This is a goregous item! I was hesitant to buy it online, so went to Target to see it for myself. You HAVE to push the button to try it before you can really appreciate it. The pictures on the website just don't do it justice.
The lights and motions and sounds that you can't see in pictures are what makes this so special. The lights are bright enough to be really sparkly, but soft, not harsh, amber colored. The movements of the fish and plants are subtle and realistic. The songs and sound effects, several lullabies, bubbles, oceantides and running river are high quality, not high-pitched or tinny. This is soothing, my almost 3 month old likes it and it almost made me fall asleep too.
The remote works well too, which is usually a problem with these types of items. It is super high quality, heavy weight materials. Make sure you don't cut the straps that are to hold it in the crib, as they attach it in the box, and even though there's a big red crossed circle sign telling you not to cut them, it took me a minute to process what it meant, and I was in such a hurry to get this out and working and show the baby that I almost cut them anyway (we parents are programmed to break out the chainsaw to get toys out of their packages these days!)
Really a good value for the money, I am so glad I went to see this and didn't pass it up! You will NOT be disappointed, go ahead and buy it on line if you like the idea and photos, you will LOVE the actual item!
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I could not decide between the Ocean Wonders soother and the Rainforest Peekaboo Soother, so I got both in order to see which was best.
They are priced comparably, although it seems that Amazon just raised the price on the Ocean Wonders one, for some reason. It is still available at other places like Target for about the same price as the Rainforest Soother.
The Ocean Wonders Aquarium soother is what I'm sticking with, and here's why:
1. My 5 month old likes it better! The Rainforest Peekaboo soother has lights and motion, but it's not as dramatic as the bubbles that you get in the Aquarium soother. My 5 month old got tired of the Rainforest soother after a few minutes, while the Ocean Wonders soother holds her riveted. (I think it's the bubbles!)
That was, of course, the deciding factor. Other considerations that pushed me over the edge were:
2. Ocean Wonders has longer music and motion cycle than the Rainforest soother. The Ocean Wonders soother goes for 18 minutes. You can optionally turn off the motion or lights or music. Conversely, the Rainforest soother only has an 18 minute cycle if you choose "music only." It has a 12 minute cycle if you choose "music and lights" (no motion). But if you want all 3 -music, lights, motion -you only can get that for 6 minutes. Not sure what the folks at Fisher Price were thinking there (perhaps battery life?), but no thank you!
3. Ocean Wonders comes with a remote. So, if that 18 minute cycle is longer than you would like, just shut it off from the doorway of your child's room.
4. Ocean Wonders has more music to choose from. There is a toggle button that allows you to choose 5 different music tracks (classical, nursery rhyme, etc) and just plan sound effects (bubbles, waves). The Rainforest soother, from what I can see, only has one choice, although it plays about 3 different tunes.
5. Ocean Wonders has a bigger start button, which makes it easier for your child to activate on their own. My daughter has turned the aquarium on all by herself just by stretching and kicking her feet. Which is fine by me! The Rainforest button is smaller and not as prominently located on the unit.
In short, they are both fine soothers, but I think the Ocean Wonders Aquarium soother has more going for it. And my daughter thinks so too!
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I rated this very well when my daughter was 7 weeks because it truly helped her to fall asleep & adjust to sleeping in her crib. At 5 months old my daughter loved to watch the aquarium & learned how to turn it on & off which gave me a few extra minutes to get some things done during her naps. I ended up taking it out of her crib around 7 months because she was all over the place & I was afraid she'd get into trouble with it.
At 13 months old, I STILL use this everyday for her naps & bedtime routine. It stays on the rocking chair next to her crib & I use it to play music now. As soon as I go into the nursery, I turn on the music only (it has 3 options-music, lights & fish) & she sticks her thumb in her mouth & is ready to go to sleep. She still plays with it when she's out of her crib so I would certainly say this was well worth the money spent. It does use a lot of batteries if you run the music, lights & fish all at the same time but for just music it lasts for quite sometime.
By the way, there are several different songs/sounds to choose from. We've always just turned on the first song & I love it. Very pleasant & relaxing.
Honest reviews on Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium
My baby seems to really enjoy this aquarium. I like how long the music plays and the songs are very soothing. I also like all the different settings and choices. My only complaint is that for some reason the tv remote we have in the baby's room turns the aquarium on and off as I turn the channel and change the volume quite frustrating when I'm watching tv while nursing the baby to sleep... I haven't found any way around this except to make sure that the aquarium is turned off before I turn on the tv. A little bit annoying, but still worth it to keep my baby entertained for a little while!
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When my wife first told me about this item I was unsure but ordered it anyhow. How right my wife was! Our son is crazy about it!!! We often use it to lull our son to sleep at night. Only one word of caution...the remote control is set on a very broad frequency so that even when you use your TV's remote control, whether changing channels, adjusting volume or muting will turn the Aquarium off and on. For this reason, I strongly recommend you turn the remote function off when you put your baby to sleep or he/she will get an unexpecting surprise during the night!
