Several parents have told me that finding the right toys and musical instruments for babies, toddlers, and young children is very difficult. The two main problems parents face are knowing what to look for and where to find them. Another difficulty is knowing if a certain toy or instrument is really suitable for the child’s age and if it is totally safe. Typical questions like these are common: Are these maracas too heavy for my eight month old? Is this drum loud enough for my four year old? Can we play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on this xylophone? How old do you have to be to play a full size guitar? Are painted castanets safe? What is the difference between a xylophone and a glockenspiel? The solution is very simple. Do not settle for any store when looking for toys and musical instruments for your little ones. You should find a reputable music store that specifically caters to babies and toddlers. The best specialty music stores for babies and toddlers can be found online.

If we think about buying clothes in general, we can understand why some people have a hard time searching for specialized or niche items. I will give you an illustration. My husband is a keen amateur astronomer and needs several telescopes and lenses to meet the needs of his hobby. We now have several camera stores and photography supply stores where we live. Each of them stocks a couple of fairly basic telescopes, suitable perhaps for someone starting out with an interest in astronomy. The staff at these stores know absolutely nothing about astronomy and only a little more about using the telescopes they stock. Now, my husband wouldn’t dream of buying any of the things he needs from these stores. He connects to the Internet, gets on the phone and gets in touch with a specialized optical provider. So what is the difference? The simple answer is: a much larger range, at a much cheaper price, and expert knowledge about the stock. Take another example. If I want to buy an electronic keyboard suitable for teaching and playing myself, I go directly to the music store that specializes in keyboards. Now K-Mart, Dick Smith, even Myer or Harvey Norman also have standard keyboards. I could go there, but I know it wouldn’t be a good choice. Why? The answer is the same as before: a better range, a better price and an expert knowledge of the instruments. This can only be found at the specialty store.

So, going back to our problem of finding toys and musical instruments for very young children, there are basically these options for parents: the toy section of a large department store, a toy store, a musical instrument store, a store online toy store or an online store specializing in musical instruments and musical toys for children. It is only the last of these that can really give you the best result. Otherwise, you will lose a lot of time and possibly a lot of money. I suggest you look for these features when choosing which online music store to buy from:

1. A store that specializes in musical toys and musical instruments rather than a general toy store
2. Personnel who have musical skill and knowledge so that they know how a particular instrument should be played.
3. Staff with experience and knowledge of early childhood development and young children
4. A good range of products suitable for children from infancy to upper primary school.
5. A range of good quality small percussion instruments at lower prices as well as higher priced instruments.
6.Personalized service. Feel free to call and/or email. A prompt response is a good sign
7. Secure online ordering as well as mail/phone/email order options
8. Same day delivery and prompt delivery

I am very proud of the service provided and the quality and variety of instruments in our online store. I regularly check local music stores and toy stores to make sure we are very competitive. Early childhood is a very important time in your child’s development, and music plays a critical role in that development. So why buy from someone other than the experts in that area?