Showing posts with label smart baby toys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smart baby toys. Show all posts

Monday, August 25, 2014

Jellycat Gorgeous Girly Bunny

Jellycat Gorgeous Girly Bunnyagain love the jellycat line of stuffed toys bright and colorful and so many animals to choose from. Will be ordering more!

This is a really great product. Well constructed and very fun. Cute little surprise for Easter baskets or Christmas stockings.

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When I saw this bunny online I ordered it right away for my daughters Easter basket. When it came in the mail, I was shocked at the size of it. For $20 I could not justify keeping it. It was adorable and very well made just like all Jellycat things, but so so small. I know I should have read the dimensions but really I assumed it was the size of the other Jellycat stuffed animals. I ended up getting a rabbit from Target for half the cost and double to size.

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This little lady is certainly adorable. She was a perfect addition to my daughter's Easter basket. My only complaint is she is a wee little thing, but that would be my fault for not looking at the dimensions!

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I had to give this little girl 4 stars because of the quality and detail ... She's really precious. Very well made, super soft and cuddly, but not including the floppy legs and ears, she's about four inches. For the price, sadly she is going back.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Kathe Kruse Baby Mobile

Kathe Kruse Baby Mobile 6.5', Blue OctopusI have purchased many Kathy Kruse and Haba toys this month, and this is one fine product. Highly engaging and the finest German craftsmanship. You are paying a premium, but this toy is made with pride. Not cheap crap made in a sweat shop by slave chinese labor. Go ahead a splurge, stop buying Chinese toys at Wal-Mart and watch your newborns eyes glaze over with enchantment and engagement.

My mom gave this to my son as a baby gift. We love it! It can be attached to anything from the velcro strap that's on the head. When you pull the longer leg, the whole octopus shakes. I attach this thing to whatever is close to my son since the vibrating motion always distracts him and puts him in a trance for a second which is great for when he's cranky. It also helps while feeding when he is fussing since he can't take his eyes away from the octopus dancing in front of him. It's been a godsend.

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I am a big fan of Kathe Kruse products. They're durable, safe, well made, and they're all from Europe which I love. I know that when I buy something that's Kathe Kruse brand, I am definitely getting my money's worth. When I saw this I ordered one because I love how this looks and I love trying out new, interesting toys. This octopus cracks me up and is SO adorable in real life! My daughter loves it too. I hang it on her car seat during car trips and hang it on the stroller handle when we go for walks. On the top of the octopus there is a long "strap" that has velcro on it so you can really attach it to anything. It appears that she's as amused by it as I am. I also have a hard time finding fun items like this that are amusing for both her and I that don't end up looking intimidating. We've had a few toys come in our house that absolutely terrify her. Thankfully Kathe Kruse seems to know what kids like and I haven't run into that with any of their products.

The BEST part about this octopus? If you notice in the picture that the third leg in from the left looks kind of funny, it's because it's bunched up. If you pull on that leg, it stretches out and when you let go, the whole octopus shakes! My daughter laughs hysterically every time I do it and it's not too difficult to pull out so she's starting to catch on. From the product description I didn't know it would vibrate so I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled on the leg and the little octopus started shaking like crazy

I love this goofy looking, vibrating octopus. It's also a good size for my daughter to grab on to and pull on (it's 5 1/2" from the top of the head (not including the strap) to the shortest leg), it's super easy to clean (she seems to like to try chewing it), and it's held up really well. Oh and did I mention it's super cute AND it vibrates? Definitely pick one up for your kids -or for yourself!

Read Best Reviews of Kathe Kruse Baby Mobile Here

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Aurora Plush Baby 12 inches Yummy Blue Bear

Aurora Plush Baby 12 inches  Yummy Blue BearYou can tell by the dimensions that this teddy isn't super big, but it makes up for it by being super soft and super cute. I ordered a larger bear of a different material and style, but I like this one way better. The material is very soft, almost silky, and it seems to be well made. There are no noticeable defects. I will be giving it as a baby gift. After I received this bear, I ordered the pink one for a baby girl coming in 2012. I am very happy with this purchase.

