It’s oftentimes hard to predict what toys and games baby will take to and which will only hold her attention momentarily. When I was introduced to eebee’s adventures by Every Baby Company, I had my fingers crossed that she would think they were as cool as I did. Apparently not a concern in this case, as the eebee product line became some of baby’s favorite toys instantly.
Her absolute favorite is the If The Shape Fits eebee Playset that combines baby’s two very favorite things: wild hair and putting her toys in random places. The 12” eebee doll takes care of the wild hair portion and looks exactly as he does on the DVDs – cute, playful and cuddly, which just so happens to be baby’s exact requirements for playmates. He comes with four plush shapes that fit around his arms and legs and can be removed and placed on a surprisingly large number of things in an average household, which takes care of the random toy placement desire nicely.
The If The Shape Fits eebee Playset is designed as an alternative to the boring shape and stacking toys we had as kids and is one of the coolest toys I have seen in a long time. Since the shapes are expandable they not only fit around eebee’s arms and legs, they also fit around virtually anything under 12” in diameter, making for a game that changes depending on which room we’re playing in. Of course, baby’s absolute favorite place to put the shapes is on me because she knows it’s going to lead to kisses. It also happens to be my favorite as well because I know those kisses are going to elicit that beautiful belly laugh which is pretty much the goal of just about every game I play with her. Ahhh, a game that everyone wins.
Another favorite eebee toy is the Snuggle Time eebee Playset that includes a super soft blanket eebee with his signature wild hair and a cuddly blanket body that has even more eebee dreadlocks attached around the blanket trim for baby’s enjoyment. She absolutely loves carting the eebee Blankie around with her and dragging him along wherever she goes.
The Snuggle Time Playset includes a great little DVD called “Laundry List” which was the first show baby ever watched on T.V., thus beginning our eebee relationship. “Laundry List” absolutely captivates baby’s attention and even has been known to induce that adorable little belly laugh from time to time. I really didn’t expect the videos to be such a hit with her, considering she’s just barely one and hasn’t had any previous screen-time, but I think the slow pace of the film is geared right towards where she’s at. She will sit slack-jawed and stare at the screen when eebee is on as if her best friend is in the room with her, with her attention clearly focused on what is happening on screen.
I was completely surprised that eebee films were not the fast paced toddler cartoons I was used to, but rather a relaxed set of shots that were not story-line driven. Clearly baby is not old enough to appreciate storylines and plots at this time, so I was relieved that eebee was focused on small interactions instead of an actual story that you had to follow. Broken up into short segments that profile ways that you can engage your young child with every day objects and situations, the film is more about encouraging interaction than it is watching action. In fact, there is very little action on the screen at any one time and nearly no moving shots, which I thought was great because it didn’t over stimulate baby but kept her attention the whole time.
To me, one of the hardest facts of parenting has been that the only way to really tell if your child is ready for the next level of play is just by slowly introducing it and seeing how they do with it. There is no real list to follow for baby’s first year and no one to send you gentle reminders that baby should be playing “So Big” by now or is ready for more structured playtime. Oftentimes when I am sitting and playing with baby, I will fall back to the three stand-by games that every kid since 1801 has played with their parents and then draw a blank as to other ways I can encourage more interaction from baby.
I found the eebee adventures DVD to be something akin to introduction on how to play with your baby, which made me realize all the every day things that I really could be utilizing in order to encourage exploration. After watching “Laundry List” and the bonus feature on the DVD that talks to three experts about how children learn, I have realized that there is a whole level of play that I was really skipping over in my day-to-day interactions with baby. So, you ask, has eebee made me a better mom? While the jury is still out on that one, I do know that I have received 175% more belly laughs since introducing baby to eebee and that’s a percentage I can appreciate.
If the Shape Fits eebee Playset, plush made in China $32.00
Snuggle Time eebee with “Laundry List” DVD, plush made in China $19.95
Looks: Like a little wild haired and adorable plush friend for baby
Overall: I highly recommend at least one eebee DVD to all parents and more if their little one adores them like mine does.
Thank you to Every Baby for sending baby a little playmate of her own. Playtime will never be the same.
