description regarding the batteries. They now state that batteries are required, not included. Thanks Amazon for the correction.
  
  

• Our son loves it

  
  By AEK5GOE7UFP2P on 2005-11-18
  The Highlights:
  1. Easy to put together and easy to take places (save the plastic case it comes in, keeps it clean and safe when traveling.
  2. Has the most toys, and the biggest mirror
  3. Has Mozart that is motion activated! GREAT FEATURE
  4. Has feature for older babies that lights up the foot/hand pad and plays neat tunes when the baby kicks or pushes down.
  5. Matt is very comfy, and has the option of putting the sides up to prevent baby from getting off and bugs and such from getting in.
  6. Colors really get our sons attention, and this is the first toy (and only at this time) that our son will talk (babble) too. As soon as we lay him down he starts laughing and talking to the toys hanging over him.
  7. Plenty more areas to add favorite toys too, besides the toys it comes with and they can all be attached in different locations such as the bottom of the matt to promote crawling and reaching from the belly laying position.
  8. One of the main reasons I bought this play matt is because it has the largest age range for up to 10 months of age.
  
  

• Great toy to give moms a break

  
  By A2Z8B5Y4G82EBC on 2005-04-11
  Great toy for babies. My daughter can spend one hour on the mat by herself. I also made a few adjustments for her to enjoy the toy even better by placing the mirror on top, so she can look at herself while laying down on her back. She absolutely loves it. Also, I placed the bird chime towards the end where her legs are so she can kick it since the kicking pat doesn't respond to her kicks at all. The chime makes wonderful sounds.
  The kicking pat really need to be improved. The kicking pat doesn't respond unless you kick hard at the exact spot. This kicking pat is not designed for little babies, maybe useful when baby gets older.
  
  

• Well Worth the Extra Money!

  
  By APPMWAMDEX0XA on 2005-03-19
  My boyfriend and I bought this for our three month old. He absolutely loves it! He loves kicking the little feet to make the music and it teaches him cause and effect. The colors are great and catch his attention during those fussy times. This play mat is well worth the extra cash!
  
  
• Great toy...Worth the money!
  By A2EG51BYZB5EF0 on 2005-03-22
  My three month old loves this gym. I was a little nervous about spending so much on what seemed to be just a blanket with some toys attached but I am thrilled with what I received. My son will spend 20 min. easily playing on this. I would recommend this to any parent.
  
  
• Best money spent so far!
  By A2NSHH8HG3FOCT on 2005-09-13
  My daughter just loves this play center! She bats at the hanging toys and gets rewarded by bright colors and soft chimes from the duck head wind chime. We also bought the three chime kick toy accesory. What an awesome toy it is! She kicks up a storm. She will play in this center for 30 to 45 minutes at a time! She is only 7 weeks old! Sometimes she even "plays" herself to sleep. We have an adorable picture of her napping in the middle of all these hanging toys! Before we got this center we moved her from the swing to the bouncy to me to the chaning table. We never got a moment to do anything. She only stays in her swing and bouncy for about 5 minutes each and loses interest. No, I can sit the room with her and verbally respond to her laughter and coos. Or I can extend her time there by playing with her. I'm so glad we bought this play center!!
  
  
• Our son is in Love!
  By AUJC1S49LEGWG on 2006-06-10
  I am so glad we purchased this playmat!
  Firstly, the Mozart music is not a loop as the person mentioned before. The piece it plays is a very repetitive melody, it was actually sitting on the piano open the first time we played it coincidentally! Babies love repitition!
  From day 1, our son has been thrilled with this playmat. It has encouraged him to reach for things, talk, kick and play. The kickplate is not hard to set off if you lay it down under their heels, this encouraged our son to control his leg movements more! He laughs every time he does it now. We move the toys around, change the heights, and turn him around often. The duck chime was his favorite from the time he discovered it, so we additionally bought the kick chime to add for him. He laughs and talks and coos for hours a day with the buddies he found in this mat. The bright colors on the mat itself encourage him to push up during tummy time and the crinkly spots make him try to move to play with them.
  You can easily remove the arches, and reattach the toys to places on the bottom as it is designed to do. I truly feel that this is a great developmental toy for our son, he does new things in it every day.
  Would recommend it to anyone.
  
  
• Can't live without this product!!!
  By A2A0D1SLOYQVIZ on 2005-07-23
  I admit when I first saw the price in this activity mat I was pretty skeptical. I contemplated getting this mat or a cheaper one. I thought I'd take a chance and just get this one. From the day we received it, my son absolutely loves this activity mat. I was shocked that he was happy seeing that he didn't like his bouncer seat. I like the size of the mat and also that you can snap up the sides so your little one can be in his enclosed play area. The toys are great and the kickpad that comes with the mat is wonderful. We can't live without this mat!! We just love this product!
  