This is the second plush bear I've purchased for my now 2.5 year old son. I gave it to him about six months ago after Blue Bear the First needed to be retired. I was worried because the tag on the old one had frayed (Bear One was getting a bit ratty after several washings), so I don't know who made it and I couldn't find another exactly like it. Fortunately, my boy took to his new, clean, fluffy bear immediately! Some days later, my boy found Bear One in the laundry, carried it around for part of a day, and pulled one of the plastic eyes out with his teeth! So I was very glad that he'd already taken so well to this second Bear. The eyes are sewn on (they look to me like very tightly sewn patches, but they might be embroidered like the nose), the neck ribbon is very secure, and the tag looks sturdy too (I haven't needed to wash it yet, amazingly). The size seems just right for him (he has a much larger brown bear, about 30 inches, but prefers this one). The color is a lovely light blue, not grayish like the photo here. I think I'll have to order a back up or two!

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My son loves this blue bear. It lasted about a year of daily cuddles before we had to order blue bear number two. The bear is super soft and cuddly. Also at 12 " it just the right size for a baby or toddler.

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The bear is more of a soft baby blue, not like the grey in the picture. It's very cute. The ribbon is stuck in place, the eyes are thread, fabric is like fluffy silk xD Overall very cute and cuddly.

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Sunday, July 27, 2014

Manhattan Toy Baby Shimmieshakes Pull-n-Vibrate Plush Critter 5 Pack

Manhattan Toy Baby Shimmieshakes Pull-n-Vibrate Plush Critter 5 PackThis product is just as cute as can be.

Our 24 mos old took to it immediately after

being shown how to pull with the cord.

It has a nice 'wobble' when it moves

We bought a pack of of these toys for our 2 dogs and they love them! If you have a dog that tears through toys then forget it, but if your dog likes to have a "baby" these are great. I recently gave one to a friend that got a new puppy and at first he was scared of it & ran away. But after showing him it was a fun toy, he loved playing tog-o-war pulling tail while I held it. After a couple days, he learned to pull the tail himself while holding it and would stay entertained by it for a good 10-15 minutes~ which is a while for a little puppy! In order for it's novelty not to wear out to fast, we take it away & hide it & bring it out as an occasional special treat.

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I ordered these for my 2 yr.old granddaughter. The ladybug did not work and I got 2 frogs and no bee. They only travel about 3 inches when you let go of the pull. My granddaughter likes them because they're easy to hold and they're cute, but the quality was disappointing.

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i got this for my friends baby and during my gift wrapping my shih tzu decided to steal one and make it her own, she found that she can hold it with her paws and pull the string then it wiggles and its even more exciting for her to chase and play with! so i wrapped 2 for my friends baby and the other 3 are now owned by our little dog and she loves them!! great for kids and pets!! lol

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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Kawasaki Trike

Kawasaki TrikeI bought the trike for my nephew as a Christmas gift. I got it baring in mind that his older brother was getting a real 2 stroke fourwheeler from Santa. It arrived well in advance of Christmas, even though I purchased it a mere two weeks before the holiday. The assembly required could have been done by trained monkeys. He loves it, although his little stubby legs are a bit too short to reach the petals still. His parents are now forced to cart it back and forth everywhere they go because Bren refuses to be parted with his trike.

We got this trike for our 2 1/2 year old son and he absolutely loves it. When looking into this trike I was a little concerned that it looked like a lot of plastic but it is a very rugged trike. Very heavy duty! And it was a breeze to put together! Didnt even need to look at the manual. My 2 year old doesnt want to leave it alone and my 1 year old is trying to convince us that he is big enough for it so I would say it is a big hit at our house.

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Pros: Rugged construction with heavy duty frame, kids absolutely love the "real" motorcycle look, stable, durable.

Cons: Misaligned head set bracket (combined with my assembly error) eventually resulted in head set bushing failure.

I bought this trike for a friend who works at a preschool. If the children at this school can't destroy something, it can't be destroyed. They did succeed, after the most intense year of use you can imagine, to break the head set bushings. I called customer service (mentioned in another review) to see if I could buy new head set bushings. Customer service didn't hesitate. They took my name and address, then sent me the new parts at no charge. The guy at customer service suggested that I might have over tightened the head set bolt. He may have been right as I'll explain below. I had the new parts within a few days.

