Thursday, August 14, 2014
Kids Preferred Goodnight Moon On-the-Go Musical Bunny
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Chicco Toys DJ Guitar
Chicco Toys (an Italian company) puts tons of R&D into the musical aspect of their toys (you don't see this from other companies), so I'll have to explain this toy:
1. Musical styles: Chicco says that these styles are: Rock, Pop and Blues. I have to disagree, to me they seem to be: Country-ish Rock, Country-ish Pop; 3. Sort-of Blues. In any case, the styles are still entertaining in their own right, at least they aren't public-domain standard-hear-everywhere -farmer-in-the-dell music. You won't recognize these tunes from anywhere, which is why they don't get repetitive the way other toys do. They don't bother me due to the variety of them, and I don't particularly listen to country (or rock or blues, I listen to Elmo....another story.....). The musical styles are controlled on a dial with these three settings.
2. Play Modes: There are three play modes, controlled on a dial with three settings
2.1 Short tunes: Press a button, guitar plays a short threesecond tune. My son likes this mode.
2.2 Long tunes ("pre-recorded"): Press a button, guitar plays about an 22 second tune. If you press any of the buttons during the tune, the animal sound on that respective button sounds. My son likes this mode as well.
2.3 "Follow me": Random button flashes, baby is expected to press the flashing button to hear music. If you press any other non-flashing button, nothing happens. At 15 months, my son still doesn't seem to be too interested in this one, it's definitely on the more advanced side.
3. Mixer functions: They add add sound and activate the lights on the "fretboard" buttons:
3.1 The drums button lets you hit a snare drum sound, it's ok, you can amuse the baby with this, or it can be used to help the baby learn to press a button, it's oversized.
3.2 The Whammy Bar adds in a whammy bar guitar squeal.
3.3 A blue spinner ball that the baby can spin to either accelerate or decelarate the music (only functional in the Long Mode play mode). The baby figured this one out quite quickly, by 6 months at least. The baby sitters all figure this out too, so it's quite intuitive.
4. Other functionality:
4.1 Strum button (like where you would strum the guitar, it's the yellow button you see in the image like where strings should be), and it plays its own little musical segment. But it interrupts the main ongoing music, which doesn't resume afterwards.
4.2 Animal sounds: When you are in Long music, "Pre-recorded melodies" setting (lower left, second dial over), then this allows you to keep presssing the keys on the fretboard and play the animal sounds while the music plays (similar to the Chicco walker). This doesn't work in "Short Tunes" mode, or in the "Follow-me" game (limited to the key being activated at that time). These animal sounds are the same sounds as on the Chicco DJ Walker, for anyone familiar with that toy, so Dog, Chick, Cat, Pig, and Frog sounds.
4.3 Volume: There is a dial with "Off" (turns toy off),"low" and "high". Low is happily decently low (that's what we use), and "high" still isn't super loud, so all I can say is yay.
4.4 Battery use: Toy is very good on battery use, I've only replaced the batteries once in the last year since we've purchased it.
Note: "Ghost in the machine": I'd recommend turning the guitar off at night, in my experience it can activate on its own, even when not super low on batteries (apparently this is common in children's toys electronics). Not great to go out and detect in the middle of the night.
In summary, we're very happy with this toy, it's lots of fun and the variety of tunes means that they aren't repetitive.Overall, this is a good buy. I purchased this guitar for my 1 year old nephew so that he would stop trying to play with his uncle's Guitar Hero and it worked.There's really not much for a child to do with this but listen to the different tunes. If that works for your child it does a great job. If you want your child to learn from it I don't think it does much there.It was ok...I had bought a different one that I could no longer find for my granddaughter that had more cool features & sounds,but got this for my grandson,he likes it but not as much as his cousins...
