My son has special needs and is globally developmentally delayed and I bought this so I can play different music for him (I am pretty sure he gets sick of my singing! hehe). The instruments are very cute and pretty well built. The little cymbal handles were loose and I had to jimmy them, but it was easy I just put a washer to stabilize it. My niece who is typical and healthy also enjoys playing with these instruments.

This set is great to use with my elementary school students in a small class. They are well made with decent sounds. I have previously purchased some of these items separately from other manufacturers which cost more with similar quality. My students like to use these especially for different sound effects during a puppet show or skit in class.

I bought this for my one year old. He loves making noise and this was the perfect gift. He's too young for the triangle but appreciates everything else. This comes in a cute wooden box where you can try to keep everything neat. I recommend this as a gift. - Noga Rosenthal

I bought this gift for my son for his 2nd birthday, and it quickly became one of our household favorites. The instruments are durable and easy-to-use for toddlers. My son is 2 1/2 now, and he often hands everyone in the house a different instrument so we can all play together while he belts out his favorite nursery rhymes; then he switches our instruments and changes his tune. I have bought this for several people as gifts for 3 and 4 year olds as well, and each has been met with great joy. I consider this a "must have" for any child and a nice departure from the plastic/battery-powered toys of which we already have so many. Great for a boy or a girl!

I've got a 15-month old who just loves music and is always clapping her hands. The minute we opened this toy, she immediately took to the cymbals. My wife turned the sturdy box they came in upside down so that she could beat on the box if she wanted. My daughter had a better idea... she'd climb up on top of it like her little stage and crash her cymbals like some major domo, marching in step at that! We all love playing with these very durable toys.

This and things to draw with are the best toys, because kids don't seem to burn out with them the way they do with one-trick pony toys. Anyway, I'm very pleased with this and the great value it represents for the price. I'll be giving this as a gift to my friends' kids.

You can never have the perfect toy, but as long as they've come so close with this, I might as well ask Melissa and Doug if they would verify for us parents that the paint used in these does not contain lead -- they are from China and the bright yellows and reds are the ones that more often contain lead. The only other thing is to know whether the wood was sustainably harvested and did not come from clearcutting trees (in Borneo or something and sent to China for processing).