Giggle Ball by Infantino

Pros: colorful beads and plastic wires, different textures, shaky sounds

Cons: too bulky, not a good teething toy, appeal quickly subsides

The Bottom Line: My ball doesn't giggle, it wheezes.

Review: My daughter was acting up at Babies R Us a few months ago so I handed her this Giggle Ball off one of the shelves and hoped it would quiet her down long enough for me to finish shopping. She seemed intrigued by it. Since it had kept her quiet and ...

Pros: Bright colors; rattles/squeaks; easy to grasp; textures; lots of developmental features.

Cons: Not very giggly.

The Bottom Line: You'll get a few giggles out of the Giggle Ball and maybe some developmental value as well - that is, if your child is interested.

Review: My husband is grateful every day that our nearest Babies R Us store is fifty plus miles away. He could recount numerous horror stories centered around prenatal shopping trips, and shudders when the store is mentioned to this day. Suffice it to say then ...