Showing posts with label top rated baby toys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label top rated baby toys. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Bright Starts Having a Ball Get Rollin Activity Table

Bright Starts Having a Ball Get Rollin Activity TableMy 9 month old has had this table for 2 months so far.. and I'm embarrassed to say that she plays with it for hours a day, though not all at one sitting. I researched the Fisher Price and V-Tech version of similar tables (and watched my daughter play with them at friends' houses) this one is so much better! It seems like there are more activities than the others. We started without the legs, added them a month ago. She loves it both ways, and we'll probably take the legs off again soon just to change things up.

As another reviewer mentioned, the functionality switches between "play" and "learn" mode by flipping the page of the book. There are so many melodies (English and Spanish too) that even after hearing it daily, my husband and I still think we're hearing new songs. We don't find them annoying at all. Actually, to correct the other reviewer, the "red triangle", "blue circle", etc audio corresponds to the buttons of the caterpillar that are the corresponding color and have that shape on them. It's pretty obvious if you sit down and play with your child.

The alligator mouth covers a compartment that is great for hiding the balls or puffs/Cheerios. My little girl loves to find things there. She even knows the sound associated with the alligator door and comes crawling to look for food if she hears it. One of the smartest things that Bright Starts did was to make the 1,2,3 buttons so that they click and pop out. It's hard to describe, but it's different than just pushing a button the child gets feedback and it's easier to operate. Initially, my baby couldn't figure out how to push buttons on any of her toys. These were easier for her to manipulate and seemed to help her figure out the "cause and effect" of the other buttons.

Of course, the ball slide is a huge part that sets this table apart from the others. We have so much fun watching her try to stop the balls from falling into the hole and then chasing them around after the come out of the leg. The balls are the perfect size for little hands, too. It comes with six 2 each of red, yellow and blue.

The toy will automatically play a random tune about 30 seconds after the last button/activity was activated. At first we thought it was broken. We were wrong it's actually genius. I cannot count how many times my kid has gotten fussy or wandered away from the toy and been drawn back by that reminder song. Just so you know, it's on purpose! We honestly thought it was haunted the first few nights when it would play songs after we had cleaned up even though no one was playing with it.

At 9 months, she has not yet mastered the yellow spinner or the gear-like activity. She also doesn't reliably let the balls go down the slide on purpose. Due to this, I foresee her playing with this for at least another year if not longer. It's really been a lifesaver since she became mobile and hated being constrained by her jumper. I will say that I got this around the holidays for around twenty-four bucks. I think the Amazon price is a little high because, according to the packaging, this model is made just for Toys R Us. You should be able to find it for significantly less there.

There are quite a few of these sit-to-stand activity tables on the market and I've had the opportunity to see the other brands that my friends own. I ultimately chose this one because it had an extra element of fun. While the little light up, noise-making, turny toys on the top (similar to all the others models) are interesting for a few minutes, the real fun comes with the ball drop. It works likes a billiards table. You first drop or roll the ball down through the center hole (creating fun noises in the process). The ball then ends up dropping down one of the four legs of the table. This is by far my 1 year old son's favorite part of this toy. I'm not sure how long he would remain interested had this feature not been included. The only problem I have encountered is that occasionally the ball gets 'stuck' inside. It's an easy fix (throw something else in after it) and my son doesn't even seem to notice. His second favorite thing would be opening and closing the alligator's mouth and hiding the balls inside. He loves to open and close things. As the prior reviewer stated, it is a nice feature that you can switch from English to Spanish. I am really happy that we decided to get this one!

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My mother gave this toy as a gift for my son when he was 10 months old. It's become his favorite toy. He loves to walk around it and spends a lot of time dropping the ball in the middle and looking for where the ball comes out. Ir definitely encourages him to stand and cruise and I really like that it has Spanish and English options for the sound and music. GREAT toy, I don't know what we'd do without it.