The broken headset bushings were not entirely at fault. The lower head set bracket on the forks was slightly misaligned. The first time I assembled the trike I attempted to align the bracket by over tightening the head set bolt. The plastic head set bushings eventually failed from the trike being hammered into every object (moveable or immoveable) on the playground, and the excess pressure on the plastic bushings. When I received the new bushings, I took the time to bend and realign the lower head set bracket. This time I only tightened the head set bolt to where is was just snug. So, with a minimum of effort, excellent customer service from the distributor, and some free replacement parts, the Kawasaki Trike is back in service joyfully taking a beating again.

The heavy use has also resulted in the grab handle at the back of the seat being broken (I forgot to ask for a new one when I called for the heat set bushings) and some of the paint has worn off where a second child would ride standing on the back axle housing. The little "shock absorber" also came apart, but I was able to screw it back together, this time with Locktite. Taking into account the kind of use this toy has endured, I'd say the wear and tear are about what I'd expect. Overall, it has held up well, and I like the fact that when things to break, it can be repaired with a minimum of fuss. Recommended.

Read Best Reviews of Kawasaki Trike Here

Kawasaki Trike

Mannnnn what an awesome product. My baby, who is 19 months, is already pedaling it. We received it Christmas Eve, assembled it and had it out in the open for him to see in front of the tree. As soon as he came down the stairs the morning of the big day, he made a beeline for the trike and the rest is history. Our son is much taller than the average toddler will be able to use this for at least a couple of years so keep that in mind when ordering. The coolest features of this trike is that your child can coast with their feet on the pedals and he/she is not forced to continuously pedal. It also has big thick fattttt tires so it can be ridden on some not so smooth surfaces so its perfect for boys and some not so prissy girls. It is by far the coolest trike I've ever seen. Dont even compare it with anything else, Simply buy it and your kid will thank you. I strongly believe in getting the best deal and I shopped ebay and other sources and I found the lowest price with free shipping here on Amazon.

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This trike is GREAT.

My son is crazy about it.

It fits him well. He is 2 years old.

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Sunday, July 20, 2014

Bright Starts Silly Sounds Safari Rattle

Bright Starts Silly Sounds Safari RattleMy baby loves this toy, but it has a super sensitive sound activation! If you have this on the floor and walk by it goes off. Nothing worse then having a sleeping baby and hearing jungle monkey noises. LOL!

Super sensitive sound sensor (say that three times fast...). I'm not sure if everyone would consider this a drawback, but anytime anything moves around this toy (child, adult, pet, air), the music/silly sounds go off. And it's not horribly loud, but the music/sounds carry.

Recently on a trip to Washington DC over Memorial Day (heavy traffic in DC that weekend), we received this rattle from a relative as a gift. While we were driving, this rattle slid under one of the front seats in our rental car. As I and my husband were in the front seats and my six month old was in the back seat, we weren't able to reach it. Anyone who has ever been to DC knows that there are parts of the highway system where you cannot stop unless it is a DIRE emergency, so we had to listen to this thing go off about every four seconds for half an hour. When we finally got back to where we were staying, we were ready to drive over it. We settled for taking out the batteries (which required a tiny screwdriver thank God we had one), and we like the toy a lot more now. My six month old likes holding it, rattling it, chewing on it and playing with it, which is why we bothered to take the batteries out rather than donating it to Goodwill or to another parent who might be more "noisy toy" tolerant.

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I bought this toy elsewhere but searched for it on Amazon because it deserves a five staring rating. This is a great toy for the money, silly animal sounds and at least four short songs. Easy for little hands to hold and it's one of my grand daughter's favorites.

Read Best Reviews of Bright Starts Silly Sounds Safari Rattle Here

My 7 month old loves this rattle...but after a week of use the paint is chipping off of the "leaves". I can not in good conscience continue to use a product that may be harmful to his health however much he likes it.

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My son picked this as his favorite toy when he was 2 months old. It is very easy for a baby to activate, and he learned that moving the toy made the noises happen. Now, he is 8 months old, and it is still a favorite! The only issue is that (as another reviewer stated) it is very sensitive, and it has no off switch, but it's not a big enough deal to bother me. I believe the batteries are starting to run low now, because it is making funny noises, and playing a drum rhythm I have never heard before, but I will be buying new batteries to keep this toy going! Pretty good battery life too, since we've had it about 6 months now with near nonstop use!

