Pros: Sturdy wood construction, drum has real rawhide drum head (not plastic), nice variety of instruments for drumming and shaking.
Cons: The drum and tambourine stick make quite a bit of noise.
This percussion set was our one and only birthday present to SB, and I like to think it's his favorite :) Actually, he really does like it a lot, since two of his favorite activities of the moment are to bang on things and to shake things that make noise.
I chose this set after doing some online research on music toys that SB could bang on that were sturdy (i.e., not made of cheap plastic) and that preferably included a drum and maracas. I initially was going to go for a Melissa & Doug Band in a Box set that included a tambourine (but no drum) and maracas, as I had heard good things about Melissa & Doug toys. But after reading the reviews on Amazon, I decided against it. More than one person commented that their kid broke the tambourine within hours of playing with it, because the cover is made of flimsy material - something like thick paper. So that was that.
Then, I considered a wooden toy drum made by Plan Toys, a company known for making good-quality wood toys in an environmentally responsible way. But after some thought, it didn't seem worth it to pay $19 (or close to it) for a solitary toy drum that comes with only one drumstick.
Next, I considered the Bee Bop Band Music Toy Set by Parents Magazine, because it comes with a whole bunch of toy instruments with a cute bug theme: a caterpillar tambourine, ant jingle bells, a ladybug xylophone, a bee maraca/clacker, and centipede drumsticks for the plastic drum that doubles as a container for all the instruments. Unfortunately, my main interest was in the drum, and several reviews that I read said that the drum's top and bottom are made of flimsy plastic and tore after some use. One mom wrote that her son happily got a year's worth of use out of the drum, but shouldn't toys last through more than 1 year of use?? I do want to note, though, that almost all of the reviews I read on this product stated that their child was very happy with this set, so if you don't care so much about the plastic drum, then this could be a good purchase for you.
SB can be a bit rough with his toys, so I do care about the drum being sturdy. That's why I ended up going up with the Shake, Rattle & Drum set shown above, made by Sounds Like Fun. As you can see from the photo, the drum comes with 2 maracas, a tambourine stick, and a handled castanet. The set is well made, with the main parts being made of wood. The tambourine stick has real metal cymbals, and the drum has a natural rawhide drum head. Really durable stuff, so perfect for SB! The drum has a short rope handle, so you can turn it upside down and use it as a bucket to store the other instruments when not in use. I know that a lot of parents are concerned about the noise factor when it comes to toy instruments, and I have to say that the tambourine stick is pretty loud (which can be a bit annoying), but the drum has a good, resounding sound that I don't find unpleasant. The maracas are very mild in terms of noise level, and the castanet makes a clacking sound that kind of sounds like hands clapping. All in all, you will definitely get a bit of noise with this set, but in my opinion, it's not too bad, and for me, it's worth it for the fun that SB gets out of it.
And let me tell you, SB really loves to bang on that drum with the drumsticks and with his hands. (He also occasionally likes to use the drumsticks to bang on other things in his playroom, but overall, he's been pretty good about sticking to the drum itself). Ever since I've been reading him the book, Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins, which is his favorite book, I've wanted to get a toy drum for him. (In case you're not familiar with this book, it's about monkeys that like to drum on drums. Very cute! See my blog post on it.) Now, I can read him the book and drum on the drum to illustrate what the monkeys are doing. He's really gotten into the other instruments, too. What can be better than shaking things that make noise (besides drumming on a drum, of course)? Recently, SB, his dad, and I had a grand ole time playing the instruments together, with his dad on drums, SB on tambourine, and me on maracas. We made a great percussion band.
I should note that the recommended age level for this set is 3 years+, but I personally think it's appropriate for kids 1 year+. There's nothing in the set that is a choking hazard, and as long as your child likes banging on or shaking things that make noise, then I don't see why s/he wouldn't enjoy this. SB certainly does!
Retail price: $39.99 (can be purchased for $35.99 at sites like Oompa Toys and Amazon)
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