I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m not a huge fan of electronic toys.
I tend to gravitate toward toys that encourage independent play, imagination, movement, and exploration. I want my daughter to do the playing, not have a toy do all the entertaining for her.
But after trying a lot of baby and toddler toys, I’ve realized that not all electronic toys are created equal. If she has to push, pull, open, stand, pretend, or dance to make something happen, I’m much more willing to make an exception.
And these three? I’d actually buy them again.
1. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Puppy
This toy seems like everything I normally hate in a toy. He sings. He talks. He has buttons. And somehow… I love him.
The songs are actually cute, and the buttons on his belly are just big enough for little hands to practice the surprisingly difficult skill of intentionally pushing a button.
But the real reason he made this list is the little shimmy my daughter does the second she hears his songs. More than once, that little shimmy has turned into a full family dance party.
It’s pretty hard to hate a toy that brings that much joy into our house.
The puppy that somehow converted an electronic-toy hater
2. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Activity Table
I usually cringe at toys that do the playing for them, but this activity table makes her work for it.
She has to open the little doors, flip switches, push buttons, and explore different parts of the table to make things happen. Yes, it sings more than I would ideally choose, but there’s so much cause-and-effect play involved that I guess it gets a pass.
I especially loved this one during that “I really want to walk, but first I need to figure out these legs” stage.
It gave her a reason to sit, pull herself up, stand, reach, and keep building those muscles while she played. And because there are activities all around the table, she had a reason to keep repositioning herself to get to the next thing.
For a toy with this many sounds and buttons, it actually made her do a surprising amount of the work.
Open the doors, flip the switches, play all over again! Get yours on Amazon Stand and Play now (and take 4 mins to get coffee) (Amazon)
3. Fisher-Price 2-Sided Steady Speed Walker
What I like about this one is that it has a good mix of electronic and non-electronic play.
Before we ever used it as a walker, my daughter loved sitting in front of it and pretending to drive the car. She’d turn the steering wheel, play with the shifter, and play peekaboo through the middle.
Then, as she got more confident standing, it became something completely different. She loved pulling herself up to spin the little star and setting toys along the top rail. It gave her another reason to get up on those feet and stay there.
We actually haven’t practiced walking with it yet, so I can’t give you a review of that part. But as a toy for encouraging sitting, pulling to stand, standing, and just generally getting her body involved in play, it’s been a winner in our house.
From pretend driving to practicing standing, this little walker has been a favorite in our house
Find the Fisher-Price 2-Sided Steady Speed Walker on Amazon Did you get that coffee? You'll need it
So… Do I Like Electronic Toys Now?
No. 😂
I still prefer simple toys that leave most of the playing up to the kid. But I’ve learned there’s definitely room in our toy box for electronic toys that ask something of her first.
If she has to push, open, stand, reach, pretend, explore, or dance to make the toy come alive, I’m much more interested.
And if it causes an impromptu family dance party?
Fine. It can stay.
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