Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby's First Blocks

Let me just start off by saying that I can't speak to the product safety other than the obvious. I don't get overly sensitive about toys' being made in China because, let's face it, pretty much all of my son's toys are made in China. I don't know about the whole "California says this toy might contain carcinogens" thing, either. I have no idea what California's standards are versus other states, and I don't know if the fact that this toy apparently used to have that warning but for some unknown reason doesn't anymore should be worrisome. According to another reviewer, a Fisher Price customer service representative confirmed that no changes had been made to its manufacturing in the interim, which implies that they just removed the warning for whatever reason. I have no idea whether this toy was "safe" the whole time or wasn't "safe" but now is or the standards changed now no longer declaring this toy "unsafe;" I simply can't bring myself to lose sleep over it. Anyway, about the toy... Overall, we have had a great time with it! First of all, it's a great price. Comparable toys made by other companies are almost always more expensive. I bought it when my son was only a few months old, and there was very little he could do with it. Now he's 10 months old and plays with it probably more than anything else. He likes to take the lid off, dump the shapes, pick up the shapes, put them back, smack them together, and he even matches them up. I'll see him, say, looking for the other blue circle to match the one in his hand. Some complain that the cover opens too easily. I see that as a plus, actually, since my son is clearly too young to be using a shape sorter. He can easily open, dump, and put back the shapes. I'm teaching him colors and shapes with it, and he finds it interesting when I put the lid on it and drop the shapes in their respective slots. I'm sure when the time comes for him to be actually using it as a shape sorter that I will continue to appreciate the lid's opening easily because he will be able to sort the shapes, then dump them and start over. My sister, for example, has a screw-on lid one with wooden shapes, which is nice, but when her boys are done sorting the shapes, they need an adult to open it back up and re-dump them. I guess it depends on the kid, but even if your child doesn't like it as a shape sorter, it's a good way to teach colors and shapes, as well as taking things out and putting them back in their place. My niece has the Fisher Price shape sorter with the little elephant on the front ( Fisher-Price Growing Baby Elephant Shape Sorter ), and I played with it over Thanksgiving with my son. At first I was sorry I didn't buy that one because (1) it was cute and (2) it had the elephant that spun on the front, but after playing with it for a little bit, I'm glad I bought this one for two reasons: (a) it has more shapes; and (b) the colors match - meaning both circles are blue, both squares are green, etc. The elephant shape sorter had, say, a red circle and a green circle. Like I said above, my son likes to find the matching pieces, and I think their having the same color helps him out with that, e.g., he can easily find the two orange stars. It's not a big deal, but it made me feel less bad about not buying the cute elephant shape sorter. Honestly I really have no complaints about this toy. If you're not sure about its origins and safety, then go ahead and buy something else. I'm not saying you don't have a point, but at this price I didn't expect this toy to be made in the USA with post-consumer recycled materials that I can compost down the line. There are definitely other options if you're worried about product safety.

I read through several reviews before deciding to post my own. I noticed that several other reviewers gave poor reviews of this toy because their babies (ranging from 6 months up) simply took the lid off and dumped the blocks out instead of pushing the blocks through the holes. At a young age, this is NORMAL, and figuring out that you can take off the lid and put the pieces in and out of the box is actually a good learning experience. My baby played with the toy this way at first too. As she got older, she learned how to put the lid back on (she was quite proud of herself the first time she managed it on her own), and eventually she learned how to sort the pieces through the right holes. Now she's an expert at fitting the blocks into the holes, but that's thanks to her age, development, improved manual dexterity and experience playing with this toy. Please do not discount this toy simply because your baby plays with it as they should for their age and developmental stage! Instead, realize that there is more than one way to play with this toy. My daughter, who is now two years old, still enjoys playing with it in her own creative way. This is one toy that she didn't outgrow in just a few months. It was well worth the price.

I just wanted to chime in since a lot of people are downing the sorter being the lid doesn't stay on. It's true the lid easily comes off but that doesn't make it a bad sorter. My daughter just puts the lid on the floor, takes the blocks out of the box then sorts them. The lid has enough lift that when she puts the shapes in the holes they are flush with the lid. Once she is done she picks up the lid & puts the shapes back in the box. We have another multi-sided sorter where the lid slides in place but I prefer this one because she(17 months) can do it on her own whereas the other one has to be more guided. This one has also taught her colors because each shape has it's own color. Some others I have seen have the shapes all one color. My daugher also likes to turn the bucket upside down & use it as a drum. This is a great value & I highly recommend this product.

I have two sets of these: one for the house and one for the car and travel so my daughter is never without one her favorite toys. I bought these years ago for my son and he also loved them and still plays with them on occasion- mostly when my daughter is playing with them because he needs to show her how to do it!. The box is smaller than expected but perfect for little hands. My daughter is 6 month old and she likes to get the shapes out of the box and chew on each piece. This is an easy toy to take with you too because of the handle. My only complaint is with the most recent set I ordered because the colors were not primary colors, they are kind of lighter tones which I don't like. The colors are not as vibrant as the first set I ordered and the picture on the box is not of shapes but zoo animals. It doesn't change my rating or advice to buy but is kind of annoying. They shoukd keep the product consistent. This is a good price too- I've seen it higher at other stores.