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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Alex Jr. First Pops Pop Beads

Alex Jr. First Pops Pop BeadsI bought these at the local educational toy store when my daughter was around 8 months old. She has enjoyed chewing on them, and likes swinging around a long string of them popped together. In the last month (she is now almost 12 months), several of them have lost their male ends, so there are lots of little choking hazards floating around. The plastic is thin, so I think the more you pop and unpop them, the more likely they are to fall apart, then you are left with trash. I have seen other brands of higher quality. If I buy any again, I will not get this brand.

This is a really cute set. My daughter loves the different textures, and of course she loves to chew on them. It's just a tad pricey for what you receive, but I'm happy overall.

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While the beds are colorful and have good texture for manipulation. These particular beads are awful. The orange pieces in particular are too small as is a yellow piece. My son is 7.5 months old and was able to stuff a whole piece in his mouth in 2 seconds. I know he will not choke on it, but the piece could very easily get stuck. There are other brands that have larger pieces were mouthing it will not be a concern. THe idea of the toy is a great one, this particular one is too small and the plastic is not durable.

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I bought the Pop beads for my cousin who will be a year old in April. While she's still too young to put them together, the various colors and textures spark her curiosity. She loved holding them and touching them, and chewing on them too! The product is durable and the pieces are fine for kids to chew on. Overall, I think it's a great toy!

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I do not like to indulge my daughter in a huge number of toys, so I ponder and ponder then ponder some more on which ones I would like to give to her at certain ages. At 7 months we gave Alex Jr First Pops Beads to her and she did not care for them for several days. They are really hard to snap together and pull apart (maybe they loosen over time). I put them into a small saucepan and handed her a wooden spoon and she was so excited and happy to he make pops and beads soup. She loves the lid to the bin and we turned that upside down for her to pour her "soup" into. The colors are fun. Overall, for my child the products intention is not fun for her, but we found an alternative... If you are buying this at retail price you may want to think again.

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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Justice League Wonder Woman Romper Costume

Justice League Wonder Woman Romper Costume , Wonder Woman Print, 6-12 MonthsItem arrived promptly and it was just as described. My daughter look great in this costume. It was also very easy to change her while she was wearing it.

My daughter looked absolutly cute in this. I can't wait for Halloween now. LOL. Quick shipper.

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Sunday, May 25, 2014

Toddler Softscape - Tunnel Climb-On

Toddler Softscape - Tunnel Climb-OnThis set is really sized for babies...crawlers and early walkers. The forms are durable and easy to cleans but too light in weight. Unlike the forms at Gymboree or Playorena, they're light enough for young children to move and pick up. I don't know why forms like this are so expensive, but I wish I'd saved my money and gotten the more expensive one designed for larger toddlers.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

B. Okideoke Microphone - Navy

B. Okideoke Microphone - NavyWanted this to work and it does!!! fyi, target $13 ! To get the amplify real loud twist the bottom of the microphone bottom, it's volume. All the mics are set to low in the packaging. :) have fun!

Initially, I wanted this microphone because the colors work so well for a boy (I was a little nervous about not getting to choose, but have ordered two and received a blue one, both times). I wasn't too worried about the functions, only that it looks like a microphone. I knew that my two year old would run around the house with it, using his imagination, and would also be able to sing along with his favorite music shows. The button does need to be held down while recording, and the amplification is not the loudest (which is just fine with me). I pushed the buttons for him at first, then he figured it out and has so much fun! He encourages us to sing into it, too. The first one was misplaced it went everywhere so I had to rush order another. The strap is a handy feature. He can put it around his wrist, it can be hung up when not in use, or clipped to a purse or diaper bag. Even the packaging is adorable. We could not be happier with this microphone!

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I was looking for a microphone that amplifies my son's voice so he can sing with or without the music. Well, the mic amplifies very little, but the worst part is that to amplify one has to hold a "star" button the whole time while singing... I find this rather inconvenient! Why isn't it simply built in to the microphone, beats me...There are only 8 tunes that are short and go in circle when you hit another button on the microphone. So far my son loves that functionality and pushes the button non-stop, but it becomes rather annoying and I am sure he'll get bored with it soon.

