Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Whether she's waving her limbs around; aiming specifically for the goggle-eyed, smiling monkey overhead; or rolling over to find the source of that I.Q.-enhancing classical music, baby will be hard-pressed not to advance her infant skill set on the Gymini Super Deluxe. From the monkey with springy leg to pull to the vibrating, jitterbugging elephant to the mirror she can see if she just lifts that heavy head a bit higher…everything on the play mat has a mission: to make baby learn. Cause and effect is a biggie: when she bats at the giraffe, it rattles. When she pokes one corner of the mat, music and lights seem to emerge from the fabric flowers. When she rubs the elephant ear on the mat, it makes a fun crinkly sound. Those large muscles are getting a real workout, too, resulting in improved large motor skills: reaching, kicking, rolling over, pushing up. Many babies don't particularly enjoy their necessary daily "tummy time," but the Gymini encourages baby to lift and turn her head to see the mirror and find the flashing lights. Tummy time is fun again! And don't forget the fine motor skills! Those little fingers have to meet if baby wants to grasp the zebra's mane or the parrot's crackling wings.

Details, Details
Plastic rings hang from the many holes in each arch; dangling from each is a plush animal or toy, providing still more stimulation. Additionally, parents can easily switch out the toys for variety, simply detaching the included toys from the rings and looping other baby-safe toys on. A hidden music box in one corner of the mat includes an on/off switch with two musical selections: 10 minutes of Mozart or three short fragments of popular nursery tunes. The music is a bit plinky, as is the norm with most baby toy music, but not at all offensive. When the music stops, all baby needs to do is press anywhere on that corner of the mat to start it up again—she is further encouraged to do so by the flowers that light up when the music plays. A hidden squeaker in one of the birds, peek-a-boo with the elephant ear, flap-flap-flap with the butterfly wing, tug-of-war with the giraffe's tail…the play potential is limitless, whether she's sitting up or lying down, one week old or 8 months old.

For Mom and Dad
The mat and arches fold up flat, and the entire Gymini snaps together and travels easily, which is a good thing because you won't want to be without it on your next trip to Grandma's. The padded mat is machine washable (read instructions first—the music box and mirror don't take kindly to machine washing…). Three AA batteries required for the music box (batteries included are for trial only and should be replaced). --Emilie Coulter

At first he was mostly interested in the mirror (which is a tiny bit warped, by the way, but not too bad at all), although the toys are close enough that he could see them and would spend some time looking at them too. Now he is almost three months old and he still loves the mirror, but also spends lots of time smiling and batting at the toys. He can happily spend about half an hour in there. If he does get bored, I move him to another spot to change the view and he's usually happy again.

We also detatch the toys and take them with us in the car, stroller, etc. He particularly likes the monkey (which has a big smile) and smiles back at it when he sees it. The elephant has a sparkly tummy that he also stares at for a long time.

Some things we didn't know when we bought it:
1. Each of the toys has something different that is interesting about it. The monkey and the giraffe are both rattles, while the elephant is one of those pull toys that shake. The parrot has crinkly wings.
2. The mat washes well but has faded a bit after only a few washings (we put it in the dryer on low). This is my major disappointment with the toy - for the price it should hold up a bit better. The toys have to be washed with a damp cloth.
3. The whole thing colapses down quite flat. We took it with us on a plane trip and it fit nicely in the bottom of a suitcase.
4. The music is quite tinny, but not bad for a toy. It does get old after a while (there are only two settings), so we usually put on our own cd when we want music.
5. The mat is nice and soft (good if you have have hard floors) and has some interesting textures: the giraffe's tail, the zebra's mane, etc.

All in all, we are quite pleased with this toy. My son seems to find it entertaining, and he hasn't even begun to use all of its features. I think we'll get a lot of use out of it in the months to come. Hope that helps!


So Much Fun!   September 1, 2003
187 out of 192 found this review helpful

This play gym is the best. We didn't register for it, and when I received it as a gift I thought it had too much going on. Little did I know how thankful I would be for it! My baby started playing on it around 6 weeks old. I've seen his brain develop right before my eyes thanks to this toy. He started to reach out for toys, he started rolling over, he started noticing himself in the mirror, bringing things to his mouth, and now he's starting to scoot himself around to get to all the fun stuff. Soon he'll be crawling! All of the toys that hang from the arches do something neat and different to stimulate your baby. The mat itself has little surprises...mozart, crinkling ears, a hidden squeaker, a giraffe tail. It's the perfect place to put your baby for his developmental "tummy time" as a newborn and then for his developmental play time as an older infant. I'll cry when we have to put it away! A definite must-have!


Excellent for young babies who are bored!   October 15, 2002
D. M. Farmbrough (Brentford, England)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This helped our son get from the stage of just lying on his back with one handheld toy to moving about, pulling himself up, and eventually crawling! There are a variety of toysm each of which is at a different ability level so your little one may not use all of them at first. Joseph couldn't 'do' the jittery elephant at first and when he discovered he was able to work it, he was overjoyed! The music that goes with this mat is good for the most part, but the rendition of Three Blind Mice doesn't start properly and adults may get bored with the Mozart after a while. I think perhaps a greater selection of tunes would have helped. Nevertheless it was fascinating to watch our son learn how to operate the switch and then to see his face as he enjoyed the music.

The unit is also washable, which is good (you remove the electronic part first) but got a little faded after just one wash so it may not last as well as it should.

A great way of helping your baby learn while he has fun.


Love it!   May 4, 2006
K. Drake (IN USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

My daughter loved this play gym! She used it for a long time, as she didn't start crawling until 9 months.. and even after crawling, loved to sit at it and play with the dangling toys and turn on and off the music, and crinkle the elephants ear. Even now (at 18 months) I still use the dangling toys in the car, linking them together and hanging them off of the headrest in front of her or off of the hanger abover her. She still likes playing with them-and the elephant was her favorite even at 1 month and still is.

2/08 update:
We got this toy out again for our second child, only to discover in our move, we had lost the arches. I emailed the company from it's website, and they sent us new arches within a few weeks at no additional charge! What great customer service! Otherwise, we would have had to buy a new playgym-afterall what good is a playgym that you can't hang toys from?


A bit pricey, but worth every penny   September 23, 2003
Barbara Millet (Belle Harbor, NY USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

We received the Fisher Price Kick N Crawl Barn gym as a gift, and it was junk from the start. It would tilt and be in our baby's face. We knew she liked the concept of the gym, so we went to Babies R Us to seek another.

Well, we found this one. The price shocked me, but I loved the little animals and the Mozart feature. Turns out it was another wonderful decision we made. Our daughter LOVED it (she is almost 1 year now, and is too old for it since she pulls up on it) and I highly recommend it for all parents that need a little "break." It kept our daughter very busy and stimulated while we were able to sip a cup of coffee or collect our sanity :-)

After we are done having children, we plan to save each dangling critter for our Christmas tree. They are all so beautiful, and each will have a wonderful memory tied into them! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!