*I was provided with product from Lamaze. All opinions are my own.

When I look at toys to purchase, I often choose ones that lend themselves into fulfilling children’s natural desires for playing or exploring. For example, Kelsie is in a stage where she likes to put objects into containers like bins or cups and then pull them back out, one at a time. I’ve seen several other babies go through this phase in the past. Yet, I hadn’t seen many toys cater to this desire that older babies or younger toddlers tend to have. So when I came across Franky The Hanky Whale, a toy from the Lamaze brand I thought “Finally! Somebody gets it.”

Franky The Hanky Whale is a stuffed whale toy that has a hole that extends from the top of his head through his mouth. It comes with four colored “hankies” that can be fed into the mouth or the top of the head and then pulled back out. It is suggested for babies ages 9 months and up.

Kelsie is 14 months old right now, and petite for her age but the whale is a good size for her. It’s about 10 inches tall but it’s very lightweight so it is easy for her to grab onto and move around. She isn’t stable enough while walking to carry it quite yet but she tries anyway. Her hands are little enough that she can get them completely into the holes but she doesn’t seem to understand that she needs to let go of the hanky and remove her hand in order to leave the hanky in there. So for now, she needs assistance in playing with Franky so that she can repeat the process of getting the hankies out but when we sit and assist her with stuffing the hankies back in, she will play with Franky The Hanky Whale for quite a while. She also will take the hankies and toss them and then pick them back up or just carry them around.

Franky’s fins make a crinkly sound when moved so she likes to rub them. Drew is 3.5 and he has used Franky to “preform magic tricks” by making hankies “appear out of thin air” as he pulls them out. So, we have definitely gotten a good amount of play out of Franky so far and I’m sure the kids will continue to surprise me with ways that they come up with to include Franky in our play.

Do your kids own any Lamaze brand toys? Which are the favorites?

Emily

Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.

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