Montessori Busy Board for Toddlers Baby Music Toys- Colorful Kitchen Pretend Play Baby Busy Board Toddler Activity Board with Music and Lights- Unique Baby Travel Toys for Plane or Car

This made my two day car trip with my two year old so much easier. She loved having something interactive and play-based while stuck in her car seat! I do wish the songs could be turned off and the play sounds remain on. But honestly, so grateful for something that wasn’t a screen for her to engage with.

This product did keep my toddlers attention for a while. The only dislike was it being loud even on low setting. We did tape the volume down and it hasn’t been an issue at all. My son enjoyed all that it offers with the locks, doors, buttons and light switch (most favorite)This item has stayed in our car and will be our go to for longer trips out.

Fun and learn activities

This has two volume settings, loud and louder. So it's a little annoying but our daughter loves it. She loves all the lights and buttons. And the microwave 'dings' and pops open, super cute.

I like so much about this item, and then one thing ruins it for me. For you, it may not be a big deal at all, in which case I recommend the product. On the whole, it has a lot going for it, and I'll start with that. I appreciate that the activities are both numerous and diverse, rather than scant and repetitive. Variety is so important because you want the child to be able to practice different skills, to have different avenues of practicing patience and concentration, and of developing their finger dexterity and manual strength (critical groundwork for learning to hold a pencil and write). I like the large size, and yet the light weight, of the board. It's got a carry handle which folds down, flush with the back of the unit, which is a nice feature. I thought it was interesting that the busy board has a consistent theme, so that it could also be used for imaginative play. ('Look, here I am opening the cabinets to take out bread, putting a piece in the toaster and pushing it down. Now I need to open the fridge and take out the butter,' and so on.) This allows the activities to be strung together in such a way as to tell a story, and that is different from any similar product I've seen. Such a great idea, and one which expands the fun, as well as the practical benefits, of playing with this particular board.Most of the time, I don't favor electronic toys for children, especially young ones; rather than them sitting there watching the toy perform, so to speak, I would so much rather have the child explore a simple toy, bring their imagination and creativity to bear, and find the fun. Noisy, flashing toys can also lead to sensory overload, and they undermine patience, concentration, and the ability to sit and play quietly, totally absorbed with something. If your child already has many such toys, you could choose not to put batteries in this item, and in that case you will have a perfectly good busy board. The latches, switches, buttons, and so on will all function as they normally would.If, however, you do install the batteries, this will open up new learning activities and add to the realism. For instance, now the microwave will ding, and a light will come on inside it when you push the button that pops the microwave door. Twisting the faucet results in the sound of running water, and the toaster will glow when you push the bread down, but only if it's plugged in. Same with the fridge light; it only works if the appliance is plugged in, and the outlet switch is on. Despite being generally wary of electronic toys, I quite liked these small, realistic touches.***But here's where they lost me. On the left side of the board, below the cabinets, there is a horizontal bar with a sliding ring. The ring can move left and right, and appears as though it is intended to stop over one of the images in the bar below, as though you're making some kind of a selection. (You aren't.). The images consist of cartoony depictions of the numbers 1 through 4, and some random foods like a pear and a pineapple. (Why? I don't know.) Everything else in the kitchen makes sense, but I can't tell what this is for, except that there is a button next to it, which will play a tune, or switch to another, every time you press it.But here's the deal-breaker, from my point of view. It is linked to every electronic function in the kitchen, so if you open the fridge or the microwave, if you do anything except open the latches on the cabinets or turn the hands on the clock, that bar lights up with flashes of color, and you will trigger a minimum of one tune. If you do something else while that's still going, another song breaks in. Sometimes the board is sitting on the floor untouched for a couple seconds, so the bar lights up and the music starts again, like a reminder that the board is waiting for you to do something. In the midst of all this cacophony, the subtle, practical light and sound effects are buried beneath a wall of noise. For me, this ruins it. It transforms a fun, beneficial busy board that encourages your child to explore and pretend, into exactly what I was describing above, namely, a toy that pretty much plays for you, while you watch. That's more like television than a toy, in my opinion.The board has a switch with three settings. The unit can be off (no lights or sounds at all), or it can be on (lights, sounds effects, and prolonged musical extracts). The third setting just turns the volume of the music up higher, to a level I would consider uncharacteristically loud for a toy. There is no way to retain the charming little light and sound effects, without triggering one song after another, and that's a real shame. For me, this spoils what would otherwise be a great toy.For many people, however, electronic toys are the norm. If you don't find the constant (and, in my opinion, pointless) music off-putting, then I highly recommend this busy board. I'm disappointed, but that doesn't mean you will be. It seems like a well-made and mostly well-thought out product, apart from what is for me a fatal flaw, but may be no big deal for you.P.S. Be aware that you will need to install several stickers for the toy to appear as it does in the photos from the manufacturer. This includes the interiors of the cabinets, the microwave, and the fridge, as well as a few pieces of flat play food which can store inside the latter two, or inside the pot.

This busy board is colorful, interactive and a great option for travel. The one negative is the volume of the music/sounds. There are two sound settings and the lower volume is surprisingly loud.

This is a great toy for littles ones to play. It's not only great for keeping kids entertained, but also for them to start learning about cause & effect. It comes with stickers of the images that you have to apply to the corresponding pieces on the board & that was easy to do. All the moving parts are on the board securely so you don't have to worry about your child swallowing a part. The music/sounds that it plays are fun & pleasant, not super annoying to hear over & over. The board is lightweight & has a carry handle so it's easy to move. It runs on batteries & has an on/off switch to save batteries when not in use. The little panel to the battery is secured with a small screw so you don't have to worry about your child accessing the batteries & eating/licking them.