Fisher–Price Zoom ‘n Crawl Monster is a fun new toy for babies around the 9 months+ age range. Baby N (10 months old) has been trying out this monster toy, and having a lot of fun with it. She was really interested in it as soon as she saw it and wanted to take it out of the packaging to explore straight away. I think she was drawn to the bold bright colours, and the bold facial features on the monster.
Once we got it out of the box she was also really excited to see that the monster comes with lots of coloured balls – something that she always loves! (like most babies of this age)
There are two modes with the Fisher-Price Monster, for sit and play or crawl and play fun. In the sit and play mode, the play revolves around filling and spilling with the balls. You drop them into the top of the monster’s head (a big space, so it’s not too tricky for babies to get them in!) and as the balls drop down onto the inside of the monster, his insides start to spin around and he will shoot out the balls from his open mouth, with lots of noisy music and phrases as it goes. There are 15 songs and phrases included with the toy. There is a volume control so you can choose to have it slightly quieter too if you like (luckily!)
Noora found it really fun to see the balls spinning and spilling out, and enjoyed grabbing them as soon as they dropped out. It’s something she’s been happy to play with either by herself or together with me, or any of her brothers who have been happy to drop balls into the monster for her too.
The second mode on the Fisher-Price Monster is an active mode, where the monster runs off across the floor encouraging baby to crawl after it. N was really surprised to see the monster on the move, and found it quite entertaining to watch. She has already been crawling for a long time now, but for babies who are only just starting to move, it would be a good motivator for them to try and follow after it. For N,this mode does encourage her to keep active and go and catch up with the monster wherever it ends up in the room. I was impressed that it moves well on carpet or rug too, as well as the wooden floor. Some of our other toys that move by themselves don’t really manage well on the rug, so that was really good.
The only downside with the crawling mode is that if you put the balls in while the monster is crawling around, it can be easy to lose track of where they’ve shot out. So if using the balls for the crawling method, it’s best to do it in as clear a space as possible, and not where you have sofas that they can easily get lost under. I must try it in the garden actually, as it would probably work well on our artificial grass considering it works fine on the rug – that will be a fun way to play with it during the slightly warmer months.
This is a fun toy that helps to develop babies senses, and encourage movement, as well as being really entertaining and eye catching for little ones. It’s very robust and looks like it will be really durable, and it comes with the batteries already included (takes 4x C batteries)
The Fisher-Price Monster is available from good toy stores including Smyths, online or in store, for around RRP £34.99
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.