Bright colours, natural materials, with lots of bits for baby to explore. That pretty much sums up the Skwish Classic from Manhattan Toy. It sounds like a simple, worthy and educational toy. Yet when I looked at the Skwish Classic my first thought was, wow, what a fun toy. Baby can squish it. And it rattles. There’s beads, and rods, and a web to run through little stubby fingers.
It sounded totally irresistible so I got a Swkish Classic from Hellobabydirect, and gave it to new mum Emma. Hellobabydirect sells the toy for £9.99. Postage costs an additional £2.95.
Natural and colour
The natural wood used in this toy appealed to most of the PlayPennies parents I spoke to and Emma was no exception. “When I unwrapped the Skwish from hellobabydirect, I smiled to see the lovely colourful wooden toy. I am a big fan of natural and wooden toys, and this is exactly the kind of thing I like.”
If you’re not so keen on the bright colours there’s a natural wood version of the toy. Unsurprisingly called the Manhattan Toy Skwish Natural, and priced at £8.99. Or if the classic version isn’t bright enough for you, then the Manhattan Toy Skwish Colour Burst is the toy for you! It is priced the same as the Classic at £9.99
Rattle and roll
The noise this toy makes is one of its biggest selling points. So what did Emma think of that? “When I picked up the toy, it made the most gorgeous rattling noise it was the sound of the wooden beads sliding along the elastic and clacking against the wooden rods.”
That sounds just lovely to me! I know from my own experience that as a baby my son loved his little toy with beads on it for much the same reason. However, that was on a hard wire, whereas this toy is squishy. Baby can have fun trying to manipulate its shape as well as playing with (and undoubtedly gumming) the beads.
Actually I thought that the beads, perfect for gumming, would be the part that interested babies the most. But a good look around on the internet showed that most parents seemed to find that the noise it makes, and the fact that baby can squish it, were what seemed to keep the baby interested the most. Sucking on the toy is still important though! Babies explore the world first with their mouth. They learn about texture and structure through, well, sucking on it! The Skwish has plenty to keep them occupied, with its rods and elastic strings.
Age appeal
The toy does have a recommended age of 0 to 12 months. The general consensus from most parents seems to be that babies aged around 3 months to 9 months will get the most out of it.
Emma found it worked well in play no matter how old the baby. “My baby is only a month old at the minute so she couldn't appreciate this toy, but I popped it into the hands of my 2 year old nephew to see his reaction. He also was fascinated by the sound of the wooden beads, and really enjoyed repeatedly shaking the little toy to hear the noises.”
It is also a parent friendly toy too! Emma commented that “as was expected, the toy was also bitten and stepped upon, and doesn't seem any worse for wear.”
And Finally
Was Emma happy with the Skwish Classic? “I'll definitely be using this toy with my little girl when she gets a little bit older, and will be able to appreciate the colours and the sounds.”
It also went down well with another mum, Kara. “My babies are too old for toys like this now, but I still have nieces and nephews to buy for. This is a cool fun toy to give as a gift.”
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