The Little Tikes Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary Car is just as much fun a generation or two after it first premiered! Children love the bright red and yellow smiling car. Although quite reminiscent of the original Cozy Coupe, this one has a removable floor so kids can scoot it along with their feet or put the floor in and parents can give it a gentle push. There is a handle on the back for ease of pushing. It has a dual cup holder behind the seat for bottles or sippy cups which is a great convenience. Many reviewers stated that the Little Tikes Car comes in a multitude of pieces, and assembly is very difficult.
To avoid assembly problems, several reviewers suggested using the video provided online by the manufacturer. It makes assembly instructions clear and much easier to follow than the written directions that come with the car. Several screws need to be screwed directly into the plastic; the holes are not pre-drilled. A parent suggested having a drill handy. The roof support pillars require muscle to get in place according to quite a few reviewers. Although many parents were frustrated with the assembly, they all concluded by saying their children love the Little Tikes Coupe Car.
Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby’s First Blocks is a simple shape sorter designed for children six months to three years old. There are no fancy sounds or moving parts. It is what it says it is; a basic set of shape sorting blocks. Ten bright solid-colored blocks, two of each shape, come with a container with handle so baby can carry it around. This educational toy helps the youngest child classify by color and shape. Even before babies are ready to classify, they improve their hand-eye coordination by placing the Fisher Price Baby’s First Blocks in the container, dumping them out, then repeating the process.
Its simplicity is a welcome change from battery-operated toys that can overwhelm a child with lights and sounds. Most reviewers say their babies love the baby building blocks, spending hours playing with the blocks. Several parents mention that the baby building blocks is rather small. Some found this to be an advantage, as it is easy to take the toy along when traveling. A significant number of reviewers noted that the top does not snap in place, and children remove it using the container without sorting the shapes. The baby building blocks mentioned a warning for California residents that the toy contains chemicals known to be carcinogens.
This set of three tub toy cups has kids six months and up delighting in simple water play in the bathtub. The set of colorful duck themed cups are just the right size for tiny hands. The Alex Bath Toys comes with a cup that has a big round duck-head handle making it easy for baby to grip the cup while playing in the tub. Fill up the cups and watch the water come sprinkling out the hole filled bottoms. Sure to get a giggle! The Alex Jr Tub Joy Quacky Cups Bath Toy set comes with three cups and one duck squirter. Colors will vary so do not expect the exact colors pictured. Parents find the cups make a great way to rinse baby’s hair.
The fascination with the sweet little ducky cup takes away all the fear of getting their faces wet. The cups nest together for easy storage. Kids love the Alex Bath Toys, and play with them even when not in the tub. Made of hard plastic, parents can rest easy knowing the toys are BPA free. Since everything, including the big duck heads, goes right into baby’s mouth this should relieve parents’ anxiety about this plastic toy. One reviewer mentioned that since the plastic is hard, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for rough places on the cups if they were to get chipped or cracked.
So now that you have your dream dollhouse, it’s time to shop for furniture! The Melissa & Doug Deluxe Doll House Furniture Living Room Set is a hand crafted, wooden furniture set that boasts working drawers and doors. This Melissa And Doug Dollhouse Furniture is intended to be used with any 1:12 scale dollhouse and includes: 2 upholstered chairs, an ottoman, a coffee table, a cabinet, a side table and a couch with 2 decorative pillows. The majority of the reviews I read regarding this dollhouse furniture raved about the beautiful, expensive looking design of the furniture.
Those who had purchased this Melissa And Doug Dollhouse Furniture Set mentioned how great the furniture looked in their dollhouses, noting the refined style and details. There were, however, several complaints regarding the construction of the actual pieces. Many reviews that I read complained of the wooden pieces coming apart under normal, careful use. One user mentioned that it was as if the glue used to hold the pieces together was not strong enough, or too little glue was used. The overall consensus is that the furniture is gorgeous to look at, but may be better suited for placing in the dollhouse and leaving, not actually used as a play set for children. The manufacturers age recommendation is ages 6 and up.
Have a little princess who needs a castle? The Schylling Princess Pop Up Castle is a princess play tent that is perfect for any little prince or princess who needs a home for their imaginative play. Constructed from water resistant polyester, this play tent is intended for indoor or outdoor use. Users agree that the easy to use pop-up and pop-down construction make this Schylling Princess Pop Up Castle a breeze to set up and put away. The princess play tent can be used indoors or outside the home. However, one drawback that a handful of users have pointed out is that though the lightweight polyester construction makes set up and breakdown easy.