Read Best Reviews of Bright Starts Having a Ball Get Rollin Activity Table Here

My 7-month-old received this as a gift and we both love it. It's sturdy enough for her to pull herself up on easily and it's the perfect height for standing and playing. She's not too interested in rolling the balls yet but she loves all of the songs, lights, and buttons. We've had it for two weeks and so far the sounds haven't driven me totally crazy, probably because there's so many of them so it doesn't get too repetitive. The "Circle, triangle, diamond, square they all make a happy pair" song does irritate me a bit every time I hear it since four items do not, in fact, make a pair, but other than that most of the songs are pretty tolerable.

In any case, this toy is currently the only way I can get anything done while my daughter is awake, so it's a winner in my book. I'd imagine that as she gets older the educational aspects of it will be helpful too. It has pretty much all of your preschool bases covered: colors, shapes, the alphabet, etc. Heck, it even has them in Spanish. I can't recommend this table highly enough!

UPDATE 1: I have to remove a star after an incident today. My daughter got the tip of her finger caught between the page of the "book" and the yellow light-up button as she was using that hand to steady herself while trying to sit down on the floor. Thankfully I was right there and got her unstuck quickly but she still really smushed her finger and was clearly in a lot of pain. I definitely wouldn't let a baby play with this unsupervised!

UPDATE 2: After 2.5 months of use, the electronics have gone haywire. It started having occasional audio glitches about a month ago and it's gotten progressively worse until today the thing stopped working altogether. Now when I turn it on it just makes a buzzing sound and none of the buttons do anything. This is a real bummer, my daughter loves the sounds and lights and I thought she would get a lot more use out of it :(

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I purchased this table for my son from Target. He began showing an interest in standing very early, but I made him wait until he could crawl well before I would really start supporting his standing. I had been eyeing this activity table in the store for months! I was so happy when it was time to bring it into our house! We got it one afternoon while he was visiting his aunt. When he came home, it was all set-up and waiting for him. He had the BIGGEST smile on his face when we stood him up and showed him to put the balls in the chute. The next day, I was cleaning up and I noticed some smudges in the yellow coloring, where the balls fall into the center of the table. Out of curiosity, I reached my hand into it and touched one. Turns out, it disappeared. It was dirt. It was in the track where the balls were rolling. The same balls that my child plays with, using his hands and his mouth. I had to take it out of his sight until I had a chance to disassemble it and clean it out. I have pictures of the dirt. It is pretty unacceptable and neglectful to just not clean a part. The cardboard and the top of the table were not dirty, it was only the inside. I will be much more hesitant with my Bright Starts purchases in the future.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Dragon Ninja Toddler Costume

Paper Magic Group Dragon Ninja - 1 - Toddler 2TGoing to be honestthe head piece didn't fit correctly. It's not the costume's fault though. My kid is a small 3.5 year old.. His head, not so much ;)

My son loved it, and that's all that mattered. The head mask was a little tight but we worked that part out.

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Great suit for my 3 yr old boy! Big brother was sure to note that this is the "little brother version" of his suit, but this one is perfect for the little ones!

Read Best Reviews of Dragon Ninja Toddler Costume Here

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Bunnies by the Bay Petal Pumps Bunny

Bunnies by the Bay Petal Pumps Bunny, Pink, 3-6 MonthsLove these shoes! Well made, very soft and they will match several of my grandaughters

Bunnies by the Bay outfits.

These are absolutely adorable, and my daughter loves them! They stay on a lot better than socks and keep her feet warmer too. I did have to sew back on one of the flowers at some point, but that was because she was particularly interested in those and kept pulling on them.

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Sunday, May 18, 2014

Oeuf Toy Store - Walnut

Oeuf Toy Store - WalnutWe're not at all a tidy family and winter is always a challenge with all those gloves, scarves and hats. I was inspired to buy this by my friend who had everything organised and easy to access in it. It's worked really well, its great quality and a number of my friends have commented how good it looks. I think it would be good in a playroom too.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Toy Story 3 Scrub-Bubble Bath Book ~ The Gang's All Here!

