Elite Montessori Object Permanence Box with Tray and Ball

Very nice quality toy that I feel is worth the money and would make a nice gift for a 6 month old or older. The box is sturdy, with a nice finish, and smooth edges. The ball that comes with it is solid wood and I think is helpful for fine motor development. Yes, it makes a loud 'plunk' when it falls, but it's wood. Maybe if your baby is scared of the noise, you could put some felt on the ramp inside. So far the baby likes it even though she hasn't mastered the game yet. This would last for multiples or could be a nice hand-me-down.

We are trying to follow montessori principles at home with our daughter, so we first purchased this box to help teach her object permanence. While simple, this has been her absolute favorite toy since she was 6 months old. At first she loved watching us model it, then loved trying to do it herself, and now loves seeing if larger and smaller objects will fit in. This box keeps her entertained for very long periods of time and also helps give her exercise as she loves crawling after the balls when they don't quite make it in the hole. She has also been very curious about how the box works and looks at the box from all angles to explore. Also, the quality if very good on this. We also purchased the "next" level, which is the cylinder shape with a door and hole and she has not taken to that one (yet). One thing is that the ball that comes with it is very poor quality and its' slippery plastic features made the ball pop right our of her hand each time, so instead we use a ball that came with the Hape Geometric Rattle set, which has a little rubber grip to it and it is perfect for it!

My son is only 9 months old and he enjoys this toy! it's helped him build coordination with him holding the ball, and he's even learned to drop it in like he's supposed to. Maybe its not quite for his age - probably more appropriate for a 1 year old? But it works out. Do not leave your little ones alone with this toy though - the wood is very sturdy and hard - my son likes to lift the whole thing and bang it down so we try not to let him do that bc he could hurt himself. Also it does make a loud noise when you drop the ball but it doesn't scare him - he likes it. Overall a neat little toy and good quality. I would buy again for sure.

I am very satisfied with my purchase. It is built sturdy. The ball rolls out every time. My 11 month old is still in the stage of placing things in his mouth, so he licks it and then drops it in the hole. I sit with him while he uses it. After a while, I will leave him alone with it. I always point to the whole and say "in." I read some of the complaints from other viewers, but I have zero complaints. I am glad the other comments did not deter me. I read about this several times before deciding to give it a try since there were a lot of good reviews in spite of some bad ones. It was a prime item, so I received it in two days. I am a satisfied customer.

I’m really happy I needed up buying this! My only regret was not buying it sooner! We got a gift card from a friend for my daughters 1st birthday and I decided to buy it. I have had my eye on this for a while, even though it it so simple there are many more benefits to this type of learning than a toy with buttons that makes sounds. The quality is great and feels so soft and smooth. Ideally I would have gotten this months ago to start teaching her the concept of placing the item where it needs to go. It is worth the money we paid for it for sure!

We bought this because we wanted to start integrating Montessori toys for our LO. My husband was skeptical as it seemed simple and thought that it would not hold her attention and was not happy about how much it cost. I convinced him to keep it and we were pleasantly surprised! After showing her the ball and emphasizing the hole, she immediately started putting the ball in and was very intrigued by how it rolled out. About a month later we were excited when she started grabbing other toys and tried to put them in the hole and seeing if they would roll out as well. It was exciting to watcher her make those connections. I would highly recommend switching out the ball for ones that have different textures, sounds, etc. to keep it interesting. We do a toy rotation and when we bring it out she does play with each excitedly each time, but it does not keep her attention as long as many other toys do, like bead mazes and musical instruments. Good for development, but doesn't hold attention as long as I wish it did.

I bought this toy for my grand daughter when she was just under 7 months. It was interesting to observe that she showed no understanding of putting the all in the hole at first, but loved to watch me do it. As her brain developed further in just a few months I watched her suddenly know how to put the ball in the hole and look in to see where it went. It always delights her when it comes out in the tray, and she loves to repeat the process over and over. The toy is well made, sturdy, and attractive. Well worth the money, especially compared to all the toys for 6-12 months that requires very little in the way of brain development such as those thousands of toys that make noise and require little participation from the child.

Just received this, but already very happy with it. My daughter is soon to be 7mths old and I wanted to start introducing this to her. I'm very impressed with the quality and finishing of this product. I'm not worried about splintering or sharp corners, everything is smooth and rounded off. The ball is the perfect size for helping my daughter to use more pressure at her fingertips to grip, further developing that pincer grasp. The only critique I might have is that the walls of the tray be higher. It's easy for the ball to pop out of the tray.

Looking at it you straightaway know that it wasn't a cheap toy - the wood is solid, smooth around all the edges including the hole on top. It came with a wooden ball which I was delighted about (was worried it would come plastic) and had a good solid feel to it. However, my baby is only interested in it for about 3 minutes tops. She spends more time holding the wooden ball and feeling how weighty and smooth it is, rolls it around in her hands, than watching/using the ball drop feature. I like the Montessori method, but there might be better ways to teach the baby about object permanence.

Smells like TOXIC glue- I can't give it to my child. I would have returned it but it came from China and took forever to get here. Guess I should have shopped around a little more.