Is there decent music gear for kids?
December 22, 2009 3:04 PM Subscribe
I've got a ~1 year old baby that seems to really like music, especially hip hop and electronic type beats, and I'm wondering if there exists any cool and relatively "babyproof" music gear?
It seems like most baby music toys default to awful lite-reggae and kids standards which quickly drive me insane. I'm hoping for something like functions like a simplified version of this with palatable built in sound effects or even maybe the ability to load your own sounds. My own searching has turned up nothing so far beyond iPhone apps. Is this a pipe dream?
It seems like most baby music toys default to awful lite-reggae and kids standards which quickly drive me insane. I'm hoping for something like functions like a simplified version of this with palatable built in sound effects or even maybe the ability to load your own sounds. My own searching has turned up nothing so far beyond iPhone apps. Is this a pipe dream?
My son has the Little Tikes Music Mixer and we think it's awesome. Keeps me entertained anyway.
posted by Otis at 3:26 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by Otis at 3:26 PM on December 22, 2009
Agatha_Magatha's link reviews the SanDisk Sansa Shaker mp3 player, which I can recommend -- we bought one for our son for his 4th birthday, and it held up pretty well for a couple of years. It has an external speaker, which is great for little kids, and seemed to hold up pretty well. I don't know how great it would be for a 1-year-old though, mainly because it's kind of small -- perhaps half again as big as a D-cell battery -- and the buttons could be tricky for small hands.
ThinkGeek (and other places too, I'm sure) has this player billed as "Baby's First MP3 Player". It takes a single AA battery (the Sansa uses a AAA, and burns through them at a pretty good clip), but it's big and sturdy enough that I wouldn't worry about it getting chewed on or anything like that.
posted by Janta at 3:44 PM on December 22, 2009
ThinkGeek (and other places too, I'm sure) has this player billed as "Baby's First MP3 Player". It takes a single AA battery (the Sansa uses a AAA, and burns through them at a pretty good clip), but it's big and sturdy enough that I wouldn't worry about it getting chewed on or anything like that.
posted by Janta at 3:44 PM on December 22, 2009
If you scrounge Craigslist, you might be able to find a Yamaha DJX-IIB. (the boxy one at the bottom of the page)
They're not made anymore, and people are happy to part with them for less than $50. I got mine for $20 and my daughter loves playing with it. They're pretty well constructed, I doubt that a one-tear-old could do any lasting damage to one, beyond maybe breaking off one of the switches or losing one of the knobs.
Of you're looking for something more grid-based, there's the Bliptronic, but it it's a C-Major synth/sequencer, not a beatmaker.
posted by lekvar at 3:48 PM on December 22, 2009
They're not made anymore, and people are happy to part with them for less than $50. I got mine for $20 and my daughter loves playing with it. They're pretty well constructed, I doubt that a one-tear-old could do any lasting damage to one, beyond maybe breaking off one of the switches or losing one of the knobs.
Of you're looking for something more grid-based, there's the Bliptronic, but it it's a C-Major synth/sequencer, not a beatmaker.
posted by lekvar at 3:48 PM on December 22, 2009
Actually, thinking upon it further, I'm not sure how "baby-proof" either of my suggestions are. Disregard my comment.
posted by lekvar at 3:50 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by lekvar at 3:50 PM on December 22, 2009
Baby Llama likes instruments and has a lot, or can get her hands on quite a lot. They're so rudimentary at that age, they're just learning that if you hit a hand with another hand it makes a sound and that's so. awesome.
We have a combination of kid's toys (xylophone) and grown up instruments like a ukulele and piano, and a lot of hollow wooden thingies that make cool sounds when she hits them with things. She has an old synthesizer keyboard thing, but what she really loves is the guitar in the hallway, how her hands can strum or pluck the strings and it sounds like an actual thing. When she was smaller, it was the piano and keyboard that were more awesome.
Maybe your kid has attention giving skills the baby llama doesn't; but for her, it's a buffet and we never know what she's going to like. I think if I were you I'd hit second hand shops for percussion instruments and get yourself some Backyardigans, which I recommend every two seconds. Also, try hitting up friends for dorko keyboard things they have left over from the late eighties, the golden age of keyboards.
(Got a headache? Take two Backyardigans.)
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:52 PM on December 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
We have a combination of kid's toys (xylophone) and grown up instruments like a ukulele and piano, and a lot of hollow wooden thingies that make cool sounds when she hits them with things. She has an old synthesizer keyboard thing, but what she really loves is the guitar in the hallway, how her hands can strum or pluck the strings and it sounds like an actual thing. When she was smaller, it was the piano and keyboard that were more awesome.
Maybe your kid has attention giving skills the baby llama doesn't; but for her, it's a buffet and we never know what she's going to like. I think if I were you I'd hit second hand shops for percussion instruments and get yourself some Backyardigans, which I recommend every two seconds. Also, try hitting up friends for dorko keyboard things they have left over from the late eighties, the golden age of keyboards.
(Got a headache? Take two Backyardigans.)
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:52 PM on December 22, 2009 [1 favorite]
Oh, and nothing's baby proof. So we covered up the electrical outlets, hid the really breakable stuff, and keep an eye on her all of the time. All of the time.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:53 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:53 PM on December 22, 2009
Buy a cheap drum machine, like something from Zoom or a used Alesis SR-16. Drum machines should be pretty durable. THEY'RE MADE FOR DRUMMERS.
I let my 1.5 year old play on my $400 Boss drum machine, with close supervision.
I also let my kid pound on my Matador bongos. They're indestructible.
My kid loves these $3 egg shakers, he can go at them for like 5 minutes at a time.
posted by kenliu at 5:45 PM on December 22, 2009
I let my 1.5 year old play on my $400 Boss drum machine, with close supervision.
I also let my kid pound on my Matador bongos. They're indestructible.
My kid loves these $3 egg shakers, he can go at them for like 5 minutes at a time.
posted by kenliu at 5:45 PM on December 22, 2009
Response by poster: Wow, excellent advice all around. Thanks everyone!
posted by ejoey at 5:52 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by ejoey at 5:52 PM on December 22, 2009
We have the Think Geek mp3 player that Janta mentioned, and it's great. Both my kids really like it, and it's fairly indestructible. It also has parental controls for the volume and things like that, which are really helpful.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 7:08 PM on December 22, 2009
posted by LittleMissCranky at 7:08 PM on December 22, 2009
We've had this Toddler's MP3 player since our daughter was about 1. She loves it and it seems completely indestructible. I loaded it up with songs/music we both like and she carries it from room to room as she plays.
posted by pomegranate at 4:38 AM on December 23, 2009
posted by pomegranate at 4:38 AM on December 23, 2009
My kid loved these drumsticks that ran on batteries. Hit the stick against something (like your eye), and it makes a snare sound. There's a button for a cymbal. I have no idea who made them or how they came to be in our house, sorry.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 3:46 PM on December 23, 2009
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 3:46 PM on December 23, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by agatha_magatha at 3:25 PM on December 22, 2009