Pound-a-sound

One of our Mum friends was giggling recently, as I reminded her that her last two years' birthday presents for our daughter have been a toy accordian, and an alarm clock. Does she secretly hate us?

See, one thing you should know when you are choosing presents for a child: the kid may love it, but if it's beepy, bleepy, noisy, or repetitive, the parents won't, thank you. You really only have to live through one pre-6am session of squeaky electronic keyboard hell to learn this.

It's possible, however, that the Pound-a-sound is different. The product description boasts that the noises it produces are soft and appealing - and because it's fabric, it's never going to be as harsh as some of those plastic monstrosities on the market.

You can also find it on Amazon.com, priced around $22.

I should just add that the alarm clock has proven useful, and the accordian is a piece of high-quality kit, albeit one that lives on top of our daughter's wardrobe until such times as we feel strong enough to let her play with it.