Friday, August 1, 2014
Especially for Baby - Color Change Ducky
Sunday, July 13, 2014
The World of Eric Carle: Activity Caterpillar by Kids Preferred
http://www.amazon.com/Lamaze-LC27107A-Musical-Inchworm/dp/B000I2MRJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334353900&sr=8-1
Well, I got both. The Lamaze inchworm is almost twice as long, very soft, and has a lot of different textures on the body which my newborn took to immediately. When she got older, it was easy for her to squeeze the head and enjoy the music. She snuggles up with it occasionally and when she was a newborn I enjoyed using to measure her length!
This product on the other hand has a lot interesting parts, like the rattle you can see and the rings around the body which I figured she could use as a teether as well. However, like other reviewers pointed out, the music is hard for baby to access. The other thing I didn't like was the material of the toy. The toy was not very soft (then again I didn't expect this to be a plush toy) and there were some parts that started peeling a little after a few weeks of use. This happens with a lot of toys but I was a bit upset since baby loves putting this in her mouth. The bright colors are certainly engaging.
Everything considered, I liked this toy much better as an early development toy and found it comparable to the Lamaze take along toys. I would say it is best suitable for babies between 1 and 8 months. The Lamaze inchworm is better if you're looking for something soft to cuddle with, or if you are introducing it to a newborn.we got this for my son when he was 3 months old. He loves to look at it on his infant carrier. It's soft which is nice-most of the ones I saw were hard plastic. He can now reach up and grab the squeaky heart!
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Bought this for my 3 month old son for Easter. He loves it. He loves to stare at the catipillars face. I hang it from his play mat gym and he kicks it with his feet. It has really got him kicking a lot more. He seems to love the rattle noises it makes. Only have had it a little over a week but it seems durable. Can't really rate educational because we haven't had it long enough and our baby is so young. He also reaches for it when we hang it in front of him. Cute toy.Read Best Reviews of The World of Eric Carle: Activity Caterpillar by Kids Preferred Here
My daughter is now 7 months old and she's been interested in this toy since she could play with it. The only thing is our music thing is really hard to push but everything else is really great. This is one of her favorite toys. Its bright and fun with lots of features.Want The World of Eric Carle: Activity Caterpillar by Kids Preferred Discount?
This toy has so much fun! A music playing, different parts make some noise, different structure, ball with some noisy stuff is turning around and a little squeaky red apple with a pocket. Fantastic toy for a baby. I would highly recommend it. Even our dog wanted to play with it!Monday, June 16, 2014
Hape Walk-A-Long Puppy
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This puppy is so very cute! My 14 month old LOVES walking around and dragging his new pet behind him. This puppy is very well made of a high quality wood and paint. I know it will hold up for a long time. He make very cute, "puppy like" movements when you pull him. I plan on buying another one of these for my goddaughter when she starts to walk. I love giving and receiving toys that don't make so much noise or require batteries. It just uses good, old fashioned, brain power and encourages physical activity! LOVE IT!Read Best Reviews of Hape Walk-A-Long Puppy Here
It is a great pull toy doesn't tip very often and my Grandaughter loves how the tail moves when she pulls it.Want Hape Walk-A-Long Puppy Discount?
Adorable, well constructed toy. It is a simple toy yet brings joy to my daughter.She calls him "Red" and walks around the house with it. I have hardwood floors and I have not had any problems with scratches or scuffs. I would highly recommend it for your little one.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Mickey's 1st Birthday Dessert Plates (8 count)
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Disney Mickey Mouse Shape Sorter Toy
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Bright Starts Having a Ball Giggables - (Colors/Styles Vary)
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Bought this for my six month old grandaughter. She LOVES it. The bells and jingles catch her attention. Since it moves on its own power, she is adament about chasing it...even if she is dong a commando crawl rather than a true crawl movement. Makes for some fun! In adddition, I plan to ge one for the new puppy!!!!Read Best Reviews of Bright Starts Having a Ball Giggables - (Colors/Styles Vary) Here
Balls (2) received without battery protectors and barely worked for 15 minutes. I ordered new items; however I believe I received used ones. My daughters purchased ones from unknown locations and they worked and are still working fine as they had the battery protectors upon unpackaging. Luck of the draw? Make sure you are ordering new units and return immediately before you trash original packaging.Want Bright Starts Having a Ball Giggables - (Colors/Styles Vary) Discount?
