Best Pull-Down Music Boxes for Babies: Favorites for Auditory Play

Why Pull-Down Music Boxes Work for Hard of Hearing Babies

Pull-down music boxes are some of our favorite auditory toys. For a hard of hearing baby, they offer something a little extra.

The cause-and-effect is immediate and tangible. Baby pulls the ring, music plays. The connection between action and sound is clear and repeatable, which is exactly the kind of auditory feedback that supports early listening development. Unlike many electronic toys, the sound is natural and rich. It's a real mechanical music box, not a speaker approximating one!

We also love that pull-down music boxes invite waiting. Baby pulls, lets go, and the music slowly winds down. Then it's quiet. Then baby pulls again. That rhythm of sound and silence is genuinely useful for a child who is learning to attend to what she hears.

Here are the favorites we loved using with our daughter, and what we actually think of each one. We also identified new worthy additions since these toy makers have expanded their music box lines.

Our Favorite Pull-Down Music Boxes

Lullaby Bird Pull Musical Toy — Manhattan Toy

We love this sweet songbird music box by Manhattan Toy. Pull down on the ring under the nest to activate the music (and reveal 3 eggs!). Crinkly leaves provide another sound element.

Song: Mozart's Lullaby

Qualities:  The song is clearer, and longer, than we expected. It's a pretty lullaby, but lively enough to use at any time of day.

Volume: This is the loudest on our list.

‍Button Bunny Pull Musical Toy — Manhattan Toy

This stylish bunny by Manhattan Toy hops over a mushroom. Pull down on the mushroom to activate the music. This is the easiest for our baby to pull down herself.

Song: Brahms Lullaby

Qualities: This is the shortest of our music boxes, and plays a classic lullaby most Americans instantly recognize.   

Volume: This is one of the quietest on our list.

Hug and Tug Musical Bug — Infantino

This colorful bug by Infantino is so much fun.  Pull down on the bug's head to activate the music. The mirror, knots, rings, and big smiling face are nice additional features. We played this many times a day, for months, and ended up buying a second when it wore out.

Song: Toy Symphony (Allegro)

Qualities: The song is intricate, pretty, longer than we expected, and very lively.

Volume: This is the second loudest on our list.

Other Pull-Down Music Boxes Worth Your Attention

Ollie Owl Music Box — Steiff

We just adore our adorable and soothing Steiff Lenny Lamb music box, but it appears to be sold out or unavailable as of this writing.

Ollie Owl doesn't appear to be a hanging music box, but rather a soft, huggable stuffed animal. As with Lenny, Ollie plays a German lullaby that was unfamiliar to us. The song is pretty, calm, and soothing.

Song: "La Le Lu"

Hoppie Rabbit Musical Pull Toy — Steiff

So soft and cuddly! This Hoppie has "My First Steiff" embroidered on her paw pads.

Song: "Good Evening, Good Night"

Lullaby Squirrel Pull Musical Crib and Baby Toy — Manhattan Toy

We love how the fuzzy squirrel tail on this adorable music box doubles as a pull-string to play a classic lullaby!

Song: Brahms

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The Magic of the Pull-Down Mechanism

Our music boxes have been a staple of our auditory play routine since our daughter was tiny. If you want to read more about why we LOVE the pull-down mechanism specifically—and what makes it so useful for babies who are learning to listen—we wrote about that here.