  
• This is the most awesome playmat around!!!!!
  By A3DPNYXZIJJY2V on 2005-08-06
  I bought this mat over a week ago for my 7 week old daughter. She took to the mat immediately and absolutely loves when she raises her arm and hits the duck that rings a bell noise by accident! She has shown more personality this week then ever & coos and talks to the animals! She even made the music come on by herself when she threw her legs straight forward and kicked the pad all herself! What a lifesaver! Even when she starts acting crabby I just place her on this mat & her eyes light up and she starts cooing, smiling & laughing right away! I don't know how I lived without this!
  
  
• The BEST Baby Gym
  By AWVXTB6U156EZ on 2006-01-06
  This has to be the BEST baby gym! Yes, it is a bit expensive, but my daughter absolutely loves it! She recieved this for Christmas and is captivated every time we put her down on the mat. She LOVES to hit and kick the baby windchimes. It comes with one, but we also added an extra bigger one that is sold seperately. I love the fact that you can move the toys around and change them out for different ones. The hight of the toys is also somewhat adjustable depending on how many links you use. I have also just discovered a wayt to raise the mirror so it is above my daughters head while she is playing on her back. I uploaded a photo of this if anyone wants to see it. The only thing I regret about this toy is that I didnt buy it for my now-2-year-old son.
  
  
  
• Love This Mat!!
  By AVGY1HZ9547NW on 2006-01-26
  After debating with myself for weeks about the price of this mat, I finally gave in and bought it. This being my third child, and never having bought one of these mats before, I felt silly doing it now, but I am so happy I did! My daughter has loved it from the second I laid her on on it. It is very colorful, and there are enough toys with it that she doesn't get bored. The mirror is really big, and she loves discovering her face in it every time. There are lots of things included with this mat to aid in baby's devolpment;the music, lights, and toys make a great mat. I love the diffrent textures and sound effects of the toys. My daughter really likes the kick pad and hearing the sound effects it makes, but it is a little hard to activate-which is my only complaint. Eventhough, there are footprints on the kick pad, you still have to hit it with a certain amount of force, and in just the right spot. On the plus side, it flips down so baby can hit it with her hands as well, when she is able to sit on her own. When baby isn't in the mood to kick at her mat, she is very content listening to the music of Mozart.
  The mat is larger than I thought it would be. It is easy to assemble, clean, and put away. The snap up sides are a good idea, but I am not sure if they would really keep a baby in that was rolling over. It seems that the baby would just roll right over the soft sides. Overall this is a great mat, and would definitely recommend it to others.
  
  
• Sound is too loud
  By A3T68P8LF7AL62 on 2006-03-22
  The sound is way too loud - I worry that it will damage my babies ears - so I just don't play the sound. I wish there was a volume control on it.
  
  
• Took it back
  By A2KI6W3XSVSGHG on 2006-05-22
  I bought this play mat for my newborn son. The toys were practically on top of him and the kick/hit pad didn't work. The mozart music had a high pitched squeal to it that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. I took it back. Very disappointing.
  
  
• Great entertainment!
  By A1YHAJUF41YXQD on 2005-09-12
  My 11 week old loves her new mat! It is great that the hanging toys can be moved around and exchanged with other ones. She often gets overstimulated with all of the toys and colors. She loves the lion! The kick pad is a little hard to hit, but she has done it several times and is too young anyway to realize that her kicking makes a noise. So, in time I'm sure she will get more enjoyment out of it. It folds in half and can be stored flat. I am very happy with this product, but I often wonder if a less expensive mat would provide the same entertainment.
  
  
• Buy This!!
  By A1MPA3J4LB5KT on 2005-09-17
  Our son loves this gym. It keeps him occupied long enough for me to get something done for myself - a BIG plus in my book. He loves the kick board and the way it responds to him (the play mode). We put the chimes toy that comes with it above his legs and he loves playing "footsies" with it. This gym really incourages kicking and batting for leg and hand development. It keeps him captivated for longer than anything else we have. We've got other toys that we add to it, like his Freddie the Firefly from Lamaze that he also LOVES! The mirror is nice too. He arches his back and gazes at himself all the time (though it does have a clown house mirror distortion effect). This gym has the largest play mat out of all the ones at our Babies R Us store, and we certainly need all the play space we can get with our little guy! I do wish that this came with one of those pillows for tummy time like the Boppy gym.
  
  I highly recommend this toy!!! I really love that Tiny Love donates a percentage of its proceedes to First Candle/SIDS Alliance. Our son loves the toy and I feel great supporting a company that is involved with helping child organizations. Way to go Tiny Love!!!
  