The seller was not clear about how many balls you get. I thought for the price you'd get a few of them, just as the picture shows. Wrong!! Only one, and it doesn't work. I looked further into the details of the item and cleverly the very last sentence was color of the one ball randomly chosen at shipment. And..when I open the box to see the actual receipt from Toys R Us for $7.99 and I paid double that!! The shipping info was me and it said bill to Elrad Z Prime Sale. So these people are taking your $15, and buying the item for half that price from Toys R Us. Scammers! I will definitely be more careful to spot these people. Beware!!Monday, March 31, 2014
Little Tikes DiscoverSounds Tumblin' Music
Overall a great toy and it's definitely teaching him about shapes!We got the music center as a gift when the baby was 8 months. From the very beginning my daughter felt in love with it. She doesn't use the shapes yet, but she definitely enjoys the music parts. She is 9 months now and she plays with it every day. Her favourite play is to press a key to start the music and then stand up and dance holding onto the handle (on the right). The only thing is that the toy is too tall, so when baby is using it to stand up it can fall. To avoid this I put it close to some furniture (cabinet or low bed) the way that the back part of the toy goes underneath the cabinet. This way even if my baby is pulling on the top of the toy it moves, but does not fall.
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My granddaughter loved the music, Others were able to play with her on it. I recommend it to other children.Read Best Reviews of Little Tikes DiscoverSounds Tumblin' Music Here
There is a little yellow piece that attaches to the top of the cymbal and it easily popped off and my 8 month old daughter almost choked on it!! The toy was brand new and she took the part off herself, I was so lucky that I was sitting right there and was able to quickly get it out of her mouth. I sent an email to the manufacturer but I would hate for anyone else to buy this product and have a child choke.Friday, March 21, 2014
K's Kids I Am the Boss
Great Product.
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This was my grandson's favorite birthday present. I had thought about getting it for Christmas and I wish I had (he was 6 months then). He loves diving into the balls, passing them out, and putting them back in. He can learn counting and colors with the balls. It went with them when they went on vacation this summer. Picking up the balls can be tedious and my daughter threatens to send it home with me! At least it doesn't sing or make noise!This colorful, well-made dinasour continues to bring laughs and excitement to my 9 month old grandson. We toss the balls out, we toss the balls in! We have lots of fun and I would highly recommend this toy.The product showed up perfectly just as expected and the amount of balls it comes with is perfect. I got this for my nephew for his 1st BDay because he's obsessed with balls and I thought going this route instead of a full on ball pit would keep my brother in law from coming after me! well the balls still get all over the floor but he has fun popping them in and out of the lil holes on the sides. I would say it's more for younger babies though... it only holds his attention for a few mins and then he's over it and it's not the whole 'surrounded by balls' effect, but the toy does its job and is everything it claims to be.Friday, February 14, 2014
Mary Meyer Baby Cheery Cheeks Rattle
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This little puppy rattle is very cute and soft. Kind of "chubby" for little hands to hold, but none the less, I would recommend it. I bought it as part of many Christmas presents for my grandson who is just about 3 months old. It was the perfect size to tie to his sack of gifts. I haven't had the opportunity to see him with it yet though so I can't say if he loves it or not!Read Best Reviews of Mary Meyer Baby Cheery Cheeks Rattle Here
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Baby Shower Scratch & Win Game
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This was a great game at a Nevada baby shower, where we have gambling but we don't have the lottery! It was a fun way to get some gifts out to our guests.They were a real bit hit at the baby shower it was some thing new and different every body enjoyed themVery cute game! Worth getting, ordered 2 since with just 12 not a lot of people can play when having a big baby showerWednesday, January 8, 2014
Aurora Plush Baby 10 inches Grace Doll
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I love this doll! Originally, I bought it for the Christmas shoebox drive at our church. The skin tone and hair color made it extremely versatile no matter what country it would be sent to. Unfortunately, I ordered too late and missed the deadline to include it in my box.So I gave it to my daughter for her first birthday. I love that the hair is made from fabric and not yarn, as my daughter likes to chew on things and yarn has a tendency to shred. I love that the features are embroidered, as buttons may eventually fall off and be swallowed. I love the dress. I love the hair ribbons. I wish I was little again, just so I could have this adorable doll! :)
Read Best Reviews of Aurora Plush Baby 10 inches Grace Doll Here
I bought this gift for my 18 month old granddaughter. She loves playing "house" and needed a doll for her to play with that was the perfect size. This doll has no HARD plastic parts and it is SO soft and adorable. The making of this doll is acurate and has bright colors. She just loves this doll and plays with it with her doll stroller, high chair, etc. This line of dolls could be used as collectors for older girls.Want Aurora Plush Baby 10 inches Grace Doll Discount?