Also, to record singing, one has to hold the record button the whole time of recording...I don't like that. I wish one had to press this button until it beeps and then press it one more time to stop.. Most other toys operate this way.

Read Best Reviews of B. Okideoke Microphone - Navy Here

I was looking for a microphone for a while ( that is for a boy in boys colors....)

I finally found this one and wasn't sure until we got it.

My son just loves music and he loved this!

Main reasons to get it:

1. It has a feel of a real microphone with a cute childish look.

2. It plays music so my son is singing to the song he selectsold McDonald, twikle twinkle little star etc.

3. You can make the music go faster or slowers

The only con is that the feature of an actual microphone is not so great and hard for little kids to get-since you need to both press a button and speak right into the microphone at the same time.

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If I had more time, I would attach a video, but with kids, I don't. My daughter LOVES this mic. She finds it easy to use and entertaining. I gave it to her when she had turned 2 and she would dance around the house singing along with the music. She loved hearing her voice amplified. She easily learned the buttons and the volume control. Now she is almost 4 and she still loves it, specially when daddy records silly things for her. It has taken a beating and still works, I have nothing but good things to say about it.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Prince Lionheart Bike Stand, Natural

Prince Lionheart Bike Stand, NaturalI bought this to hold up my son's Prince Lionheart Balance Bike, but it just keeps falling over. It's not sturdy enough to hold it up.

This product is a pretty big disappointment. Prince Lionheart products have been a favorite of ours in the past and we adore our Prince Lionheart balance bike however, this bike stand pales in comparison to their other products. The Bike stand is in three pieces that do not fasten together securely and, the slot for the bike wheel which is supposed to fit "most Prince Lionheart bikes" is too narrow for the wheel to fit in!!! Consequently we have had to sand away at it and it still does not work great. :(

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My three year old has a hard time getting the bike to stay up in the stand without help. It must be up against a wall and the front tire has to be shoved in by an adult for the bike to stay up. Stand itself is not very sturdy. For the price it works good enough.

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Took 20 seconds to assemble, bike (Prince Lionheart Whirl Balance Scooter) fits perfectly and stands on its own in the house.

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This is a very good and stable way to hold and store the balancing bike. It is easy to assemble.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Kushies Zolo Beanstax

Kushies Zolo BeanstaxI ordered these cute stackers as a gift for a one year old's birthday. They arrived and as I was wrapping them I realized that my kids need these as well. Each piece is so cute and cuddly. I love how imaginative they are. I love that they're not the standard square blocks we're all used to seeing kids stack time and time again.

Easily tossed around the house, into bowls or to each other. Very fun and inspiring patterns...Not sure about 'stacking' them, (not sure if the 3 yr old i have in the house will do that with these & maybe I'm not creative but I couldnt stack 'em to make characters) but who cares. they are really unique and so far the kiddos Ive had in my home are drawn to 'em. My 10 mo. old likes to touch them too. They are a little pricey, but when I looked at Etsy for bean bags they were a greater value. Plus, Im banking on the longevity of this item. They can be used for anything with a little imagination! They can be easily stored & grab one or two to make a great travel toy.

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My kid loves to play with these beanbags and I have given them as a unique birthday gift for other kids

Read Best Reviews of Kushies Zolo Beanstax Here

A safe toy for any age. This is not my little one's favorite toy, but he enjoys it.

Easy to clean with a wet cloth. Well made...no worries of the beans inside coming out.

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These little guys rate five stars for being adorable. But I'm not sure how much they retain the interest for kids. I gave a set to my grandkids almost 2yo, and 5yo. The 5yo stacked them for a few minutes, then went off to play with other things (puzzles, etc.). The 2yo played with them for a few minutes, and also went off to do other things. I am not with my grandkids alot, so they may have found other things to do with the Beanstax since I saw them. Maybe the adults can help them find other things to do with them. I wouldn't buy them again. Pretty expensive, and I would rather spend the money on books for the kids.

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Thursday, March 6, 2014

Rubies Toddler Girls Christmas Angel Halloween Costume Ballerina Tutu

Child's Angel Costume Kit, Toddler, 12 to 24 MonthsLove that it was a complete costume for less than the price for an incomplete costume at the costume store. My 4 year old loved it!

Fit like a charm and required no modifications for child to wear. For the price and the speed it was a great costume in a clutch.

