LAMAZE Activity Spiral, Multicoloured

My granddaughter is totally mesmerised with this toy! She's had it around 4-6 weeks now (4 months old) and she will not take her eyes off it, she's reaching for it now and every time I take it out its like a whole new surprise to her all over again! Even the dog wants to play with it!

A must have for the car! Been using since my baby was just over 1 month old and still using at 10 months and will continue to use for a while I would say, so good for a wide age range, bright colours, textures and sounds keep the little one distracted most the time! And soft so there isn’t the concern of being injured should the worst happen. Excellent value for money when you consider the about of use it gets!

Although he's not exactly spoilt, 7 month old Freddy has a doting Great Grandmother who loves to buy toys for him. Whenever she asks what toys he would like I point her towards the excellent Play and Grow range from Lamaze. The toys in this range are remarkably well made and feature lots of textures and activities for baby to explore and encourage his development. Captain Calamari is no exception and quickly became one of Freddy's favourite toys. Aye Aye Captain Captain Calamari is a wonderfully made soft toy masquerading as a pirate octopus. At approximately 13cm x 10cm x 25 cm and 110g he's the perfect size for Freddy to pick up and cuddle, but perhaps a little too large for younger babies. His blue plush head is hugglebly soft and his smiling face (with eye patch) is friendly, almost as if he's asking to be cuddled. His silky purple pirate hat is filled with a material that just begs to be scrunched so that it crinkles and has a felt feather so give another texture to explore. Turning Captain Calamari over, he has a baby safe mirror on his underside so that baby can talk to himself. And then each of his eight legs feature different activities and textures. Some of the legs are made of plush material, while others are silky, some contain crinkles while others are simply soft and squidgy. Five of the legs end with knots to be chewed on, while another has a silky foot. Of the other two legs one contains two rings that are the perfect size for Freddy to hold and chew on, while the other contains a rattle filled with tiny balls. Captain Calamari's final feature is a clip allowing him to be attached to a buggy or cot, which is attached via a `springy' strip of material which allows the octopus so bounce slightly when pulled. As a whole Captain Calamari is extremely well made, facial features are sewn into place and having pulled and tugged at all the seams I'm confident that he will be able to survive anything Freddy can throw at him. My only real concern is that Captain Calamari is not machine washable, from experience with Freddy I know that he will get sucked on, and eventually get quite grubby. Mind you, after two months of being played with and `eaten' he does still look as good as new. When Freddy Met the Captain I was really shocked at Freddy's first reaction to the Captain, personally I didn't think he looked nearly as exciting as many of the other Lamaze toys. But obviously Freddy saw something in him that I didn't and he barely let him go for the rest of the day. Even now a couple of months later, Freddy will still play with his octopus several times a day, and even though he's not crawling he is quite capable of moving around the room and will make a beeline for Captain Calamari. How Freddy plays with the Captain has changed considerably over the last couple of months which bares out Lamaze's claim that the toy will grow with your child. To begin with Freddy was simply interested in the rings, that were just the right size for him to hold and he enjoyed exploring the different textures with his mouth. As time as has gone on, Freddy discovered the mirror and will spend time looking at his reflection and chatting away to the `other baby'. He also spends a lot of time exploring all the different textures and sounds with both his hands and mouth. He can spend a good ten minutes just checking out one arm after the other. The rattle was one of the first toys he passed from hand to hand, and he can often be found holding that part in front of his face trying to work out how to get at the balls inside it. As well as being used to attach the Octopus to his buggy, Freddy regularly uses the clip as a teether, or simply to hold the Octopus so that he can bash it against surfaces to make a noise. He has hit himself in the face a couple of times when he's become a little overenthusiastic, but as the toy is so soft he's not caused any injury. The final way Freddy interacts with his Octopus is something that's only happened in the last few days and is something really sweet to watch. You see, Freddy has just learnt to ask for a cuddle by making a very particular "Ahhhhh" sound and he will pick up his octopus and cuddle it while making this noise. All in all, it's safe to say that Captain Calamari is one of Freddy's favourite toys, surpassed only by another of the range, namely Freddie the Firefly. Learning Through Play Although a baby will learn something no matter what toys they play with, I do like to buy Freddy toys that go that little bit further towards aiding his development and encourage anyone else buying him toys to do the same. The Lamaze Play and Grow range of toys fit this bill exactly and while the toys themselves don't change, the way baby plays with them does (as Freddy has shown). This means that the toy that visually stimulates a newborn also helps an older baby develop new skills. Although I must say that I'm not sure that Captain Calamari is the best of the range for a younger baby, as it features far more subdued colours in the range, 4-5 months is probably a better age. From this age upwards, Captain Calamari will help develop baby's hand-eye coordination as they explore the different textures and are rewarded with the different sounds and feelings. He also aids communication skills, as baby talks to himself in the mirror and eventually works outs that the `other baby' is actually him. He can also be used to encourage baby to move, if like Freddy he absolutely adores the Octopus. Baby might even use the rings and clip as a teether to soothe his sore gums, And finally as he has such a cuddly body he can provide comfort at bedtime. Final Words While I personally wouldn't have rated Captain Calamari, the person whose opinion really matters adores him. From the very first moment Freddy laid eyes on this octopus he was entranced and couldn't wait to get his hands on him. Even now two months later the novelty hasn't worn off and Freddy will still play with the Octopus at every opportunity. He even had to go on holiday with us and comes on regular trips in the buggy as one of the few toys that doesn't get thrown on the floor. Therefore I can't help but give Captain Calamari five stars out of five, simply because he does seem to be perfect for my special little man and has helped him learn through play. Oh and just as a little extra, Captain Calamari does not require batteries.

