toys for 7mo pulling himself up to stand?

[Lockie & Sam's Mummy]

hi,

my ds will be 7mo in a couple of days and has lately taken to pulling himself up to a standing position. he does this with the coffee table, sofas & his toy box - even his bumbo seat which is quite low

i would prefer it if he could do this with a playgym and/or activity centre rather than the living room furniture! can anybody recommend something suitable for this purpose?

dh was thinking something like the following but i think it's a bit advanced for his age:
http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-DAF-106F197E-38F2B38E-prod3

i was thinking something more like this but dh isn't keen on all the "bells & whistles":
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3884700

any thoughts? suggestions? thanks in advance!

[hawkeye1315]

My little one started pulling himself up when he was about 8mths old.  He loves playing with his activity wall and still enjoys it now at close to a year.  I'm hoping it will last as long as it can.  What I enjoy about it is that I can change the configuration, making it appear like a new toy for my LO.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-H5704-Play-Wall/dp/B0007WWZL8

HTH

[Samuel's mum]

I think that tunnel thing looks lovely - although I've not had any experience of it myself. Sam would still be playing with it now if he had one! And it looks really sturdy for pulling up. I think the second one wouldn't be so long lasting.

[Lockie & Sam's Mummy]

hi hawkeye & emma,

thanks a lot for your replies still umm-ing & aahhh-ing over which toy to get. hawkeye, the play wall looks great! i'm also considering the leapfrog learn around playground (http://www.leapfrog.com/Primary/Infant/PRD_playgroundv2/LearnAroundtrade+Playground+with+tube+topper.jsp?bmUID=1171968380797&bmLocale=en_US) but need to find the version that was fixed after the product recall.

plan to go to the shops over the weekend & look for both the wall & playground to see which lachlan prefers. also see if there any other similar toys that he might like.

thanks again!

[Mariek]

For Grace we bought the Leapstart learning table:

http://www.leapfrog.com/Primary/SkillSets/Infant/Logic/PRD_learngroovetable/Learn++Groovetrade+Musical+Table.jsp?CID=KNC-CROSSQ4

It's great, really solid (she had no trouble pulling herself up on it and she was a chunky monkey ) and lots to do on it. Grace loved it and we still have it for Ewan.

love

[hawkeye1315]

Happy toy shopping!  The leapfrog is much more space efficient (versus the Fisher Price play wall) and still has a fair amount of activities for your LO to enjoy. 

[jbepko]

I bought the Leapfrog toy that Livey (Lockie's Mommy) was suggesting when my LO was pulling himself up. My 4 yo thought is was fantastic. At 18mo he still occassionally plays with it and loves to throws the balls. If he was an only child, I am sure it would get more play time, but he is usually in his sister's rooms. I have the pre-recall version (and bad mom that I am) never have returned it-- and have never have had a problem. Its played with on a regular basis by both kids but not abused. Its definitely proven to be sturdy, and he has tried to turn it into a push toy on several occassions. It was a decent investment for $60.00.

[Lockie & Sam's Mummy]

hi all,

thanks for your replies! jeni, good to hear the learn around playground is a good purchase, i'll definitely keep it on my list and, stacy, thanks for the tip about the activity table, looks like a goer as well!

unfortunately, i went out today with the intention of buying something but came home empty handed i'm having a hard time finding these toys at the shops! so far, i've been to baby bunting, kmart, bigw, target & toysrus but they don't have any of these toys! (similar ones, yes, but not as sturdy-looking)

any aussie mums out there who've seen these toys at the shops? i know i can buy them online if i have to, but don't particular want to fork out the $$$ for the postage as they're quite big items.

thanks again!

[jumblebox]

Sorry you're having trouble finding the toys you want!

The learn-around playground was only recalled/updated because a few kids got their arm stuck, when they stuck it down the ball-drop tube. (We never installed the safety update on ours. If he gets his arm stuck, I see it more as a learning experience than a safety issue.) DS didn't enjoy his as much as we expected, at first. If they're new to standing up, there aren't many "open" spots to put a steadying hand. If one of the ABC buttons is being held down, some of the other stuff doesn't play. That was our biggest complaint about the toy. Oh, and we keep it against a wall for stability. That said, now he plays with it a little while each day.

DS enjoys playing around the outside of his exersaucer... although I suspect he'll purposely pull it over, soon. Also enjoyed plastic storage tubs (weighted inside) with his toys on top. FWIW, no matter how many pull-up toys we offer, he still pulls up on the furniture (and, now that he's more experienced, the walls).

You might also consider using the bottom shelves of sturdy, anchored bookshelves. DS loves to pull up, then pull all his books off the shelf. Or take something from the bottom shelf, and put it on the next shelf up, etc.

[Lockie & Sam's Mummy]

hi lisa,

thanks for the info regarding the learn-around playground! i didn't even think about whether he'd be able to steady himself once he was on his feet. he's still pretty new to cruising so he definitely needs something to grab onto. will definitely try it out with him first at the shops (that's if i ever find it!!! ).

i don't think my ds would let me put him in an exersaucer so it probably isn't a good purchase for us! he gets very impatient if he fells "strapped in" in any way, he's king of the wrigglebots 

i'm getting used to him using the furniture for cruising now so it isn't freaking me out as much as it did at first. i think i'll take my time looking for a toy for him as they're quite $$$ & i want him to get a lot of use out of whatever i get.