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It’s a great idea to expose children to musical instruments at a young age. While they don’t need to learn any hectic musical skills, having your child learn music in a basic form is good for their development.
Toy xylophones are a good percussion instrument to start with, as they’re easy to use.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at the best xylophones for babies and toddlers on the market right now. I’ve compared design, sounds, build quality, and cost to give you my top recommendations.
What are the Best Xylophones for Babies?
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Best overall
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Best design
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Most fun
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Best value
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Most educational
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How I Tested and Selected the Best Xylophones for Babies
When I worked at a music school for a brief period, they got a child development specialist in to explain how best to cater to small kids, toddlers, and babies.
Through that experience, I was able to learn which percussion instruments best served young babies, and I’ve been recommending them to people ever since.
Whenever I test a toy xylophone, I mainly look at the fun factor. This is the main thing that babies gravitate toward, and I assess it by looking at the colors, listening to the sounds, and seeing how appealing the overall instrument would be to a young and developing child.
After that, I’ll Iook at sound quality and durability. The sound quality isn’t too important, but durability definitely is. I’ll use the provided mallets to play quite hard on the notes to see how well they hold up
Xylophones for Babies and Toddlers Reviewed
Fisher-Price Classic Xylophone
Fisher-Price Classic Xylophone Review
The Fisher-Price Classic Babies Xylophone is essentially a two-in-one toy. On one hand, it is an eight bar xylophone, complete with a mallet for hitting the bars with. Then, on the other hand, it also has wheels on the bottom and a pull string attached, allowing it to function separately as a push or pull toy.
My cousin’s baby has this toy and it’s honestly one of his favorite things that he always goes back to.
The mallet provided is tethered to the xylophone, preventing it from being misplaced, while the eight colorful keys on the xylophone are easy to differentiate.
This color system can assist your child with hand-eye coordination and then, as your child gets older, it can also help them to better differentiate between the bars and play real songs.
In many ways, I think this is the best xylophone for toddlers, because all of the features have been carefully considered with infants and small toddlers’ needs in mind. The toy is safe for children aged 18 months and above.
Pros
- The mallet is attached by a string, so it can’t be misplaced
- Has wheels to be pushed and pulled around, keeping kids interested
- Great sound quality
Cons
- Would be great if there were two mallets
CeleMoon Natural Wooden Toddler Xylophone
CeleMoon Natural Wooden Toddler Xylophone Review
I strongly believe that the CeleMoon Natural Wooden Toddler Xylophone is the best option for those seeking the best xylophone for kids over a longer period. It has a total of 15 bars, which are color coordinated and labeled with the notes they make.
This option has always been my top recommendation for parents who want their kid to eventually be serious about playing songs on the xylophone.
The xylophone comes with two pairs of mallets, allowing for one or two-handed play, while also ensuring your child will have a spare set in the event that any of the mallets are lost or broken. Playing with a wooden mallet will also prepare them for using higher-end instruments.
The metal keys are accurately tuned, so the xylophone is genuinely useful for helping babies and toddlers to develop their ear for musical sounds.
Bars are tightly attached, so kids can safely play with the xylophone without risk of breaking or accidentally removing them, while the entire xylophone is also non-toxic, lead-free, and suitable for children aged 18 months and up.
Pros
- Largest xylophone on this list, producing more tones than the others
- Good long-term option
- Very well-designed
Cons
- The design isn’t as enticing to very young kids as the other options on the list
Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone
Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone Review
For those looking for more of a multi-functional kids xylophone, which provides an added sense of fun aside from the ability to play music, look no further than the Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone.
The robust, wooden bench includes three balls, a child-friendly safety mallet, and eight colorful bars.
This xylophone just looks like so much fun to play. It has just the right amount of draw to keep a baby constantly coming back to it.
The presence of the balls within the bench allows for an alternative way for your child to play music.
However, the more conventional option of using the mallet to play the individual bars remains the main method, and the xylophone element can even be pulled out from the main bench to provide easier access.
The Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone makes use of child-safe paint, is great for encouraging musical experimentation, and can be the perfect starting point for kids between one and three-years-old.
