LeapFrog See & Learn Piano

While playing, the round mirror on the piano surrounded by flashing lights panders to that love babies have of watching themselves and this safety mirror is angled at the right degree so that they can be captivated while sitting up. The four character buttons inset around the mirror aren't immediately obvious to younger babies as anything other than pictures, but once found they give a little demonstration of their instruments; the saxophone, the flute, the piano and the banjo.

The See & Learn Piano is based on a simple concept, but it works on a number of levels. Younger babies will like the simple musical notes, while older toddlers will be able to make independent use of all the buttons and modes. The two levels of volume make extended play more comfortable for babies and parents. --Rachel Ediss

The See & Learn Piano is the simplest of the three LeapFrog toys we tested, but offers much more than many similar toys. My one year old was happy to press on the keys, hear the sounds or music, and see the mirror light up. What sets this toy apart is that there is still so much more for him to explore--using the character buttons to understand how different instruments make different sounds, for example--and that it plays no less than 20 different tunes in all.

Overall, we loved the LeapFrog toys and I would recommend to anyone looking for this type of toy to buy any of them. They are certainly firm favourites in my house. --Elizabeth Currie

The LeapFrog See & Learn Piano is a brilliantly thought out toy for young babies. It consists of a small four-key keyboard, each with a coloured shape. There is a round mirror surrounded by four flashing lights set at a slight angle. There are also four different musical instruments to choose from. The whole thing has a carrying handle on the back, and it is light enough for a toddler to carry around easily. As with other LeapFrog toys, there are two volume levels. The piano is easy to clean, and the battery compartment is sealed, and requires a screwdriver for access.

The piano has three modes of play, shape and colour, where the name and colour of the shape on the key is identified, music, where each press of a key plays the next few bars of a song (there are several different ones to choose from), and finally a free-play mode. The group of young testers absolutely loved this toy, fighting over it before it was even unwrapped from the box. There is nothing about this toy that they did not like, with music, lights and a mirror, plus the ability to carry it around, it was a winner with everyone. Unlike other "educational" electronic toys, there is no aspect of numeracy or literacy, rather a focus on musical elements, which is unusual. As a parent you do not feel that you are pushing your child into learning with this toy, they all just find it great fun. Of course, if you want to find educational value, it is there, naming shapes and colours, musical instruments and musical rhythm and tunes, however I would just buy this because the kids loved it. --Sally Hunt

My 21-month-old baby loves the many tunes this piano plays. There are four instruments: piano, flute, banjo and saxophone, each with four tunes, ranging from well-known to the obscure.

I find the piano is a bit limited with only four keys to play and four buttons, but it has a large mirror in the centre which I think younger babies would love. There are primary coloured shapes on the keys which will help with learning, but on the whole the toy is a bit confusing as I think it tries to do too many things.

On the plus side, it's a solid toy with a good carrying handle and volume control button. Probably a toy more suited to younger babies than older toddlers. --Judith Catton