Toy Story 3 Scrub-Bubble Bath Book ~ The Gang's All Here!this is a cheap toy and you get what you pay for . It is ridiculously minimalist . I think the entire story bood is a total of 5 words , i am not kidding. I was dissapointed

While this book isn't meant to be too educational, it is VERY durable for my 8 month old to manhandle! I use these little "bath books" to keep his little hands occupied while I read the good paper books to him that he would otherwise grab quickly and tear. Plus, I found this at the Dollar Tree, which I agree is a good price for a little "bath book."

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Pajanimals Small Plush - Cowbella

Pajanimals Small Plush - CowbellaSome people complained that its smaller than they expected. I agree, but am ok with it as we don't need any more super-sized animals. First we got Squacky and Apollo and then my son said "where's Sweet pea Sue and Cowbella" so now the gang is all here. All look just like they are on tv

Perfect size for my daughter she loves the pajaminals and this is perfect for her to hold onto while she watches the show!

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This is adorable, cute exc... the only problem with it is that a little too small but it's okay because for my 2 year old girl she loves it a lot

Read Best Reviews of Pajanimals Small Plush - Cowbella Here

Cowbella's plush is as wonderful as all of the other small, soft Pajanimals plush toys.

She is soft, snuggly and just the right size for cuddling. What is more, she actually looks like the character from the show, which is important, as so often with shows like this, the merchandise isn't actually a good match for what you see on television. As you would expect for a character called a "Pajanimal," she is actually wearing soft pajamas, and they feature a pattern of flowers and the initials "CB." As an added bonus, she has a hanger on the top, if you wish to use her ornamentally. Definitely a fantastic item for any fan of the show!

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...then these toys are for you! Small and soft, easy to carry around; our kids loved opening them and having them by their side while watching the cartoon.

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Friday, April 11, 2014

Touch & Tickle Rounds

Touch & Tickle RoundsI have a 10 month old who has played with both the square and round versions of these toys and the round ones are definitely more fun. Despite the fact they can roll across the room, their tendency to move out of reach for baby encourages reaching, stretching, and movement. The toys are colourful, nicely textured, and many have fun sounds. I'd recommend shopping around for these however. I just bought 18 of them for $10.40 at BJs, and have a nice assortment including some with ribbons, very nice primary colour patterns, and fun noises.

Highly recommended product although I'd like to see Fisher Price develop a few more play-sets that can use them beyond what they currently have, which are a bit boring. I hide these in boxes, under pillows, and inside some toys with pockets to encourage exploration.

My 7 month old child recieved these as a Christmas present and he loves them! I sat him in the middle of the floor and rolled a bunch of his toys to him one at a time, and every time one of these balls rolled to him, he would grab it. He would not do that with the other toys. He absolutely loves these balls!!!

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i got both roll a rounds and peek a blocks for xmas for my 4 month old. she is now 6 months she hardly touches the blocks but has loved the balls from christmas morning she could grasp them easily. she loves eating all the ribbons. she just learned to crawl two days ago and she is getting fast chase the balls around the house. perfect first toy that i am sure will last to be a favorite toddler toy as we all know balls never go out of style.

Read Best Reviews of Touch & Tickle Rounds Here

We bought these for our daughter with the thought in mind that she loves to feel different textures, which she did.

There are a few cons to this set of roll-a-rounds. For one they don't all roll that well. The balls don't work well with the "roll around" toys, such and the drop and roar dino and the gumball machine.

The ball with the ribbon tags was my daughter favorite until the ribbons started to come apart so we had to throw it away. Otherwise she would of been able to eat the ribbons threads.

Other then the few things we haven't had any other problems, and our daughter loves to roll them around and also carry them around.