I purchased these for my daughter after realizing that all of her toys were big, bulky items that flashed and made noise but didn't fit in her little hands. I specifically wanted lightweight things that she could lift and help work on her hand-eye coordination. I gave them to her when she was around 5 months and she is still playing with them three months later. It's too soon for the shape sorting part to really be applicable but I like that it will grow with her for a while. This would be a 5 star item if only the yellow lid stayed on better. It comes off quite easily which I think will be annoying later on when we want to use the shape sorting part more! Otherwise, it is a good sturdy product that is EASY TO CLEAN when it is full of baby germs.

I bought this when my daughter was 6 months old. She loved to chew on the blocks. Occasionally, I would try to get her to put the blocks in the bucket and yes she would just rip the yellow lid off. My thought process was she's just a baby and she doesn't have to know her colors and shapes and learning shouldn't be a chore at that age. Now that she is 2, she likes to put the shapes in bucket with the lid on. She knows the names of all the shapes but doesn't really know the colors just yet. She absorbs so much by interaction and by people saying the words to her. Not drilling her on a formal level, just by playing. You'd be suprised how much better kids will learn if you gave objects a name instead of saying "Pick that up over there, go get that. No not that, that!" Calling objects "that" does not allow children to learn that objects have different names and especially what those names are. I have said, "Where's the triangle? Go get the triangle. Let's put the triangle in this hole." When she was 13 months, half the time I'd have to go pick up the triangle because there were too many things and she didn't know which object the triangle was but eventually she learned it and now she knows which hole the triangle goes in. I'm sure if I was more vocal with colors she would be there too. I'm not too stressed though. She'll learn her colors eventually.

This has been a beloved toy with each of my 3 boys. In the beginning they will enjoy dumping the blocks out and putting them back in the bucket. As they grow they begin figuring out how to put them in the correct hole. Even my 4 year old loves to help teach my 1 year old about the colors and shapes and gets so excited when he gets one right. The best age for this is probably 6 months through 2 years old. The simplicity of it is refreshing. There are no sounds, bells, or whistles and yet each of my kids will choose this toy instead of a seemingly more exciting toy and will sit and play with this thing for 30 minutes at a time or longer. Every child needs one (or more than one since losing a block or 2 is almost inevitable).

I ordered thos toy for my 19 month old son. After I ordered it, I read reviews about children just taking the lid off and putting the shapes in and out. After I read them reviews I thought for sure I would be returning this toy. But my son loves it. Yes more than not the lid is off but if I sit with him and put the lid on he will put the shapes through the lid. Also I have caught him putting the lid upside down on the floor and placing the shapes in the correct whole which makes the toy still serve its purpose. All in all I am happy with the product. Do I think the lid should maybe be a bit of a better fit to the top so it is not so easy to pull off...sure. but for the money I can't complain

Bloques de colores y formas muy divertidos. Fácil de llevar y distracción muy educativa para los pequeños. La marca es de garantía como muchos de sus productos. Recomiendo su compra

Basic, but wonderful. This toy has had so much use. It is the first thing my daughter gets out of the toy box in the morning and the last thing to go back in before bed. She loves it! Hours of entertainment spent putting the shapes in and out (although she isn't yet able to put them through the shape sorter slots.) She carries the box around by the handle and fills it with other toys. She loves banging the plastic shapes together. Others have said in their reviews that the lid coming off easily is a downside to this product, however, if the lid didn't remove easily my daughter probably wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much. The fact it gives small hands the freedom to explore for themselves is definitely a pro! From a parents perspective it is easy to transport around as the box is compact and light. It's a great price and really does prove the old ones are the best. A basic, but classic toy that will not disappoint.

This is a great toy for my 1 year old daughter. Took her about 10 minutes to figure out the "objective" at first she just put the pieces in the bucket, leaving the lid on the floor, and then she started putting the pieces in the lid... and realized what was going on. The lid and pieces seem perfectly designed to not allow any other piece to pass through, which is a plus. My only suggestion would to have a stronger fit between the lid and the bucket. Its very easy to pull off and remove, which sometimes stops her from playing with it. I like that there are two of every piece. Some WILL get lost, and its nice to have an extra of each!

Diese Box mit den 10 Bausteinen und dem abnehmbaren Deckel kommt unter meine Top 10 fürs erste Jahr. Warum? Unsere Kleine bekam sie mit 2 Monaten und drehte die Bausteine sorgsam in den kleinen Händchen. Sie waren klein und leicht genug und ließen sich super greifen, ein toller Erfolg für sie und für uns völlig entspannend, weil leicht genug, dass es ihr nicht aufs Gesicht fallen und weh tun konnte. Am liebsten nahm sie mit 4 Monaten den gelben Deckel ab und drehte die Kiste um, danach lag sie ewig zwischen den Formen und nahm jede in die Hand. Da haben wir angefangen, Formen und Farben zu benennen, immer wieder. Und jetzt, wo sie mit 11 Monaten sitzen kann, hat sie hier die ersten Steine einsortiert und gelernt, wie man Steine rein- und wieder rausnimmt, ewig lange (mit offenem gelben Deckel). Wir hatten das ganze erste Jahr unsern Spaß, und das Einsortieren der Förmchen durch den Deckel wird uns sicher nach dem ersten Geburtstag auch noch viel Spaß machen (ist jetzt noch etwas früh). Also: definitiv top 10, Empfehlung!

I miei figli ci hanno giocato all' infinito e lo consiglio tantissimo E' compatto e facile da trasportare Lo scopo è inserire le formine nel foro corretto e farle cadere nella confezione Le formine sono 10 e possono essere usate anche per altri giochi I bimbi tendenzialmente comunque ci perdono tanto tempo Buona anche la qualità dei materiali Molto consigliato