Trixie: 木製木琴

My 2-year-old can actually carry this around safely thanks to how light the wood is, and the bars stay perfectly in tune even after he's tossed it across the room a few times. The rainbow colors have helped him start naming his colors while he bangs away, which is a win for both of us.

The animal faces on each bar make it so easy to get my toddler engaged, and the sound is bright and pleasant rather than tinny. She's already figured out which color makes the low note, and it's held up well to being banged around.

The tuning is genuinely impressive for a kids' toy—each note rings out clear and true, so it doesn't sound like a cheap plastic noisemaker. My daughter has been banging out little tunes for a week now, and even I don't mind the repetition.