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My son calls these his "peek-a-balls" and, as a whole, he adores them. When he was younger (under 1) this was his favourite set, as they are very tactile; he especially loved the one with the "tags". The only weakness of this particular set is that it doesn't work well with the "roll around" toys (such as the gumball machine), as these balls don't really roll very well.

Monday, March 10, 2014

VTech Catch-Me-Kitty

VTech Catch-Me-KittyWe bought this adorable kitty toy for our granddaughter's first birthday. She likes it, but not as much as we thought she might, but of course she's not old enough to tell us what she thinks about it......as for people hearing the word, "rape," well, I was surprised at that....we never heard the toy as saying anything other than "chase" and "race" and kitty speaks more clearly than a lot of people we have to deal with on a daily basis.....there is absolutely no "p" sound to be heard at all. Sometimes it seems like some people are always looking for what they can find wrong with everything and half the time, that in itself is what is wrong with this world in general.

My daughter got this for her first birthday, SHE LOVED IT! It has a sensor on the back and front so it dosnt bump into things and it spins around when it gets near an object (like a roomba), plays music (gets annoying, but she likes it so you can just tune out the music like on every other kids toy you have). Not very educational, but she she had fun chasing it around the house.... that is, she had fun for the two days it worked. As with anything, toddlers pick up there toys, and then usually drop or throw them. my daughter dropped this on the carpet twice, and it started to not work properly, started "stuttering" and freezeing. She dropped it on the hardwood once, and it stopped working all together. You would THINK they would make these more durable since they are intended for toddlers. I am so bummed, but I am not going to be buying another just for it to break.

The voice even says "chase me" and when you pick it up it says "weeeeeee" so the designers knew that little kids would be roughousing with it, so it ought to be more durable.

Too bad, cuz untill it broke, she really had fun with it. Dont waste your money.

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I almost missed out on a great toy from reading all the negative comments about this toy. My 1 year old twin nieces loved this toy from the moment I took it out of the box. They were laughing and chasing after this cute little cat. I love the fact that this toy turns around on its own if it get trapped into a corner. It was fun watching my nieces play nonstop with this toy. It also tired them out lol! I did not hear anything alarming in the song. I am so glad I bought this toy. This toy was well worth it.

Read Best Reviews of VTech Catch-Me-Kitty Here

I bought this for my daughter when she was about 8 months and was just really starting to crawl like crazy. I thought it would be fun for her to chase after it. This little kitten is so cute! It doesn't offer much for educational purposes a few nursery rhymes and that's about it but runs really well. Unlike other reviewers, mine has not had many mechanical problems yet. I've had it for about three months and my daughter drops it and has not been gentle with it. The toy runs really smoothly on tile floors and the sensor does a great job of sensing objects around it including baby. That keeps the kitty running away from baby and baby chasing after the kitty. It runs slightly less smoothly on my area rugs, but that's to be expected. All in all, I really liked this toy. Unfortunately, my daughter lost interest quickly. She loved it the first day, but now just picks it up every so often and moves on rather quickly.

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We got this toy for Christmas for our son, only to have everyone in the room gasp when the kitty started singing "Chase me, Race me". The S's and C's are not well heard on ours, so it sounds like she is singing "Cha me, rape me". I'm going to contact V-Tech and let them know. I don't think this is intentional by any means, but our kitty is not a very good kitty for him.

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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Waddlers Rubber Ducks Family-Peace Rubber Duck bath toy that squeaks-bath tub toy-rubber duckies bi

Waddlers Rubber Ducks Family-Peace Rubber Duck bath toy that squeaks-bath tub toy-rubber duckies birthday party favors giftSqueaks. Black eyes with tiny black eye lashes. Maybe 3.5 inches long. Moulded wings with feather shapes on the side. Seems well made. No plastic/rubber odor.

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Thursday, January 16, 2014

Mary Meyer Rattle

Mary Meyer Rattle, Precious PuppyThis sweet, feminine rattle is so perfect for my baby grandaughter. Easy to hold, soft, with a friendly smiley face and gentle rattle sound. It is definitely one of her favorites! Great price, too.

