Roly Poly Balls — Jungle, Set of 4

Roly Poly Balls — four soft balls, and each one sounds different

A set of four plush jungle balls: a lion, a giraffe, a panda and a crocodile, each about 6.5cm across with a bell sewn inside that rings at a different pitch. That last detail is the one that matters, and it is the reason to buy the set rather than a single ball.

🔔 Four sounds, which is four times the lesson

One ball teaches a baby that shaking makes a noise. Four balls that sound different teach something harder and more useful — that this one jingles and that one chimes, that the sound belongs to the object rather than to the shaking. Watch a seven-month-old work through all four in turn and you are watching them sort the world into categories, which is a bigger deal than it looks from the sofa.

🤲 A ball is the one shape a baby cannot get wrong

Most toys have to be picked up a particular way round. A ball does not. For a baby whose aim is still approximate, that means a hand landing anywhere gets a result — and a result is what keeps them trying.

The size is right for that too. At roughly 6.5cm these are about the size of a tennis ball, which is the point at which a baby can get a whole hand round something and still see it. Soft and squashy helps as well: they give when they're squeezed, so a weak grip still holds on.

🤾 Then they last, because the game keeps changing

Few baby toys survive the first year. These do, because what you do with a ball changes as fast as the baby does:

• From birth — something to look at and be shown, with contrasting fabrics and fabric ears to find
• Around 4 months — grab, squeeze, mouth, and discover the bell
• Around 6 to 8 months — roll it, chase it, sort the four by sound
• Around 9 to 12 months — passing between hands, dropping on purpose, and stacking them up to knock them down
• From 12 months — throwing, which is the part you may come to regret

What we like about it

• Four balls, four different bell sounds — the whole point of buying a set
• Lion, giraffe, panda and crocodile, each with its own fabric details
• About 6.5cm across — roughly tennis-ball sized, so a whole hand fits round one
• Round, so there is no wrong way to pick one up
• Soft and squashy, so a weak grip still holds
• Contrasting fabrics and textures to find
• A toy the game changes on, rather than one outgrown in two months
• No batteries and nothing electronic
• PVC free

Specification

• Suitable from: birth
• Contents: set of 4 plush balls — lion, giraffe, panda, crocodile
• Size: approximately 6.5cm diameter each
• Features: a bell inside each ball, each at a different pitch; contrasting fabrics; fabric ears and embroidered details
• Materials: mixed soft fabrics. PVC free
• Safety: UKCA and CE marked
• Care: surface clean only — wipe with a damp cloth and air dry
• Range: Jungle, by Little Big Friends

❓ Frequently asked questions

My baby can't throw or catch. Is it too early?
No, but set your expectations by the ladder above. Throwing and catching are a twelve-month-plus game; from birth to four months these are look-at and be-shown toys, and from four months they come into their own as grab-and-mouth toys with a bell as the reward. If you want the full use of them, you'll get it — just over a year, not in a fortnight.

Are they all the same apart from the animal?
No, and this is the bit worth knowing: each one has a different bell sound. The fabrics and details differ as well. They are a set rather than four of the same thing, which is why they are sold together.

How big are they?
About 6.5cm across each — we measured one, because Little Big Friends don't publish it. That's roughly a tennis ball: small enough for a baby to wrap a hand round, and comfortably too big to be a choking concern.

How do I wash them?
Surface clean only — a damp cloth and air dry. There are no care instructions printed on the product, and with a bell sewn inside each ball we would not put them in a machine. We are telling you that is our judgement rather than the maker's.

Do they make noise all the time?
Only when they move. A gentle bell, not a rattle you can hear in the next room, and nothing to switch off.

Is it a good gift?
It's a good one for a second or third present, or for a baby who already has the big things. Four items in one box feels generous, it suits any age in the first two years, and nobody else will have bought it.

🌿 The rest of the jungle range

The balls are the grab-and-roll ones. Elsewhere in the same jungle cast:

• Jungle Activity Cube — six faces with something different on each, plus a mirror and teething rings. The investigating one.
• Tiny Friends bell rattles — also bell-filled, but figure-shaped, with a loop for a play gym.
• Soft Baby Book — Jungle — 10cm square, crinkly pages and a squeaker, for lap time rather than floor time.
• Reversible jungle playmat — a soft floor to roll them across.
• Wooden activity arch and baby gym — somewhere to hang things above a baby who can't sit up yet.

More in our guides to when babies can hold a rattle, sensory play and fine motor skills toys.

Browse everything by this maker in our Little Big Friends collection, or more sensory toys.

Safety information

Adult supervision recommended. Inspect the seams and fabric details regularly and stop using a ball if any stitching is coming loose.

❤️ From our family to yours

Carefully chosen products for babies, toddlers and parents. Browse more sensory toys and the rest of the Little Big Friends range — free UK delivery on orders over £25.