Review – Playskool Swing n Score

Playskool’s Busy Basics Swing n Score Baseball was one of the gifts my son received for his first birthday. The brightly colored stand is like a junior version of T-ball with a plastic ball at the end of a rotating arm, which a toddler would presumably hit with an accompanying plastic bat. In our experience, the bat has come more in handy for chasing the cats and repeatedly hitting furniture.

I’m not sure which marketing person said, “Hey, let’s give a plastic bat to a one year old,” but it’s obvious they either don’t have children or are conducting a chaotic experiment to see what happens when you give a toddler a weapon.

In all likelihood, the youngest of the toy’s target age range (one year and up) will likely prefer swatting at the ball with their hands. Once your child hits the ball, they’ll be rewarded with encouragement in the form of an annoyingly over enthusiastic guy’s voice exclaiming, “WOW, YOU’VE GOT A SINGLE!” or “WOW, YOU’VE GOT A DOUBLE” or “OH BOY, YOU HIT A TRIPLE” or “GOING, GOING, GONE – IT’S OUTTA’ HERE!”  followed by applause and “GREAT JOB!”

Obviously, the toy’s makers have never been to a real baseball game. Wouldn’t it be more realistic to have the toy also say things you might really hear at a game? “YOU SUCK!” or “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?” or perhaps a few obscenities to better prepare the child for the pressure of a big league at bat.

In addition to the repetitive narrative, Swing n Score also lights up and plays a few familiar baseball tunes, which my son enjoys dancing to. Hopefully, he will end that habit before going to bat during a game. “Now up to bat, number 22, who is… dancing his way to the plate?”

The toy also features a large button in the shape of home plate which the toddler can hit to generate one of a few annoying responses. In terms of teaching cause and effect, it makes no sense to give a child a “HOME RUN!” for simply stepping up to home plate. Let the kid earn his/her homerun! Talk about setting a child up with unrealistic expectations!

The only downside to Playskool’s Swing N Score is that if you forget to turn it off, the slightest movement will set off a series of “OH BOY”‘s. I made the mistake of leaving the toy in our son’s room and tripped over it in the middle of the night while checking on him, setting off a lenghty round of noises, lights and music. “OH BOY, KLUTZY DADDY WOKE THE KID UP!”

Quick Rundown

• ages: one and up
• price: around $15
• Fun Factor (on a scale of 1-10): 6
• Fun Factor of chasing cats with bat: 10
• Time that toy will hold a toddler’s interest: 10-15 minutes (which is like an hour in toddler time)
• what’s good about the product: easy to use, gives encouragement, develops hand eye cordination, fun, long battery life
• what’s bad: annoying repetitive announcer, looooong battery life!, bat is not cat-friendly

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