My 3-month-old has just become fascinated with faces and this monkey rattle really fits the bill. She stares and giggles and "talks" at it for ages. It's really well made, and I love the different textures in the materials. A great buy!

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I love this friendly looking monkey face rattle. I bought it for a friend's baby. It is so soft and has a perfect size for baby.

Read Best Reviews of Mary Meyer Rattle Here

Love this little rattle. Looks just like the picture and the colors are so pastel and girly. My daughter loves it.

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My granddaughter is not quite old enough to hold this yet, but she loves to look at its pretty colors. I can hardly wait for her to discover she can make noise with it!

Friday, January 10, 2014

Disney Owl Developmental Sound Toy

Disney Owl Developmental Sound ToyThis item is ok but does not resemble an owl. Large item that looks more like a big pink Tweety Bird. Granddaughter can reach it and seems to like it. Also clamps tightly to the handle of her car seat for on the go entertainment.

I connected this to my daughter's carseat and she loves it. I thought it was adorable but it has become one of her favorites.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Taggies Buddy Dog Chime Ball

Taggies Buddy Dog Chime BallThis ball is a great size and the chime noise is just right. Not annoying and my daughter loved hers so I thought I'd pick one up for my soon to be son. Can't wait to use it! Love taggies!! Soooo soft!

My son LT absolutely loves this taggies dog chime ball. He is currently 5-months old and loves tugging on the attached multi-colored ribbons, which eventually makes their way to his mouth. Sometimes, he lays calmly on his back just touching and feeling the ribbons and gently stroking them against his face. When on tummy-time, he often reaches for the ball and attempts to tug on one of its ribbonsit certainly encourages crawling and he tends to forget he's on his tummy!

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Bought for grandson for Christmas.....he LOVES balls and Taggies....how could I go wrong? He was thrilled with his new gift and chases it all over the house...then sleeps with it!

Read Best Reviews of Taggies Buddy Dog Chime Ball Here

I love Taggies! My 18 mo old daughter has a Taggies blanket that she is obsessed with, a Taggies baby doll, and I bought this ball for my 5 month old. It's bigger than I thought it would be, so he has a hard time holding it, but I know he will be able to use it in the next few months. Very soft and nice quality!

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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Mini Ariel Plush Doll -- 12'' H

Mini Ariel Plush Doll -- 12'' HI ordered this for a little girl turning one. She likes it but often ignores it as I think she doesn't recognize the character yet. It's soft all over, which is good for younger kids. The materials are not very durable, but should last a while. I believe for someone bringing it everywhere with them that this may get dirty. Unlike other dolls, this one is washable because of no plastic parts. Also, it's much smaller than it looks. It is indeed 12 inches in total length, it just looks smaller because of the oversized fins and head.

All in all, it's a great alternative to a traditional doll, especially for younger kids.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Little Tikes Tamborine Musical Instrument Toy

Little Tikes Tamborine Musical Instrument ToyFun, fun, FUN toy! My 17 month old daughter loves music and she has the Little Tikes drum, piano and flute. This is a great addition to her little "band in the making"!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Fisher-Price Cruise and Groove Ballapalooza

Fisher-Price Cruise and Groove BallapaloozaThe Fisher-Price Cruise and Groove Ballapalooza, much like its name, takes up way too much space for what it is. This toy takes up more room than any other we own and there's no way to reduce its size for storage. Without changing much feature-wise, this toy could have easily been designed to take up half the space.

This toy does have some neat design elements. There is a ball-dropper at the top that you can push balls into and have them fall out onto a angled plastic 'trampoline' pad so that they bounce onto the top of the highest ramp. There is also a switch that registers falling balls to turn on lights and sound (3 C batteries required). The toy comes with plenty of balls (which are very hard plastic, so watch where your kids throw them) and the toy does look great when it is fully assembled. Also, assembly is not too bad, taking roughly 20-30 minutes for the average parent, less if there's help or a powered screwdriver.

