Toy Testing, Part One: A Bust

Recently we were chosen to help test toys for ebeanstalk, a Web site that specializes in safe learning toys and baby gifts. We offer feedback of all kinds, but personally, I think they looked at us and said, "Triplet boys? That ought to cover durability testing!"

Just so you know the score, I do not receive any compensation for blogging about the products they send us, but we do get to keep the toys.

So the other day we got this toy in the mail:

The Swirly Orb from International Playthings promised to capture baby's attention. Well, like all new things, it was interesting for a while, but it's not something my boys are wild about.

When you turn the toy over, there are large colorful beads that are supposed to twirl down the ball, and small beads in the middle that make a little soft noise as they fall. We found that the large beads didn't move all that well. The boys liked the squeaker on one end of the ball, but that didn't interest them for long.

After the initial novelty wore off the ball was quickly abandoned. The boys haven't come back to it for three days, so we have to call this one a bust. Although it did survive five minutes of three small boys yanking it out of each other's hands, so we have to award points for durability.