Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether

This review is from: Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether (Baby Product)

My 5 month old daughter LOVES her Sophie the Giraffe toy! This toy is absolutely wonderful in every way. Sophie is made of soft rubber and makes a pleasant-sounding squeak whenever any part of her body is squeezed, so even a young baby can elicit a reaction from the toy with minimal effort.

I don't know what it is about Sophie, but whenever my daughter plays with her, she gets very vocal and talkative.

I saw another review which referred to this toy as "a glorified dog toy". That reviewer is mistaken, and simply doesn't realize the value of this toy.

- Sophie's body, while soft, has several areas of thicker rubber (the nubs on her head, her ears, and her feet) which are perfect for teething babies to gnaw on for relief.
- Sophie's contrasting colors (spots) are visually stimulating to a baby.
- She is easy to grip given her long, thin neck.
- This toy is made of 100% natural rubber and uses food-grade paint (SAFE!).
- This is a quality baby toy which will last for many years.

I would much rather pay $20 for a safe, engaging toy for my baby, than pay $5 for some piece of junk with lead paint.

Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden

This review is from: Insect Lore Live Butterfly Garden (Toy)

I bought one of these last year for my nieces. I also got one for me, and I'm in my 30's. I waited until the spring time to send in my caterpillar certificate. They came in their own little container with just enough food. So you don't need to feed them anything. I tried to put some real food such as leaves from the plants they like to eat in the wild, but they preferred the food that came with them. I think I received 6 caterpillars and they all turned into butterflies. I let them go a day or two after they emerged. Kids are completely fascinated by the process from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. One word of caution, it may not be the best thing to get for Christmas since you may have to wait until spring to get your caterpillars. They will send them in the winter, but I didn't want the butterflies to die on me or freeze to death if I let them go.

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes

Good quality sound - not annoying!, February 17, 2008

By 

Kelly Taylor (Kansas City) -

 

 

 

 

 

This review is from: Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes (Baby Product)

I just bought this to take over for our soon-to-be adopted infant. I was very happy with the small size and weight (perfect for an infant to hold). But most of all, the sound quality is fantastic (and not too loud) - and not electronic sounding at all. And the tunes are all pleasing to the ear and not annoying kid versions. I will like listening to it as much as our son!

Baby Spring Float Sun Canopy, Colors May Vary

We were able to use this float for the first time this weekend. Our son is almost 4 months old and appx 18 lbs so I wasn't sure if he was still going to be too small to use it. Once we put him in the right way (front and back sides are not marked), he had an absolute blast. He was able to lean forward (he can't hold himself up yet) over the inflatable cushion and put his arms around both sides. His toys were within his reach in the convenient mesh ring and the canopy kept ALL sun off him (he has red hair and is extremely fair). He was able to kick his legs and got lots of exercise. I would highly recommend this product to everyone- just be sure to keep a close eye on them if they can't hold themself up. LOVE IT and can't wait to use it again!

Nerf N-Strike Maverick - Colors May Vary

This review is from: Nerf N-Strike Maverick - Colors May Vary (Toy)

I'm the dad of a 7 year old boy who has two of these, he received his frist one when he was about 5. He has more fun with them, making this a good value for the dollar. The gun itself is fairly durable being able to withstand being stepped on, thrown against either a hardwood floor or a wall (as hard as a 7 year old can throw it). After over a year of use, one of the two guns did experience a failure with the recoil spring and although I was able to fix it (after an hour), I don't think the average person could have fixed it. After several months of use, the darts have a tendancy to enlarge around the base, causing them to fail to fire unless the dart is pushed in firmly which negates the "rapid fire" feature of the revolving gun compared to similar single shot guns where you load a single dart after each shot.

As far as safety, yes, little 7 year old boys will run around with these and attempt to shoot each other. I've been hit scores of times, at less than 5 feet, in the face and even a couple times on the eyelid and IMHO I would be hard pressed to believe that even a direct hit in the eye could cause lasting damage. Bottom line, it's the best toy dart gun I've seen for little kids, a great value but I wish the darts (of which you can buy tons of spares) were a little more durable.