Captain Calamari is a tough seafarer who always brings a smile to small folk. He can be pulled, rattled and squished to offer a sensory experience. He's lovely and colourful with not a barnacle in sight.

The captain is very interesting for our child. Lots of different bits and pieces. The rattle/ball is a prticular highlight. Never fails to keep our child entertained. The hook addition to hang on the car seat or just to help carry is very handy.

Love lamaze toys, soft, cute, keepa baby busy. However the picture when ordering was showing a little different colours (nicer if you ask me) and the one we got is lovely but not really what we wanted when ordering. All toys we git from lamaze until now were good quality, on thia one i can see a bit poor stitching, not a big concern but not great thing to see on a toy given this and colour 4 stars this time. Toy itself is very cute!

I hated this initially as its not super-cute (to me!) like other toys I've seen (the monkey or the pony) but my baby completely fell in love with it!! I was trying to get him a toy that would have a teething ring and a rattle that he can reach when the handle of his Maxi-Cosi car-seat is up. So I just tested this at Mothercare and my little one went WILD. I tried showing him another toy but he almost fell out of his push-chair trying to look at where I'd placed Captain Calamari back on the shelf! Ordered it from Amazon because of the amazing price. Almost 1/3rd less than high-street stores @ £7.95. I hand washed it and the colors haven't run. The cap and every alternate leg makes a lovely crinkly noise and my 5-month-old loves to squeeze them. The rattle and the teething rings are heaven to the very slobbery baby and keep him occupied for hours in the car/pram. Its a pretty big toy but its good in that he can manoeuvre it with his little hands and not-so-good-yet grip. He hasn't noticed the mirror at the bottom yet but I don't doubt he'll love it when he does. I highly recommend this. Just rattle it in front of the baby at a local store so you know which toy they like... mine hated the pony etc. Also, get an idea of the size or it might come as a shock - its as big as a small pillow! :)

Great item has so many noisy and textured bits my little granddaughter absolutely loves it

Neat product but the delivery expert delivered to the WRONG house. Inexcusable effort from a delivery person who cannot read numbers!

Tres jolie pieuvre dommage que la cordelette entre l’anneau et la pieuvre n’est pas extensible

It’s quite big, I bought it for my new born without checking the dimensions, thinking it is small, it was to my surprise when it got delivered that it’s quite big, she only started using it at around 3 months and even then she can’t carry it yet but i like that it’s lightweight and she can play with it while laying down without hurting her even though shes still can’t hold the whole thing by herself. It helps her explore with colours and sounds on the tentacles, and she loves it.

This was a gift so I can’t give it a good or bad review. The receiving parents thought it was really cute though

A resounding yes to this Captain! There's enough and more going on in just one toy to keep baby engaged for quite some time. Here's what to expect: - Rings to grab/ gnaw on (my teething 7mo is particularly fond of those) - Crinkly sounds from some of the tentacles - Rattle/ bead hanging down the centre - A plastic (but very clear) mirror on the base of the toy (not visible in the website picture) - when baby holds up the toy, or you do, s/he can see her/ his face on there - Amazing amount of detail (notice the shiny yellow satin boot on one tentacle!) Can be clipped on to a stroller/ car seat/ crib rails as well. Quality is flawless. Amazon doesn't disappoint on the whole packaging and delivery as usual. This one is one of my favourite Lamaze toys - and from what I can see, my little boy's too!