Pros
- Great toy that is lots of fun to play with
- Highly durable, as the plastic mallet is malleable
- Two different playing options
Cons
- Not good for parents that want their kids to play with more traditional xylophones
MVPower Xylophone for Kids
MVPower Xylophone for Kids Review
The MVPower Xylophone for Kids is an ideal children’s xylophone for ages three and up. It is crafted from high-quality wine wood, along with aluminum plate, and has a total of eight bars, which are brightly colored and labeled according to the note they are tuned to.
MVPower sells its xylophone with two wooden mallets, which allows for two-handed play. The mallets are light enough for young kids to easily handle while being robust enough to withstand repeated usage.
Meanwhile, when struck with the mallets, the bars produce clear and accurate notes time and time again. As a result, it can serve as a perfect introduction to music!
While it may not be the most suitable xylophone for babies and very young children, I’d say that those in the recommended age range are likely to enjoy its more sophisticated nature, while as a parent, you will enjoy the affordable price!
Pros
- Excellent option for older kids that are ready to learn songs
- Highly durable due to the excellent build quality
- Great sound quality
Cons
- Not as fun to play with as the other options, and it’s not great for kids under the age of three
Top Bright Wooden Xylophone for Kids
Top Bright Wooden Xylophone for Kids Review
Finally, another great candidate for the best babies xylophone is the Top Bright Wooden Xylophone for Kids.
It has a total of eight bars, which are labeled from C to C, comes with two mallets for playing the notes, and has been crafted to provide excellent note clarity and also withstand loud hits!
The metal keys are firmly attached, in order to prevent either accidental or intentional removal, while the wooden frame is decorated with elephants on either side, providing an interesting aesthetic for your child.
One of the most intriguing features is the inclusion of a classical music sheet, which provides a color chart to follow, in order to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. As a result, this may be the best children’s xylophone to opt for if you are serious about teaching your child how to play real songs.
Pros
- One of the best xylophones for learning music
- Teaches you how to play the opening line for Twinkle Twinkle
- The raised design makes it a bit more comfortable to play when sitting on the floor
Cons
- It only has instructions for one song
Buyer’s Guide: Baby and Toddler Xylophones
Many kids take an interest in music from a young age and a children’s xylophone could be the ideal starting point.
After all, a baby’s xylophone is a more affordable instrument than many alternatives, and will provide a sufficient level of entertainment, while also teaching valuable music lessons!
Here, we provide a buyer’s guide, so that you can find the best xylophone for toddlers or young children.
Why Buy a Xylophone for Your Child?
The main reason for buying a xylophone for babies is because the instrument is a great introduction to music. A baby’s xylophone will typically be easy for your child to pick up, play and experiment with, while it also has the potential to introduce them to some of the important concepts within music, such as notes and scales.
Crucially, a xylophone can help to equip your child with a range of benefits that drumming has to offer, including developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Beyond this, a baby or toddler xylophone will also be a fun toy to play with and many xylophones on the market take this to the next level by providing additional features, that will help to keep your kid entertained for longer.
What Features to Look For
The precise features to look out for will depend on the age of your child and the level of interest you are hoping to generate. It is important that any children’s xylophone is constructed carefully so that kids can safely use it, and it can be helpful if the xylophone has an eye-catching design.
If you are hoping to teach your child to play real songs, the bars should ideally be labeled with the relevant notes, while a level of color coordination can also help your child to recognize patterns. Some xylophones also offer extra features, like wheels for pulling the xylophone around, or additional play features.
Is a Kids Xylophone Easy to Learn?
A children’s xylophone is relatively easy to learn because notes are played through a simple striking motion, using a mallet or a pair of mallets to hit the bars. This provides plenty of scope for experimentation.
Of course, as with any instrument, playing full songs will take some time to learn, and truly understanding the instrument is an even bigger task.
However, relative to most other instruments, the xylophone is a great gateway to the world of music and the lessons learned can be applied to other instruments too, including the keyboard or piano.
If your child really proves to be enjoying playing the xylophone, then it’ll almost certainly be worth looking at the best kids drum sets on the market.
