Leapfrog Learning Table vs Leapfrog Learn Around Playground
Hi Jillian - this one's for you!
LEARNING TABLE
I bought the Learning Table some months back from MothersWork (Tip: I later discovered that it is considerably cheaper at Toys R Us). The main thing that attracted me to this toy was that it is bilingual (English and French) and that it could be used as a tablet (sans legs) before Ems could stand up and as a table (with legs) afterwards.
It's really really easy to convert it from tablet to table and vice versa, and it's just a matter of snapping on (or off!) the four table legs. You can do it with one hand - yes, it's that fuss-free.
You can select different modes - English or French, Music or ABC/Numbers, and they give you 2 volume choices (loud or very loud).
Here's a photo of the table. As you can see, there are lots of different buttons and things to fiddle with, and Ems still loves it after all this time. I asked Ems to pose in the photo so you have a sense of its size relative to my little one.
It's good for cruising. Ems goes around the table to play with the different bits, but it's not great for pulling-to-stand. I understand that another baby (won't say who to protect the innocent) pulled up on it and fell, and I can see how that would happen as the table legs are not all that stable, esp if pressure is applied on one side of the table.
Overall, a good buy. Teaches the alphabet, numbers 1 to 10, opposites, colours, shapes - in both languages. Ems loved it when she could only sit up (and we used it as a tablet) and still plays with it (in table configuration) now that she can stand.
LEARN AROUND PLAYGROUND
I bought the Learn Around Playground more recently, around Chinese New Year. I was looking for a good pull-to-stand/cruising toy and there really aren't that many in the market. I got it from Kiddy Palace at Marina Square, thanks to a tip from Parsniketty.
It's a monolingual toy, with 2 volume modes and a choice of ABC/number mode or music mode. It teaches opposites, the alphabet, numbers (1-5), textures (bumpy, smooth etc), colours and shapes. This is how it works.
Ems crawls over to it and sits in front of it. There are many toys at that level which she can play with. If you tug on the bars directly in front of Ems (partially obscured in this photo) or on the cloth bands to her right, sounds are produced. Alternatively, she can take a ball from the tray on her left and stick it into the hole (see where her left hand is) - when she does that, the playground produces a sound to "reward" her for her efforts.
When she gets bored of this, she can play with the toys on top of the playground. Here's one of her looking longingly at the toys on the upper level:
Then she places both hands on the upper level
And pulls to stand
She can then cruise along it (and around it) to play with the different buttons.
At this level, she will sometimes hold a ball in one hand and place the ball in one of the upper openings; this sends the ball down the chute and the playground rewards her with a cheer ("hurray!"). In this photo, she's got her left hand on the playground for support and the red ball is in her right hand ready to go down the chute.
I love the Learn Around Playground and I think Ems does too. When we first set it up, she couldn't stop giggling at the little pop-up frog - truly a priceless moment. And she has a lot of fun sending the balls down the chute (with our encouragement) and then looking down at the tray on the lower level to check where the ball ended up! I read somewhere that this sort of game teaches cause and effect, which is supposed to be helpful.
MAIN DIFFERENCES
1. The playground is more stable than the learning table, but I am still not 100% pleased with the stability level when Ems pulls on it to stand up which is why I try to rest it against the living room sofa (somehow this makes a difference).
2. The learning table can be a table or a tablet, whereas the playground cannot be reconfigured to be something else. Probably not an issue since pre-standers can just sit in front of the playground and play with the toys at the lower level.
3. No ball popper on the learning table, which is a pity as babies seem to really enjoy the popper! I've heard they'll get even more utility out of this feature as they get older.
4. Most learning tables in the Singapore market are bilingual (I've seen some which are monolingual but I think those are mainly sold in the US), whereas the playground is monolingual.
5. The playground takes up more space than the learning table. Here's a pic of them side by side so you can get a sense of the difference in size
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