Just Sayin.

Noisy toys.
This might be the one time I go all Little House on the Prairie on life... Let me explain.
From my early twenties to my late twenties, I worked on and off in daycare and preschools. These places are littered with toys that make cute (cute meaning annoying) noises, music, etc when a certain magical button is pushed.
Needless to say, hearing that kind of noise/"music" can be highly annoying when it is constant. I'm just gonna put it out there, at the risk of already being called a bad parent (hey, Mini isn't even here yet!). My opinion is that pingy type of music isn't really music compared to the amazing wealth of real beauty we have at our fingertips in this world, especially in the age of iPods, iPhones, and instant technology.
Not to mention, when you work in an infant room for months at a time, the constant exposure to this type of sound is a little like water torture. Not that I've ever gone through water torture, but I imagine the first little drip-drip-drips you think, "This isn't that bad." Then it gets a little worse. You get annoyed at the whininess of a certain toy and make sure you turn it off whenever possible. But with eight babies running around in one room  (well, crawling/rolling) that task becomes nearly impossible. All at once you realize that this noise is never, ever going to stop.
And this is why I, as I prepare for the arrival of our Mini, am hoping to play Mozart, opera, Glenn Miller, Beatles, Sinatra, even Florence and the Machine in our house before I just let the toy/swing/bouncer music entertain. I want Mini to know what real music sounds like. I want Mini to appreciate the beauty and complexity of an aria, the insane FUN of big band, and the beautiful sound an actual piano creates. From birth I was raised in a home that was filled with opera, the Carpenters, Frank Sinatra, and Beatles (I can still sing every lyric of most of their songs) among others. I thank my mother for exposing me to it early and forming my musical tastes well. We also sang nursery rhymes, songs from Sesame Street, and Disney. Those are beautiful and helpful too. I just think musical appreciation starts early.

A mini Gina looking at a flower.

And also, those toys just drive me insane. And an insane Gina is no good for a brand new Mini.
Just sayin.