  
• A Must-Have Item!
  By A2F7ED07UHX3HS on 2005-10-25
  We registered for the Gymini Total Playground and received it for our baby shower. It's by far the best entertainment item that we've received. Our daughter is 2-1/2 months old and has been laying underneath the playmat since she was 4 weeks. She always has loved looking at the multitude of items on the gym and now is starting to reach for, smile, and laugh at them. She definitely enjoys the gym more and more each day. This toy will grow with her and I am sure we'll continue to use it in the months to come as she's now becoming interested in the kicking feature and is looking at the items on the blanket portion while on her tummy. It is incredibly well constructed and the toys are great quality and also interchangeable, which is a nice feature. The blanket portion is a nice, large size and the gym is all one piece that folds conveniently, which I love when we want it out of sight. We also have the Fisher-Price Flutterbye Soft Gym at Nana and Pap-Pap's house and I definitely prefer this one. The Flutterbye is super cute, but the toys on the Gymini seem to be more interesting to our daughter. Also,the Flutterbye Gym comes in two pieces - the arch and mat are separate - and I definitely like the fact that the Gymini is one piece. It's much easier to store and transport. All-in-all, something I'd recommend to all my friends as a must-have!
  
  
• Perfect Playmat!
  By A1HQPZHURHCBCF on 2005-07-29
  This is the best playmat! My 2.5 month old loves it. She loves it so much that this is the second mat we bought from Tiny Love. This one we sent to her daycare for her to use. They said she loves it! The kick pad is easy to activate. The toys are stimulating and fun. My daughter just grins from ear to ear at all the toys and reaches out for them. It comes with a single wind chime. She loved the chime so much we bough the wind chime set for her other mat. It's very adjustable and folds easily for storage. Worth the money!
  
  
• Great Playmat
  By A39ETA11IMLUOD on 2006-01-15
  Great because:
  -Baby loves it.
  -Lots of colors.
  -Looks like fun.
  -Machine washable.
  
  Why only 4 stars?
  -Baby has to hit the foot mat really hard (almost impossibly hard) in order to "play."
  -Baby's only 4 months old and seems bored after only 15 minutes playing in it.
  
  
• Couldn't live without it!!
  By A2VYT96ND9IEOD on 2006-05-05
  I registered for this playmat before our baby was born and am so glad I did! My baby LOVES it. It was a godsend when my daughter was going through some very fussy phases. It keeps her entertained for so long and she laughs at all the animals she gets so incredibly excited when I put her down in it. She is just starting to reach out for things and loves to try and grab the giraffe!! The mirror is also mesmerizing for her. I have washed this several times and just use the gentle cycle and hang it to dry. I have had no problems at all. It is so great that you can hang other toys from this mat too, for now she loves all the soft toys and chimes.
  
  We loved it so much we bought one to keep and Grandma & Grandpa's house!!
  
  
• My 9 week old loves it!!!
  By A2EKCQJ2XI3T7I on 2005-12-06
  Im so glad I bought this toy...now I'm just wishing I bought it earlier. My daughter is only 9 weeks old but she loves this thing. Right now she can really just stare at the dangling toys above her but she loves looking at them and sometimes, especially when I shake the arches so the toys move, she gets so excited she starts smiling, kicking, and cooing and she keeps herself entertained so long that she ends up just falling asleep on the mat which makes a good nap area and its pretty comfortable especially if you put a blanket under it to make it softer. The toys that come with this are really cute especially the duck wind chime my daughter loves to hit at it so it makes sound. You can buy additional toys by tiny love that come with their other playmats at toys"r"us which is cool because then you can switch the toys around making it even more interesting for your baby and they are only a few bucks each. She can't reach the other toys yet but when she gets older I know she'll have fun with them the tiger and the giraffe's feet rattle and the two plastic toys make great teethers. I also bought the baby wind chimes kick toy to add and she loves it she just can't get enough of kicking it. The only downside to this mat is you have to press pretty hard on the kick pad to get it to play music...my daughter can hardley ever kick it hard enough but she is only 9 weeks and small too only 9 pounds so I'm sure when she gets older she'll be able to kick it hard enough but for now she's content just pushing off of it and in the meantime I just put the continuous music on. There's also two rings on the pad so you can attach toys for tummy time play. There's also different textures on the pad to keeps your baby entertained and a little squeaker toy. This mat also works great as a changing area and is really easy to travel with. This is definately worth the money and I suggest buying the additional toys for it I haven't seen any at babies"r"us but I know they have them at toys"r"us you can buy any of the toys that come with the other tiny love playmats individually for a few bucks each.
  
