When children press the tummy of the Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse, it lights with a soft glow and plays an array of sounds and music including ocean sounds and lullabies. (Your selections: “Minuet in G,” “Twinkle, Twinkle,” “Ode to Joy,” “Golden Slumbers,” “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring,” “Sleep Baby Sleep,” “Canon in D,” “Frere Jacques.”) The sounds play for five minutes, and then gently fades away so as not to disturb a sleeping child. The comforting toy also comes with a power switch and volume controls.
And you might be old enough to remember how much this toy resembles one that was called the Gloworm. The two are very similar, although the Ocean Wonders line has a few improvements. If you press and hold the seahorse’s chest, the music will fade away and shut off without having to open the Velcro enclosure to use the power switch. That’s a fun trick that’s not even mentioned in the instructions. And much like the Gloworm, this toy is a godsend for many parents and children as it lulls young children into a calm state that soon has them sleeping. There’s also an impressive mix of lullabies and sounds included.
There are still a few problems. The folks at Fisher-Price definitely need to check on some of the quality control over in China, since a new Ocean Wonders toy comes with a pretty strong chemical smell. It takes a few days to air out before you don’t feel that you’re handing your child something toxic–so do’t make a big deal out of handing it to your baby right out of the box. It’s a reliably safe and cuddly nightlight, though. We haven’t found any reports of batteries catching fire outside of an Amazon comments page. And the biggest problem is that the Ocean Wonders line isn’t ready for a good machine washing. This toy is “surface clean only,” which is alright–but it’s certainly not parent-friendly, and we’d like one more chance to really wash out that toxic smell.
