Buy ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Baby Builder 1982

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.00
Sale Price: $18.27
Today's Bonus: 37% Off

We had gotten the award winning Alex Jr. popbeads for my son for his first birthday but he didn't really get into beyond shaking the container and dumping them out and putting them back in until my mother spent a few hours with him, teaching him to "pop" them apart and "snap" them together. After this they became a favorite in the toy rotation.

Although the container says 6m+ on it, we went ahead and got the next in the line (also award winning), the Alex Jr. Baby Builder, for our son who is alost 20 months for Christmas. It includes more popbeads but other pieces for making more elaborate creations as well.

It was an immediate success with both my son and my 21 m.o. nephew wanting to play with it all weekend!!! And all the adults were having fun making wacky creations with the colorful pieces.

We like this set better then the popbeads alone as there is so much more to do with it. Although I think my son's favorite part is still to shake the container when full (but with the lid off) and have the pieces rattle about loudly and evantually all fly out all over the place. He takes the shaking very seriously and is very intent on his purpose. Then it's all smiles and giggles.

Pulling apart the beads and putting them together (even with help) are definitely developing his fine motor skills and I think as he gets older he will be able to focus more on building creations with the other pieces whereas now he primarily just takes ours apart.

A couple items to note. I don't think a 6 m.o. baby would be able to pull apart the popbeads and definitely note put them to together (my son still needs a bit of help with that) muchless actually build something. I'd probably suggest for 15 or 18 months and up.

Curiously, the popbeads in this set seem to be sightly easier to put together then the ones in the set of popbeads alone. Not nearly as much help is needed from an adult he was almost doing it on his own on Christmas Day and I think soon will be.

The plastic these are made of feels on the cheaper side but so far they have held up to a lot of toddler abuse with only a few dents. I was concerned that my son would chew on them and break off and swallow an end but again so far no problems and my son puts everything in his mouth and has a full set of baby teeth. But I do think that if an adult wearing shoes stepped down on one it could be squashed.

Again these were an immediate success with my son and I think he'll enjoy for many more months. The colors are bright and cheerful and the shapes fun. I highly recommend for young todders (15m 24m, and maybe older)and may be getting a set for my nephew!

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This was a Christmas gift for my 6 month old. He had no idea how to 'build' with it, but that didn't stop him from enjoying it. The colorful blocks were so much fun to chew on, suck on, and toss around. My 2 1/2 year old loved it as well. He was old enough to put the blocks together and loved building chains. Six months later, this set was still played with daily by both boys. Unlike most toys that are boring after about a week, this toy continues to hold their attention what a great find!

Best Deals for ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Baby Builder 1982

I bought these for my 6 month-old after playing with them at a friend's house. They were an instant hit. At 8 months old now, he still gets excited when I bring out these blocks. He loves grabbing the blocks and pulling beads apart. The curved shapes are perfect for teething on. The orange lid piece is just as much fun as the blocks. My son also loves tipping over the jar and watching the pieces tumble out. The jar is fun to roll around and rattle, and it is useful for teaching kids how to put blocks away. This toy will grow with him, as he learns to attach pieces together. It's fun for parents too. Save money and buy this builder set, instead of buying the "pop beads" and "first snaps" separately. I'm considering buying a second set, so we can make longer chains.

Honest reviews on ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Baby Builder 1982

We have owned several toys by Alex, and they have always been high quality. Unfortunately, that is not the case with this toy. The plastic is much thinner and 'cheapy' feeling than I expected. Having said that...

These have better play value than standard pop-beads because there is more versatility in how they can be put together. Both our 15mo old and our almost 5 yr old enjoyed these (I also caught our 8 & 10yr old playing with them). These are perfect for a household that needs something a preschool-age child would enjoy and that is safe for a baby to get into.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for ALEX® Toys - Alex Jr. Baby Builder 1982

My 19 mo. daughter loves these! She like to take them out of the container and put them back in over and over again. She has started trying to put them together although she is much better at taking them apart. I like that there is a large number of them to keep her occupied. It is almost impossible to get them all back in the container so that the lid will close all the way so I just usually just set the lid on top.