Baby Sshh Review

Hearing your little un cry is a particularly distressing experience, especially when you have done all the necessary checks (nappy dirty, hungry, too cold/warm) and baby seems to be crying for no reason. When you've gone through the checklist and baby is still crying the house down, you can sometimes be at your wit's end as to what to try to soothe her. While nine times out of ten you can eventually settle baby with a reassuring cuddle, it can take a while to get there. Shh Baby can definitely lessen the calming down period.

Lily is generally a pretty content baby but like any baby she has her moments when she seems determined to demonstrate the power of her lungs. The average baby apparently cries for three hours a day but there have been times when Lily has gone above and beyond that – especially in the early days!! When Daddy and I saw this toy we were intrigued to see if it really would do what it promised.

Offered in either a bee or frog design (we have the frog one) this brightly coloured toy looks pretty straightforward but has scientific research behind it. Boffins in Japan (in an acoustics laboratory no less) created the toy with built in tunes and noises designed specifically to distract a crying baby and therefore calm her down. Hence it's name!!

It is the cheek area of the frog or bee which activate the sounds. When one is pressed a variety of different sounds are activated (Tomy refers to these as curiosity triggers). The other, when held down for a few seconds, starts a little medley of twinkle twinkle little star, playing at different speeds.

I have to say that to begin with Shh Baby didn't shh Lily at all and we were wondering whether we had been duped! Her crying drowned out the sound of the toy and it seemed that when she wanted to have a cry for the sake of it she was determined to! Fast forward a couple of months though and a more alert Lily is indeed calmed down by 'Mr Froggy' as we refer to the toy! It doesn't always work immediately. Many a time I have desperately pressed the button again, willing the toy to work. Eventually it has.

Sceptics might suggest that it is merely the distraction of a colourful musical toy that calms baby but take it from a Mum who has tried alternative toys to quieten Lily down. The cry just gets louder. Nothing works like Shh Baby.

You can see this at Amazon, Baby Sshh! (Frog) but if further proof is required then I have posted my own video of Shh Baby (above) on You Tube to show that it really does work.

I should point out that in addition to the musical elements of the toy it also has a few other features. Mr Froggy's striped legs can be stretched and pulled (something Lily has just discovered!). His hands rustle and his tummy squeaks when pressed in. The toy hangs from a velcro strap as well, so it can be easily hung from a crib, pushchair etc.

It may be a little more expensive than the average toy but when you consider that Shh Baby has the ability to entertain and calm a baby down, I would say it's well worth the outlay. It's been a lifesaver for my sanity, I can tell you!!