Fisher-Price Cruise & Groove Ballapalooza Review

In an effort to entertain my increasingly squirmy pre-toddler, we went ahead and put together a toy she received for her first birthday called the Fisher-Price Cruise and Groove Ballapalooza. Despite some reviews I read regarding the difficulty of putting it together, it did not take long at all for Rick to put it together. And as soon as it did come together, little R quickly gravitated towards the bright colors, music and lights. It came with several colorful balls to roll down the different directional ramps. The center pillar lights up and plays music. There’s no selection in music, it just plays one tune. It has a hanging clear plastic ball at the top that has allowed her to practice her walking and stand by herself. She hasn’t been completely confident enough to take off walking on her own, she’s taken a few steps here and there but that’s all. Having the hanging ball up above her head allows her to reach up for it and bring herself up without having to hold onto anything. I think it’s helped her gain some confidence she needs to start walking by herself.

The great thing about this product is that she can crawl underneath the pillars as well as stand up around it, it really does keep her moving. We set it up in the middle of our living room and it’s been pretty much stationary since, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. The funny thing I started noticing lately is her using it as sort of a little hideaway. She will sneak up behind one of the pillars while I’m working on my laptop on our nearby couch, and she will, all of a sudden, pop out at me and smile to get my attention, laugh and then sneak away behind the back pillar again. It really is the cutest thing.

This is a really great product for babies and pre-toddlers, and I also think that it leaves some room for growing too. It’s something that she plays with for a while and not one she appears to grow bored with easily. She still cannot reach the highest point on the highest pillar where there is another hole and ramp, so I foresee her playing with it and discovering new things as she gets older. Overall, great product because it keeps them busy and inquisitive, while allowing them to continue to discover new things as they get older.

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