We bought this 'Grace' and the 'Sierra' doll for our 1 year old. I am happy with both purchases. Love the price. The decoration on one of Sierra's shoes has already come off (have had dolls 4 weeks maybe) and don't know where it is to glue back on. But, the dolls have tons of charm. Love the diversity and our caucasian girl loves multi-cultural friends.Our son is medically complex so we gave Grace a trach and a g-tube (easy to place around neck and in tummy) so I would recommend that idea to anyone who wants further diversification!!
I wouldn't say as an earlier reviewer did that the dolls are cheap looking. I consider my standards high and thought they were great in meeting my expectations. I just bought our daughter a Fisher Price walker/stroller for dolls that I think is just the right size for these.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Crawling Crab
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Little Tikes Discover Sounds Kitchen
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We got this kitchen when our daughter was 6 months old. She is now 17 months. For the past five months she has ignored this or tossed it on it's side. She has to stoop down to play with it, it doesn't do much at all, and like other reviewers the oven door doesn't stay closed and the green door takes an act of god to open. We are shopping for toddler kitchen sets. Not worth the space it takes up (which is not that much so that should say it all!)Read Best Reviews of Little Tikes Discover Sounds Kitchen Here
I don't know if I received a different version but this toy was incredibly disappointing. My son is 15 months and could not get the green door open for anything! The "sounds" are barely audible and the light show is pretty much nonexistent. I can't even get the toy to stay upright! I am definitely sending this back. There has to be something better out there.Want Little Tikes Discover Sounds Kitchen Discount?
I looked at this kitchen and the Fisher Price one. The reviews of the FP one talked a lot about pinched fingers, so I went with the Little Tykes verison.It's a cute little kitchen, and I love that it came right out of the box pre-assembled. My 9 month old enjoys pushing the food through the special slots on the refrigerator door, and pushing the pan on the stove and hearing it sizzle. It would have been nice if it came with some more foodsomething for the oven and something for the cupboard. But overall a cute little kitchen for little cooks. We keep it against a wall and it rarely falls over.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
VTech Alphabet Activity Cube
My only problem, and a large problem for our family, is that the toy has bad grammar! Yes, you read it, they programmed the toy with incorrect English. For instance, our biggest pet peeve, is the letter "O." When "O" is inserted the toy says, "This be the letter 'O'." For some families, I'm sure this is not a big deal. For the daughter of two teachers, this is a problem.
I would still purchase the cube for the hours of entertainment it provides and musical playtime. The larger looming question for me: How have our standards slipped this far when it comes to language and communication, particularly in the area of a children's teaching tool?My daughter was given this for her 1st birthday and she loves to dance to the music and play with the blocks. Unfortunately when placing the block in the space for it to tell you what letter is, it doesn't state the correct letter! H is I and so forth! Not to mention the "this BE the letter _" it's horrible to think that she would be repeating that. I don't have the receipt since it was a gift and when I called VTEC they wanted me to send this HUGE toy to them and pay the shipping. I don't get how I should have to pay to replace a toy that is defective! It might end up in the trash!!!
