FINN AND EMMA ACTIVITY GYM
When I saw this gym on one of the blogs, I knew I had to try it. Being a huge fan of Finn&Emma (see Lexi Awards), I knew that the gym wasn’t going to disappoint from eco standpoint and design. However, I was wondering if such a simple bar with a few toys would keep Lexi’s attention for long enough, like conventional gyms do.
By the time I received the gym, Lexi was 5 months and already sitting up. That actually worked in our favor, because if she were to be in a lying position, she wouldn’t be able to get the toys into her mouth, and she’s pretty forceful when it comes to tasting everything she can lay her little hands on.
So I sat her next to the Finn &Emma gym and she went to town. She didn’t hesitate to taste every single toy on the bar. Over the next few months, the arch has been empty half the time. Do you know why? Because she was SO in love with the wool toys and the wooden teethers that we had to take them with us EVERYWHERE we went.
It didn’t make much sense to me why she preferred these toys over any others, but she clearly did. The two wool animals had feet just the perfect size for her mouth and 90% of the time she HAD them in her mouth. The wooden teethers were fun to manipulate and easy to hold for her. And the biggest bonus for me? They clip in a way no other hanging toys does. Rather than use velco which ultimately ends up “un-velcroing” under the strength of a 6 months baby, Finn and Emma used a ribbon with a clip at the end, so no amount of pulling would unclip it from the stroller, their wrist, your wrist, etc etc and drop it on the dirty floor. Dirty floor is where most our toys end up on, except for these toys. That also made the toys mommy’s favorite.
That clip and ribbon is what she loves to chew on the most, so they are always soaking wet, but give her hours of entertainment. No joke!
You know how sometimes you buy something, you use it and then you just shake your head and wonder whether these people ever tested the product at all- it doesn’t work or works poorly. Well, I have to say that the toys of this gym, specifically, work like they have been tested by both parents and babies over and over again. Huge winner in my eyes!
Because we received the gym at the time when Alexis was no longer interested in playing while lying down, I cannot tell you how it’d do with younger babies. I know Alexis has always been the kind of baby to take toys into her mouth rather than swat at them. I can see where that would present a problem for “pullers” like her since the wooden arch doesn’t bend.
Alexis did spend a decent amount of time just swatting at the toys but soon became frustrated when she couldn’t get them in her mouth. For a younger baby that shouldn’t be a problem since they don’t have the hand coordination to grab a toy and bring it to mouth yet.
Unlike other more traditionally styled gyms, this can be easily used once the baby is sitting up, which extends the lifespan of the toy. That and the amazing portability of it (we’ll be taking it with us to Disney to do something in the hotel room while we are waiting out the midday heat) have made me a big fan of the gym. And once she is too old to play with it, I already have an idea of covering it with a piece of fabric and creating a puppet show within the arch.
According to Finn & Emma’s description, the gym is made out of untreated hardwood, organic cotton, hand knit , non-toxic toys with wool stuffing. Recently the whole “untreated hardwood” came in handy, since Lexi has gotten into a habit of lifting one of the gym’s leg over her head and then shoving the whole thing into her mouth. Yeah…no further comment.
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Finn and Emma Gym
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Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. FInn and Emma provided me with a product sample to review. All opinions are 100% my own.
Given that she has been putting all of the components into her mouth, how do you clean it?
I hand wash them with soap.
Every single time? Sounds like a pain.
No, only when needed and occasionally for sanitary purposes. Why? What do you do?
Considering they are wood, they are more prone to get mold than the plastic ones
Thanks so much to Elena and Finn & Emma for this giveaway and review!! I love reading about the items you have picked out for Lexi (I am purchasing a Kiinde bottle warmer for the next baby because of what you wrote), and really would love to have this activity gym after reading your review! The baby who wins this is going to be a lucky little one! 🙂
Thank you for the review. What I really like about this gym is the plain and simple design of the wooden arch. It simply looks great. As our baby will probably be able to sit in 1-2 weeks, I’m thinking about buying something like this.
Love it! I’m a first time mom and my little guy is due in Oct. I have a Bloom Coco and had been looking for the perfect toy bar to compliment the lounger. I’m so glad I came across this one. Love the simple design. I ordered one and can’t wait for my little guy to play with it!! Thanks for the review!!
Hello, what floor mat are you using for the bottom, I love how big it is. Thanks 🙂
It’s my favorite “Supermat“
I came across this post when I was looking for reviews for the finn and emma play gym. I was wondering your opinion on the high price tag. Do you think its really worth it? I got the skip hop cloud activity mat for my shower but I was thinking of returning it and using the money to buy the finn and emma one. One of my worries is that my baby will get bored with the finn and emma one. The skip hop one comes with so many toys that light up, has a mirror, make noise, etc. Any advice on totally on the fence!!
I think one of the biggest appeals in Finn and Emma is its style. It’s functional but also looks pretty amazing in the living room. Alexis did not get bored of it, once she was able to sit up she played with it in a different way. Plus you can buy different toys to hang off of it.
If you value style along with organic non-toxic nature of the product, then by all means go with Finn Emma. The truth is anything can entertain a baby, whether it is $5 toy or a $100, but the decision is whether you have to sacrifice style and sometimes health when it comes to baby products that are not organic/non-toxic.