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Monday, February 17, 2014

Mary Meyer Sweet Rascals, Sweet Joey Roo, 9"

Mary Meyer Sweet Rascals, Sweet Joey Roo, 9'Soft, well made, and easy to clean. Bought this for my 4 year old and she loves it. Couldn't be happier with this purchase.

The stuffed animal was exactly as advertised. We used it as a prop and was perfect for that. Looks like a good stuffed Kangaroo for anyone that wants one.

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I was watching an episode of one of my favorite shows and In it I saw the cutest little Kangaroo Plush. I love stuffed animals so when I saw it on t.v. I wondered about having one of my own. I have to say that After ordering this Sweet little kangaroo I would recommend it to anyone. It's soft and totally adorable.

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Right before leaving America to go live in Africa I lost my first Kangaroo. Recently I told a friend I lost the cutest cuddly toy as a child and guess what arrived in the mail? This cuddly toy is sweet and adorable and super soft. The fur on the Mary Meyer Sweet Joey Roo is super plush and cuddly. Since the paws are filled with a heavier filling (little plastic beads), this plush animal toy can be positioned to have different moods. She can sit perfectly like a puppy waiting for a treat. Move her head to the side and she looks sleepy. Children will love this toy and I must admit, it is the cutest stuffed toy I've ever seen or owned.

~The Rebecca Review

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Sunday, February 2, 2014

Swimways Nemo Sun Canopy Float

Swimways Nemo Sun Canopy FloatI researched a lot of different floaties with sunshades before I picked this one for our 5-month-old baby, and frankly, I'm a little disappointed. Although our baby loves being in it, the leg holes already dig into his thighs when he leans back in the "seat" portion of the floatie. Also, the shade is made of the same blow-up material that the tube is made of, and it isn't ANYWHERE nearly as high as the picture makes it out to be. Our baby's head almost touches the shade when he's sitting in the floatie. It also isn't very wide and it doesn't stay up by itself (you have to keep a hand on it and keep adjusting it while the baby's in the pool), which is annoying.

Pros: Super cute, very safe (no chance a baby will fall out of it)

Cons: Poorly designed, sunshade doesn't really work

Friday, January 17, 2014

Fisher Price Amazing Animals Panda

Fisher Price Amazing Animals PandaMy 1-year-old loves to manipulate this panda's legs and head to hear the clicking sound. She also loves the different textures on the feat, and one even has rattling beads that you can see.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Plan Toys Planpreschool Push And Pull Pterodactyl Push Toy

Plan Toys Planpreschool Push And Pull Pterodactyl Push ToyOriginally purchased for my 2.5 year old dinosaur lover, she never really pushed it around much but did enjoy trying to hit stuff, so we put it away once the head broke off. Once it was taken back out she didn't touch it much. My 11 month old became interested once he started walking, he doesn't push it around but he likes to carry it. I think pull toys are much easier for him or a larger push toy. This one trips him up since he is still not great with his balance.

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Saturday, December 28, 2013

Tiny Love Frog Kick Mirror

Tiny Love Frog Kick MirrorI read such wonderful reviews of this mirror, that I couldn't wait to get it. My baby is only 2 1/2 months old right now, and I find this mirror an irritation. It takes 2 people to get the mirror placed so that the driver can see baby's face (one person in the back seat and the other in the driver seat). The smiley face on the frog takes up valuable space. When trying to get baby's face positioned in mirror, the smiley face frequently cuts straight through baby's face, making her facial expression impossible to see. Hubby and I worked for 20 minutes to adjust this mirror so that Baby's face was visible from the driver's seat. Once the baby's face is visible and the frog's smiley face is around the area of baby's neck, the picture is warped so badly that I feel like I'm watching the movie Alien. I CAN see if baby's head is in the proper position and see if baby is smiling or frowning, making this semi-functional when mirror is placed right. The biggest problem is that when someone sits in the back seat next to baby, they may touch the hand or foot of the frog as they are buckling themselves in. If they do, then it moves the mirror and the quest to get the mirror placed correctly starts all over again. I give this 2 stars because I expect as baby grows, her legs will be long enough to reach frog's belly, and she may find the toy interesting to play with. At that point, I seriously hope I don't need to see her in the mirror anymore.