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I have just bought this for my one year old. He really loves it and it keeps him entertained for quite some time. It is a lovely, colourful toy which seems to be quite durable. I also love its size as we are short on space in my house so its quite compact and fits away nicely when my son is gone off to bed, meaning that my sitting room is not over run with toys.However I do have one issue with the product. I am a teacher, specialising with young children who experience difficulty with reading and writing. So when I over heard the Learning Cube telling my son that the letter 't' was the letter 'p' and made a 'p' sound I wasn't too impressed. I even double checked it a number of times to make sure I had heard it right.
I have always been happy and impressed with Vtech toys and have always thought they were good value for money. Its just a shame they can't tell their 't's from their 'p's!!!! : {
Read Best Reviews of VTech Alphabet Activity Cube Here
This toy is great, my 8 month old uses it to stand as long as it's on the carpet, non carpeted floors it slides... It's also easy to carry, the bead chaser makes an excellent handle so you can carry it while holding your baby... My baby girl plays with this alot, it has two settings and one of the if you press the keys will play consecutive notes in a children's songs, so instead of hearing random keys being smashed you hear twinkle twinkle little star or entertainer or there's a few different ones... I really like that, makes it not annoying... When you put a letter block in it will say I am the letter __ or it's me the letter O, not this be the letter O smh... and as for the t and p mix up, I mean come on it's a computer voice, geeze, it's your job to teach your child how to make the ta and pa sounds anyway, not the toy's... This product is really cool... My daughter and I enjoy it...Want VTech Alphabet Activity Cube Discount?
As has been noted, the block reader often announced the wrong letter. I verified that every one of the toys on the shelf at the local store did the same, so it's a company problem not a defective unit. But VTech, like so many offshore companies, doesn't care. The email address for technical help, given with the toy and on their website, isn't active, and a call to them brought only, "I'll report it to the proper department," plus a claim that they weren't aware of the problem. But I found it within ten seconds of turning on the toy, so even the most cursory of acceptance tests by the company quality assurance department, before the toy went into manufacture, would have found this.Perhaps this is simply one of the dangers of having people who speak Chinese design toys for English speakers, but whatever the cause, it's unforgivable to charge that much money and then deliver a toy that does mis-educates our children.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Russ Berrie Babies Love To Learn 16" Puppy Activity Doll
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway - Talking Railway Morgan's Mine
Buy Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway - Talking Railway Morgan's Mine Now
Love love love this one. Both kids, 4 and 2, stand in front of it and ride their trains only through this one. Great sounds, adds some variety to track layouts and doesn't hog the table. All around great train table addition:) Great price too!Read Best Reviews of Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway - Talking Railway Morgan's Mine Here
Plays with often. Is actually quite big and hard to configure on a train table. But good quality and my son plays with it oftenWant Thomas and Friends Wooden Railway - Talking Railway Morgan's Mine Discount?
My son is a huge Thomas fan and really likes this toy, especially the fact that Sir Topham Hat talks to the engines with either general messages or with personalized messages if you have the trains from the Talking Railway serie. Many hours of fun.Sunday, October 13, 2013
Maison Chic Boy Owl Rattle, Boy Owl, 4.5"
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This is very cute. Small just perfect size for a baby !Nice colors . Shipping was fast and it match perfect with my owl decorations.
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Very Cute, soft enough to tuck in with the baby and play peek-a-boo. The rattle makes soft clicking sound and with the bright eyes will entrance your baby. I used it as part of a diaper cake decoration, adorable.
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I bought this Maison Chic Boy Owl Rattle, Boy Owl, 4.5" as a gift for a friend's baby shower but am returning it. I am very disappointed that the rattle sounds like it consists of two very small plastic balls which hardly make any noise.It is made is China and the tag says "surface washable". I would have preferred that it could be fully washed (at least by hand) since babies & toddlers are known to spill juice and otherwise get toys dirty.
On the plus side, the colors are as shown and the size is correct. The green and brown plush are very soft.