This can result in a somewhat flimsy and unsteady tent that can easily be tipped over during regular play or blown over when using outside. The tent does, however come with two tent stakes, allowing users to anchor it to the ground for outdoor use. This Princess Pop Up Castle Tent is princess ready in pretty pastel pink and purple. With plastic tubing that easily slides together to form a frame, users report that it couldn’t be simpler to set up. The play tent is packaged with a handy carrying bag. Overall, owners give this play princess play tent two thumbs up for ease of use, adorable design and overall fun.
Kids love Hot Wheel cars, and they really love the color transforming “Color Shifter” cars! This play set makes changing the car color not only easy but loads of fun. It comes with one car that changes from icy blue to green, but others can be purchased for use with this toy. The base has dunk tanks to dip the cars into hot or cold water making the cars’ paint transform. There is a spray gun and special shielded area for squirting the cars and watching them switch color. Even though water collects in a basin beneath the platform, the Hot Wheels Color Shifters is best played with outside for worry-free action.
After transforming the colors, the car can be shot down the curved track on the Hot Wheels Color Shifter Blaster to race away from the base. One parent suggests equipping the kids with small paintbrushes so they can make intricate designs on the car. Parents note that luke-warm water will change the color, but to change it back requires icy cold water. They also note that the color shifting ability temporarily wears out after about a half hour of play. The cars just require a rest, so it is a good idea to have several cars. Several reviewers say an adult needs to be on hand for making frequent trips for hot and cold-water refills.
Pit four of your favorite Hot Wheels cars against each other on this four lane, straight away race track. There is a fair start gate at the top of the raceway so all the cars start at exactly the same time. At the bottom of the track there are a winner’s flag and flip up numbers for first through fourth place, so it is perfectly clear which car wins as they speed to the finish! Recommended for ages five and up, this folding track can connect to other Hot Wheels sets for extended racing action. The Hot Wheels 4-Lane Raceway folds up into a self-contained storage case complete with carrying handle. The entire track folds out to a generous six feet.
Reviewers note that it isn’t just kids who love to play with this Hot Wheels Race Track! Even adults have fun competing in the racing action. Most parents love the simple design of only four pieces that easily snap together, stay together, and fold up for easy storage. Quite a few reviewers, though, write that the Hot Wheels Race Track is rather flimsy and has trouble staying together. Frequent small repairs to snap the track back together seem to be a rather common problem.
Inventively designed, this Playskool Step Start Walk ‘n Ride has two positions, one for walking behind and another for riding on. It is recommended for children nine months to three years, growing with them as they transition from crawling to walking to riding about. It safely locks into position with a wheel-lock mechanism that only adults can activate. The toy has several hands on activities embedded on the surface for texture, movement, and silly sounds. In the riding position the toy has a little storage trunk for carrying along favorite small toys. Made of colorful, molded plastic this dual-purpose toy is sure to please a curious toddler.
It requires assembly with a Phillips screwdriver. Parent reviews have conflicting opinions about the Playskool Step Start Walk N Ride. Many reported that this is a well-loved walker that steadies the little ones before they can take their first independent steps. Others state that the spacing of the rear wheels is not quite right and baby stumbles over them as they try to walk. It is reported that as a walker this toy is most appropriate on a carpeted surface as it may move too quickly and be unstable on hard floors.
Looking like something from the space age, the PlasmaCar is a sleekly designed, people-powered vehicle using the physics concepts of centrifugal force and gravity to provide the motion. With no batteries to recharge and no pedals to propel the car, it is an award-winning marvel of engineering. The car is powered by simply turning the wheel creating forward motion. To slow the car, stop turning the wheel. Just put your feet down to make it stop. The PlasmaCar is very simple to put together and comes in a variety of colors and can support up to 220 pounds so adults can take a whirl too.
Although the design is enticing, several reviewers were disappointed that the car requires a perfectly smooth and flat surface to operate at more than a snail’s pace. Children become frustrated at the slow pace on a level sidewalk. The perfect surface for achieving some speed is a smooth concrete garage floor or wood gymnasium floor, but kids want to enjoy riding on the sidewalk or driveway. A number of reviewers reported that the PlasmaCar is not well constructed and there were problems with wheels and other parts not staying in place. The car also cannot be left outside in wet weather or metal parts may rust making it inoperable. One reviewer pointed out that the instructions state that it can damage wood floors, a surface where the car operates well.