If you, like i, think there are enough flashing lights and beeping noises in the world already, and thus avoid battery-operated baby toys, this is a wonderful find. No batteries at all. Baby kicks the frog feet, and the little plastic fishies and turtles in the frog's belly slosh around. Simple cause-and-effect. Car rides lately have a lot less screaming and a lot more giggling.

I'm depriving this toy of a star because, as several other reviewer note, the mirror isn't so great. It's not easy to adjust. By dumb luck, ours it positioned so the front seat passenger can look over their shoulder and see the baby. The driver can sit up very straight and lean forward and kinda see the baby's face in a corner of the rear-view mirror, but at that point they wouldn't be able to see the road.

That said, if what you really want is a baby car mirror, just buy a baby car mirror. The Frog Kick Mirror is also a toy, and no matter how well you've adjusted the mirror, the whole point is for the baby to kick it. The mirror won't stay perfectly oriented for long.

Also, your baby has to be big enough to be able to kick the toy for it to be terribly interesting, so it's not really worth purchasing this until your kid's feet are within an inch or so of the seatback.

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My son cried everytime we got in the car for over 6 months. This was the first thing to get his attention after tons of methods were tried to stop the misery.

Babies too small to hit the bottom "feet" to make the fish move will still like how things jiggle to the car's movements and looking in the mirror.

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I bought this hoping I could get the best of both worlds: a great toy for my son to look at and a mirror that would let me see him when I am driving. Well, the first part was right, it's a cute frog. Problem is the mirror is flimsy and really not of good quality. It's distorted and really cheaply made. Buy the Eddie Bauer mirror, it's a better buy.

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I bought this for my son to have something to look at for a long car trip. The item pictured on the website and on the box itself is NOT the one that is actually *inside* the box. It looks similar, but the quality is much worse and cheap-looking. The mirror that makes up the "face" of the frog is a total piece of crap I couldn't even see my own face within 10 inches of it, much less my son's on the other side of car. It's a great idea, I just really wish it was the actual item pictured, and not the bad quality of the actual item.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Little Baby Faces Teether Book

Little Baby Faces Teether BookThe crinkle pages are nice as are the teethers at the bottom. My dad really enjoys reading this book to my son and it's held up through a few washes too

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Thursday, December 5, 2013

MP3 Player Teddy bear

MP3 Player Teddy bear with yellow RibbonUPDATE 2/10/2013: After less than a month of use, the track forward button started to fail. Now, after about 6 weeks of use, it completely failed and the track back and play/stop buttons are also starting to fail. This has rendered the bear almost useless for music playing and is now just another stuffed animal to add to my son's collection--a very expensive one at that. Unfortunately, this is just outside of Amazon's return period. The manufacturer mentions no warranty on their website and have not responded to my email inquiry.

Downgraded from 4 stars to 1.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

I purchased this for Christmas for my 3-year-old. I was looking for a simple, but durable MP3 player/speaker combo and didn't even fathom something like this exists. I'm grateful I stumbled upon it while browsing through Amazon. It is very soft and cuddly. This is his favorite gift.

The bear is very easy to use--I imagine a child at least as young as 2 could figure it out. On the feet are soft, felt buttons for volume, track forward/back, and play/stop. There is a red LED inside the bear's chest that beats like a heart when it is on. It will turn itself off after about 10 seconds of inactivity. The MP3 player is preloaded with 5 lullabies.

It seems very safe as well. The MP3 play is embedded inside the bear, in an unopenable, non-removable plastic pod. The bear has a fairly innocuous velcro slit in the seam of its back to access the pod, where there is a short USB cable and an on/off switch (in case you want to totally disable the bear)--that's it.

My only major complaint is that no instructions come with the bear except reference to the manufacturer's website, which is fairly primitive, buggy and is not helpful at all. It just gives you the ability to purchase a custom soundtrack and upload your own MP3's to be programmed into the bear, but for $20. This is not necessary, but it took me days to figure out how to load music correctly myself. When plugging the bear into the computer's USB port, it appears as a memory drive, where you can drag and drop files. Seems simple enough. However, after much head scratching, trial and error, I figured out that each MP3 file name must begin with a number (i.e. 01, 02, 03, etc.) and the bear will play the files in that order. If the files are unnumbered, they will not play. If there are multiples of the same number, only one of the tracks with that number will play. Additionally, the files must be MP3's. Tracks pulled directly from a CD (MP4) and most from iTunes (various file types) will not work. I downloaded some freeware (Music Disc Creator) to convert MP4's to MP3 and now we're good to go.

