Fisher Price Spinnin' Sounds Speedway

As a House Party host, I was given the inside scoop on five of Fisher Price's hottest new baby toys. For those of you who aren't able to attend my Perfect Playdate, I'm sharing insider details on these great new products. Be sure to watch for my reviews on the other two toys I have waiting for you, and check out my review on the Laugh and Learn Learning Kitchen and the Stride-to-Ride Dino!

The Fisher Price Spinnin' Sounds Speedway

waiting on us in the box

initial impression : I had kind of a hard time picturing what this toy was going to do. It looked cute on the box but it seemed really odd to pair the idea of a car track with a toy suitable for an infant. However, I could recall how much my oldest son loved toy cars as a toddler - he had Hotwheels LONG before the recommended age of 3 and up - so I had high hopes for this speedway.

packaging : Simple and sweet. All I had to do was open the box and all of the track pieces fell right out. The two race cars were held in with wire, but unlike the toys of yesterday the wire Fisher Price used was twisted around little plastic trees. It took just seconds to painlessly unwind (I go on and on about this, but we have assembled countless toys and baby products over the past ten years and some of the packaging has been downright ridiculous!) All of the assembly was accomplished in a few easy snap-together steps, no screws required. I did need a small screwdriver to install 4 size C batteries, and was surprised to see that the battery compartment door, located on the bottom of the speedway, has a rubber seal. This is the first I have seen of a rubber seal on a child's toy. I'm assuming this is to prevent corroded batteries from potentially leaking out of a toy later in its life. Very curious!

what was inside the box

basic overview: The Spinnin' Sounds Speedway is designed for babies 6 months and up. It features a spinning, light-up racetrack that even the youngest of hands can turn on via a large gearshift. The baby-friendly cars can be dropped down a ramp, and will spin on the track and be sent down an opposing ramp via centripetal force. The outside of the speedway contains several different baby-friendly toys that spin and turn, and the toy cars contain large spinning balls that rattle. The speedway ramp also houses a button that lights up the speedway and plays music, and does not activate the spinning track. It plays at 2 volumes.

assembled speedway and two cute little cars

pros : My kids LOVED this toy. Not just the baby, not just my pre-schooler, but ALL of my kids. My oldest kids, almost 8 and 10, loved this toy. The eight-year-old neighbor boy from across the street loved this toy. I wasn't sure the baby was even going to get a chance to try it out! The speedway is full of activity that captivates kids (and I caught my husband playing with it too!) The cars are very baby-friendly; not only are they the perfect size and weight for little hands, but the paint is mostly encased underneath clear plastic, and the cars can roll even if they are completely upside down. It takes almost no skill to operate, and although my nine-month-old did not yet understand the concept of racing the cars down the ramp, he thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the speedway and cars. I love that he was able to climb halfway onto the spinning track and the track stopped spinning entirely until he was off of it. This toy has moving parts but feels very safe. I also spied on the packaging for this toy that Fisher Price makes additional cars (including pink versions) which I think will be a must-have in our house!

Hobie was captivated by the speedway

and so was the whole neighborhood!

I love this one - it's like he's saying, are they ever going to let me play?

cons : The speedway is not a quiet toy by any means. If you absolutely can't stand loud noises, or have an extremely noise-sensitive child, this may not be for you. The spinning of the track is Hungry, Hungry Hippos loud, and to not engage the track sort of defeats the purpose of the whole toy. This is part of what captivated my kids - the raucous, crazy, light-up spinning cars and action is why they wanted to keep playing even after the baby went to bed for the night.

The Spinnin' Sounds Speedway will definitely be a daily feature in our house.

See more information and purchase the Spinnin' Sounds Speedway directly through Fisher Price!

*Note: I received the Speedway free of charge through the partnership between House Party and Fisher Price. I am not being further compensated for my review*