Tips for Buying Musical Toys

Walking through the toy store can be overwhelming when trying to find a musical toy for your child. Just walking through the toy store today I saw 10 toy guitars, 7 xylophones, and 15 singing stuffed animals. So how do you know which musical toy is the best? Below is a list of tips for buying a musical toy:

1. Look for a musical toy that best resembles the real instrument. For example, let's say you are looking at two different toy guitars. The first guitar will only play music if the guitar is strummed, while the second guitar will play music without the guitar being strummed. The first guitar is a better choice because the action of strumming to hear the music resembles a real guitar.

2. When buying a toy such as a piano and xylophone, make sure the keys sound correct. I have played toy xylophones that have sounded like every key was the same note! It may not seem like a big deal, but your child is learning from these toys, so the toys should sound accurate.

3. Research the musical toy first. There are many toys out there and doing a little research will save a lot of time when shopping. You can do research by visiting websites that have toy reviews such as Walmart, Toys R Us, and Google. Many parents will rate toys on-line and will write summaries about how functional these toys really are.

4. Make sure the musical toy is age appropriate and something your child can actually play with. A toy that is too advanced for your child could end up making your child feel frustrated.

5. Take your child shopping and let your child play with the musical toy first. This is a good way to see if your child will like the toy you buy him or her.

6. Make sure your child has fun playing with the musical toy. If your child has fun playing with the toy, then the toy may inspire your child to want to play the real instrument in the future.