My children are 8 months and 2 1/2 years old. They both enjoyed playing with the toy right away, but there interest quickly evaporated. Simply put, this toy doesn't do much. The ramps can only be constructed one way and while there are 2 ramps, the shorter path is completely lame. The higher ramp (with the trampoline) is just short enough for easy access to my older kid, but obviously too much for my little one to handle she mostly plays with the balls and ignores the monstrous Ballapalooza. The suggested age range of 6 months to 3 years doesn't make much sense to me. I feel that any kid over 2 years will quickly become bored and many kids under 1 year will not really be able to use this toy. So, I would suggest 12-24 months.

Overall, I was disappointed by this toy and so were my kids. It looks nice and is fun for a few days, but for its size and price, it should do more to keep kids entertained. It would have been easy for Fisher Price to include more ramps and do-hickeys that interact with the rolling balls. Instead the toy offers one mildly amusing ramp, one ramp that's a waste of space and some unrelated do-hickeys that don't really do much but take up a lot of extra space.

UPDATE (11/8/2012): After a little over one month, my children have played very little with this toy since I posted my review. I have kept the toy out in a prominent location because we have space and the toy really does look great, but they mostly ignore it. Every few days my toddler might pick up a ball and play with the Ballapalooza for all of one or two minutes. I will be taking the toy down to the basement shortly.

This toy is fun ~ very entertaining and educational.

Our grandson loves to run the balls down the chute to keep the music going ~

and crawl through the arms, and this toy is also styled to share.

The flashing lights on the post are red/green/yellow like a traffic light

and blink on/off to the beat of the music.

This activity center encourages various other action

that promote motor skills and coordination.

For children 6 mo to 3 yrs ~ plus.

There are 31 pieces to screw and/or snap together, 35 screws, and some stickers.

The pieces are notched all different ways, and numbered to aid in assembly.

I used a phillips bit, in my cordless drill ~ minimized the torque and went slow ~

the plastic is tough enough that all the screws snugged down to a stop

with-out striping out any holes.

I found it easier to use the butt end of the rubber coated handle of my hammer

to hit the snap joints together, instead of my hands.

The switch on the base has two levels of volume.

Ballapalooza uses three C batteries which aren't included.

This seems to be a rugged toy, and reminds me of the sort of toys

you might see in a Pediatric Doctors waiting room.

Up-date May 27, 2013. Our grandson still plays with this toy every time he's at out house.

He's forever inventing different ways of interacting with the Ballapalooza, running his little cars around the ramps, etc.

Perhaps he's not grown tired of it because it's not available to him everyday, but he's still loving this toy.

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Overall, I'm not super impressed with this toy! I've listed the pros and cons below, and although the list looks pretty equal, the pros are minor functions compared to the cons of a long time to assemble. I have a 3 year old and a 16 month old and they really don't seem to care for this toy, which was surprising, but it really doesn't do much other than the balls sliding down the ramps.

PROs

The post lights up and has fun music

It comes with LOTS of balls, so if you lose some you're not frantically looking for something to make the toy work again

It's fun colors

It has a 2 different music volumes so you can turn it down if you find the music annoying

CONs

It takes a LONG time to put together (took me more than 1 hour and I'm good with putting toys together!)

My kids were bored with it after 15 minutes

The toy itself is VERY large and takes up a lot of room (it's about 3 feet in diameter by the time it's all put together)

The balls only can take 2 different tracks, so the limited options, left my kids (3 and 16 months) bored quickly

The "door" they can crawl through doesn't move well and doesn't trigger any music or lights

The music and lights are not always triggered by the balls going through

It's too tall for my 16 month old to put the balls in the top part and The crawl through door is too small for my 3 year old to go through, so it seems like they weren't sure what age/ages they were really making this toy for