  
• coloful and fun
  By A3JB3FSIAWFSTK on 2006-01-31
  I looked and looked for play mats. This mat looked great. When I got it home and put my baby on she loved it. Yes the bars that dangle the toys are low but I was glad it was. It got her to start to reach early. The baby Mozart is a short song but soothing. She enjoyed her "mat" time. The colorful mat, the noise with the squeaky and crinkle on the mat was fun for her. I must agree it was a bit pricy and it would be great if it were cheaper but my baby used it enough to pay for it. I also must add that the kicking part of it is a tad bit difficult. You really must bang at it to play something. It really was not utilized but now being 6 months old she may. I have to try it and see. Overall, it was a great mat. I recommend it. ---Lewisburg, PA
  
  
• Keeps mommy and baby happy
  By A28SLMCJZ1ZGQU on 2006-03-02
  Although I agree that the toys are rather low and the baby has to kick hard and in specific areas my baby has enjoyed the mat quite a bit. I can put the mat on my bed and on the floor. My little guy loves to pull and tug at the animals. With this mat he has started to roll and it distracts him while I pump so it is also a great tool for mommy.
  
  Although I see my son outgrowing this toy soon it has been worth the $70+ to have a toy that entertains him and is safe.
  
  
• This Mat Is A Must Have!!
  By A1HVIIIPACLLJ4 on 2006-03-03
  My Son loves this mat as a whole and every piece of it! We started him in it at 3 weeks and it was so much fun to watch him learn. He loves all the activities and I know that it has advanced his motor skills and learn how to roll. Now that he is 6 monthes old, I've taken the bars off it and let him play on it sitting up. He still loves all the animals and the kick pad.
  
  The kick pad is hard to use. But I would put it hands up under his feet and let him kick at the chimes (sold seperately but should be included in my opinion). When he would drop his legs down, it would activate the pad.
  
  Definetly a great buy! Entertaing and easy to clean! But what would make it better is if the kick pad had volume control because I think the music could be a bit loud when on continous play and was easier to activate in play mode. Also the chimes should have been included.
  
  
• Love the playmat!
  By A12D7ROCUOZVP8 on 2005-10-26
  We got this at my babyshower and our son has been in it since he was 5 weeks old and he enjoyes it! Best playmat on market! Highly recommend to others!
  
  
• Must have
  By A1VPP5GG9DXTGM on 2005-11-10
  As many here I was very skeptical about this toy. Besides the price, it seemed it had too much going on. WRONG!!!! My 2-month old son loved it and one month later he is still thrilled to spend time in it. It definitely helped a lot with his interest in grabbing toys. I could actually look at his progress day-by-day. He's become quite focused in grabbing them and he's all a big grin while playing in it. He's now "talking" to the toys for minutes and it' s really a delight to see him discovering something new in this toy everyday.The pad did not function when we got the gym, but Tiny Love were prompt to send a working one and needless to say our baby loves his Mozart while playing.If this gym had a boppylike pillow for tummy time it would simply be perfect and all you need to keep your baby happy and entertained. Hope they'll add it by next year. Go get this toy if you don't have it yet.
  
  Update: My son is 5 1/2 months now and it's still his favorite gear. At this age he kicks the pad easily and he's very happy to get it loud and shiny. We love how active and happy he is to play on it so we still believe it's a great investment to keep your baby happy.
  
  
• Great to own!
  By A2Y0LKVUWBT4E on 2006-04-22
  Our son really enjoys the activity mat. We can put him on it and manage to do a little housework and watch him at the same time. The only downfall is it is very difficult to fold back up to store while not being used.
  
  
• She loves it!
  By A18U7VO7DBOERI on 2006-06-06
  My 4 month old daughter absolutely loves this! She pulls on all the toys and loves to kick on the hanging chime. She laughs and giggles soooooo much when shes in it. Eventually after playing so long in it she falls asleep right on the mat. I'm giving 4 stars because the arches on top need to be higher. She can't lay directly under the hanging toys because they hit her face. I also agree that the kick pad is not sensitive enough. But she gets a kick out of this thing, and that's enough for me!!
  
  
• Great idea
  By ARKITAUQM4TDG on 2005-11-08
  Our baby has been using this toy since she was 2 months old. You can take off one of the arches for less stimulation and add it later. She loves the toys, rattles and music although not all at once. She is learning a lot of new sounds and textures. We recommend it for any type of baby.
  
  
• Wondful toy!!!
  By AB8L42W49DYCJ on 2005-12-10
  Our first daughter loved this toy. It would keep her entertained forever. Should would take countless naps from being exhausted by all the different sensory stimulations. When she was a little older she would lay on her tummy and push her head up just to see herself in the mirror, then she would smile and plop back down again.
  I was surprised that my second daughter was not near as interested in it. Every time I brought it out my frist daughter would play it more than my second.
  I love how easy it is to store away. We even took this on a couple of plane trips and just put it in the overhead compartments. It was a snap to wash.
  The batteries seem to last a very long time. Quite impressed.
  
  

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