Some of the complaints on other reviews are no longer valid. The volume has persistence, meaning it stays at the volume last used when turned on. Also, there are no replaceable batteries--it is charged through the USB port (or you can get a USB plug adaptor to plug it into a wall outlet). It lasts quite a while on a full charge--at least 20 hours of play time, I'm guessing. It still does not remember the last track played--it always starts at track 01 when turned on--but the little one figured out very quickly how to skip to the songs he wants to hear.

Overall, this is a great buy.

I purchased this CuddleTunes bear in Jan of 2012, so I've been able to see the pros and cons of its features.

Pros:

The internal storage holds a LOT of music/audio plenty for a young child to fall asleep to, and lots of room for loved ones to record stories/audio on

The ability to download audio recordings from loved ones in a far-off location is a bonus

The bear is pretty "cuddly" at least according to our daughter's preference of stuffed creatures :)

The battery life is pretty good, and it's easy to replace AA batteries (compared to those little circle batteries or more expensive C or D batteries sometimes used in little-kid products).

Cons:

The music volume defaults on the LOUDEST setting every time you turn it on. This can be an issue if you're trying to put your young one to sleep and forget that the volume will start cranked up. There is no way to change this default setting.

The music volume takes a long time to turn down as well you need to press the foot button many times (or press and hold for several seconds) before you start to hear the volume change.

There is no "lock" button for the player controls, so we don't like our child sleeping with it because she ends up either turning up the volume accidentally, or stopping the music altogether (which defeats the purpose of putting her to sleep with it). Because of this we usually turn the bear on, set the volume, and then place it outside of the crib for her to listen to. (I know I know, it's not as fun as cuddling with it.)

The upload feature is a little cumbersome because each time you want to upload some audio/music onto the bear, you need to unvelcro the back, plug the USB cord into it (and the computer) and then begin the upload process. This takes SEVERAL minutes each time. A better idea would be to incorporate a wi-fi feature into the bear that allows you to send music to it without messing with cords, velcro, and the time it takes to continue uploading new features.

No playlist feature which means if you have both music and audio books on the bear, there is no way to separate them by selecting audio or music. You have to scroll through the tracks until you find what you want. A playlist button (or something similar) would be a great feature to add as well.

Pink ribbon fell off after 4 months (not a big deal though).

Summary: For the $60 price tag, I find the features given a little lacking. I would love to see some of the suggested features listed above incorporated into this bear as technology certainly allows for it. I think they could incorporate some (if not all) of the suggested features above and still hit a $60 price tag, but a tag that many more would be willing to pay (in my opinion).

That's it for now!

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This bear idea has everything to be the best thing ever but the quality is so bad... I'm trying to upload more songs to the current ones but the bear is not updating it. The computer shows Ive deleted the songs and added more but when I test on the bear it doesnt update. Also, the website is so bugged... it is horrible. You cant scroll down properly nd uploading song via their website is a nightmare. Also, we couldnt find out how to recharge the bear. after many trials my husband figured out that you need to turn the bear off and then charge it otherwise it doesnt work. I would not recommend anyone to buy this.

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The first bear I ordered did not work. Amazon was VERY helpful with attempting to correct the problem and when that did not work it was replaced the next day. The new bear stopped working 5 weeks later. I am now attempting to obtain a refund. I am not pleased with the quality of the bear's sound or ease of use. I do NOT recommend this product.

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Cuddletunes Teddy Bear MP3 Player and Web Recorder with Blue RibbonCuddletunes Teddy Bear MP3 Player and Web Recorder

The Cuddletunes Bear is the perfect gift for young children and older kids too. It's a great way for families to stay connected. We live on the East Coast and our grandsons live on the West Coast. With the "magic" of a Cuddletunes Bear, we can continue to read bedtime stories, even when we are thousands of miles away. While visiting our grandson, he couldn't wait to share with us his personalized lullabies. It is a combination of an old fashioned cuddly toy and the best use of today's technology.