Read Best Reviews of Fisher-Price Cruise and Groove Ballapalooza Here

This was a toy for my 22 month old son, we wanted to give him something interactive to play with that would stimulate him to move and play. Out of the box this comes in dozens of pieces and should probably be put together ahead of time when your child is napping or busy, it took a little while to assemble and having a toddler run off with pieces sets you back really fast. After assembled and getting batteries installed this thing is nothing but fun. My son got the hang of it very quickly, you can add balls anywhere along the track but he does like to make them go from the tip top all the way to the bottom, we had extra balls from another toy and it is much more fun with the extra balls traveling the course. This is a very large toy, it works best if you have a playroom or space in a bedroom that is large enough to leave it up all the time, taking it down and moving it frequently is not really easy. Overall I would give this 5 stars and recommend it for anyone that wants to see their child have active play even indoors on a rainy day.

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Before I start my review I must say that usually Amazon would send a big box displaying what's inside so you can't hide it. This one came in an Amazon brown box so if you're thinking of getting this as a gift for your little one then you have no issues with packaging. Another thing you may need to do is stock up on your C batteries because this one takes 3 and they're not included. :)

Set up was not too difficult since all the parts were numbered and the directions were pretty simple to follow. It took my husband setting it up about an hour setting it up by himself. Once set up though it's a phenomenal toy. My 8 month old loves it. She has fun putting the balls in and watching them roll down. She's at the age where she pulls herself up and I'm not afraid of it tipping over with her because of the stability of the toy.

The music is more techno and fun and watching it light up amazes her. It does take up a bit of floor space so take that into consideration when buying. I definitely recommend this toy for those crawling and learning to stand.

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Friday, December 13, 2013

Horse Bigmouth Puppet

Horse Bigmouth PuppetThe mane was the same color as the fur, not dark as pictured.

There was no bridle, which was the main reason I chose this puppet.

It simply was not as pictured, which was disappointing.

I was very disappointed to get something OTHER than the picture. The puppet I was sent is similar but DOES NOT have the red muzzle and has a much smaller, lighter brown mane than the nice full dark mane in the photo.

That being said, the build of the puppet seems durable I just hope they change the PICTURE to show what you're really getting.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Chicco Baby Activity Walker

Chicco Baby Activity WalkerMy 9 month old just started walking with this toy. Before that he would play with the buttons to make the sounds while seated.

Two concerns the first is that the wheels don't really lock. He is still able to walk with it in the locked position on the carpet. The second is that when he tries to pull himself up he often times pulls the toy over. It should be heavier so that he doesn't tip it over.

Walker is just perfect, the right size.

Its easy to use and don't need to wait till the baby walks, can use it while baby is sitting down.

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Sunday, December 1, 2013

Kids Line Willow Organic Valance

Kids Line Willow Organic ValanceMy wife purchased one of these but none of the items had a description indicating it was only 60" wide. Unfortunately we have a 72" wide window and so this wouldn't work once we got it.

These valances look great with the sage green sheer panels we got for our baby boys room. Would definetly recommend to someone.

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I did not like the way it washed. the pattern is not even across the valance. It show two sets of deers. I ordered two valances and on one there is only one set of deers and it is off centered.

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The valance looks as it does in the picture, however when we got them we found the construction to be lacking. The brown stripe is fabric and is pressed in the opposite direction as its sewn. With some ironing, the valances looked much better.

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I kinda assumed the product would be as depicted in the photos. This is NOT the case. I bought a pair of these. One has 2 deer which are basically centered. The other has 3 1/2 deer, 2 well off center and 1 1/2 WAY off to the side...as in you basically can't see them as they're on the side of the rod (where it turns back into the wall). The valances, otherwise, are fairly well made for the price. As a guy, dare I say they look very cute, though unbalanced, in my daughters bedroom. I normally have no problem with a lack of room symmetry, but like I said, the windows look "off". Keep this in mind if you need more than one.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Chicco Rainbow Activity Phone

Chicco Rainbow Activity PhoneMy husband got this for our 18-month-old son for Christmas as "his" gift to him as I had already done all the shopping.

It's cute and he played with it all the time. Has lots of little features to it. There is even a phrase (can't remember what it is) that the phone says that he would attempt to mimic every time. Cute!

My only problem with this is that the cord ALWAYS comes apart. ALWAYS. Why does it have to snap together? I don't get it. As short as it is, it isnt' a choking hazard, so I don't understand. And on top of that, one of the parts that snaps together is cracked.

Would buy again, but it just doesn't seem very durable!

It was just a short stupid string. My 17 month old grandson put the phone part to his ear and because the attached string is so short, the base slammed him in the chest.

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My six-year-old may no longer play with this toy (it has since been donated) but he did play with it from about 1 years of age until he was around 4 years old. The last year or so it was mostly used by him for pretend play.

He loved especially that it could roll and was so colorful! The lights were never very bright on his but he still loved pushing all the buttons when he was small. The cord was too short to really be a pull-toy but my son liked to take the phone off at times and use the base as a big car so I never minded that you could separate the cord.

He also had the more classic-looking FP pull phone too but the phone cord was so small on it, he rarely played with it (and he had other pull toys he liked better). That said, I have also seen other children prefer the FP one, so it depends on the child.

It is very durable. I never had any issues with the cord coming apart that I remember. This toy got played with regularly by my son and his cousin (1 year younger) for at least two years and barely showed any signs of wear. It was also surprisingly easy to clean up, even with spit-up or food on it (the balls roll around freely enough to clean all of them). If I had another child, I would probably get this toy again for the phone toy.

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My son enjoys this toy even though he still unable to actually push the buttons. He can pull on the handpiece and the whole phone rolls towards him.

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

Link-a-doos - Stacking Friends

Link-a-doos - Stacking FriendsI bought this for my 3 1/2 month old daughter about a month ago and she still isnt very interested in them.

I love that they have different colors and textures for her to explore as well as being able to stack them. But she could care less, she loves things with lights and music.

The age on the box says that its from one month and up but I really dont imagine a younger baby really playing with these. Im sure she will enjoy them as she gets older thats why I gave it a good rating. But their just waiting for her now.

Just like all the other Link a doos this is so cute. When I bought this I was not really expecting what I got . It was much better than I thought it was going to be. It is better than the picture shows, I think. My baby loves playing with these. It is a real good deal, not to expensive like a lot of toys are.I would recomend this as a baby toy for anyone with a baby.

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I like anything Linkadoo. My son, however doesn't express as much interest in this toy. I would still have bought it though. My son likes to pull on the links. And I like the fact that it can be played with, with other linkadoo toys. It only came with one link. It should come with at least three.

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I bought this for my 7 month old daughter thinking she'd like the sounds and help her learn to stack the toys. She doesn't want anything to do with it. She sits on her own and loves to reach & grab things while she's sitting but she hates these and won't even play with them. If I could, I'd return them to the store since it was a waste of money in our house.

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We received this as a gift when my baby was almost 4 months old. She started being interested in it when she was about 5 months old. She would be very attentive with the tiny antennae and felt "feathers" on the tops of the heads and use a pincer grasp to try to take hold of them. The little strips of ribbon were also of interest to her, much like tags or labels on any toy. The rings on which to hook the links were great for her to grab, and the jingling noises made it more stimulating. She hasn't figured out the stacking part of it as she is now only 8 months old, but for now, the stacking makes the toy neater to put away for the day. At least she still plays with it. The two links were nice to add to her small collection of links as well. This softer stacker is a great start for an infant, unlike many wood stackers which are usually recommended for toddlers 18 months and older. However, it would have been nice to have one ring w/o a head on it so that she had one level that was a simple donut for a bit of variety. But then again, how would they stack w/o the head? I would say that this stacker will probably not make it on the favorite toy list for most infants, but it does hold their interest to a reasonable degree.