Archive for the toys Category
Posted on February 2, 2010 by Elaine
Something I have wanted to do on this website for a long time is to start putting the information on recalled products that potentially harm your baby or child. Most toys nowadays go through stringent testing to ensure that they conform to many different safety standards no matter what country you live in. However, there can be times when for some reason these tests fail to spot the potential problems that may occur.
Just before Christmas World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) issued a list of their top 10 toys that could cause potential harm. If you’re a concerned parent it is definitely something worth keeping an eye on reading up on to see if this could be a potential problem for you.
1. DISNEY-PIXAR WALL-E FOAM ROCKET LAUNCHER
This has been pulled on their lists for potential for eye or other impact injury. Now my children play all types of ball games and nobody was ever issued with warnings for this type of issue. Although W.A.T.C.H. claims that because of the speed of the rocket launches at this time because potential issues.
2. MOON BOARD POGO BOARD
The recommended age for use of these is eight years and older. This can be used to allow a child to attend tricks and special jumps. It does come with safety tips and cautions as there is a cord which connects to the Moon Board to enable you to do tricks. It is recommended that this should only be used in safe areas that are free from obstacles and that children should wear protective to ensure their safety.
3. CURIOUS BABY CURIOUS GEORGE COUNTING – MY FIRST BOOK OF NUMBERS
This is not a very expensive folly and sells for just under seven dollars. However there are potential choking injuries that could be caused. We all know about children’s books for lots of entertainment. However there is a potential here but there were rattle that holds a five wood beads to become loose. If they did dislodge it could have a potential serious risk of choking injuries.
4. THE DARK KNIGHT BATMAN FIGURE
This sells for around $40 and figure itself is 30″ tall and according to WATCH because of its flexible plastic construction of a child fell on the estate will be injured. I’m not really sure about this one but this is what they think.
5. X-MEN ORIGINS SLASHIN’ ACTION WOLVERINE
Wolverine is a bit of a gentle giant if you had seen the movies. Unfortunately our X-Men friend is on the WATCH list because his pop out clause are made from rigid plastic and pulled out the potential of causing eye injury.
6. LOTS TO LOVE BABIES – “mini nursery”
What could really be so potentially harmful with this cute little toy. But, alaas it’s on the list because of the potential choking hazard. The tub comes wi
th a shower attachment which is actually only connected using a tiny plastic cord if this is detached it could cause issues. I must say I agree with this 1% and really do not understand how a designer designing a product like this for a young child could completely missed this.
7. JUST KIDZ JUNIOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Children love music or potentially young children simply don’t make in this most noise as possible this is definitely something that will appeal to them. However, it comes with a 4″ drumstick that can easily be detached and possibly lead to another choking hazard.
8. CAT “rugged mini”
I really think this is aimed for older children and not something that a child as young as 18 months should use. However, WATCH have taken issue with this because it comes with a solid metal axle that is used to connect two oversized tires. This could potentially cause puncture issues if it is separated from the chassis somehow.
9. PUCCI PUPS MALTESE
The main concern here is that 35″ leash that is connected to the top as it could lead to potential strangulation. There also some issues around the fibre hair which can easy be removed if a baby is teething and they couldn’t possibly choke upon it. The standard limits of any string that comes with a child’s toy is 12 inches of the fact that this is almost 3 times longer is definitely a violation of any safety standards.
10 SPY GEAR VIPER-BLASTER
While young children want to beast boys and superheroes but unfortunately this particular superhero toy could cause potential only increase. The blaster shoot out the darts at a force that could lead to an eye injury. I’m sure there have always been issues with any toy guns but for anything because they can all lead to potential by injuries.
I hope this list is helpful and gives you an insight into the type of issues that a simple little child’s toy can cause. I’m really not sure if some of them are extreme or a little bit over the top. But, it is definitely something worth thinking about ensuring that no matter what you give your child is that it follows all safety standards and that you take the time to ensure that it is safe to use.
Posted on January 18, 2010 by Elaine
The Baby Einstein Bendy Ball
as you can see from the picture is a cute toy available over at Amazon. It’s made of a soft flexible plastic which makes it easy for your baby little fingers to bend and squeeze it. It comes in a colorful blue, red, and yellow that will attract your baby’s attention. It has recognizable baby Einstein Caterpillar characters on this center band as you can also see in the picture.
All the experts tell us that it’s important that your child can have something to help them listen to sounds and visual stimulation and that’s exactly what this has been designed for. It’s ideal for using in a crib or playroom and the rattle inside makes lots of noise to keep him entertained.
This is definitely a durable toy that will allow your baby to have many hours of fun whilst they try and throw it away (like all disciplined children), you can just see them attempting this both had the misfortune of the fingers going inside and he can’t quite figure out how to throw the ball like all the other toys. It will take them a little bit of time to figure out that it can easily be rolled which I think can turn gives them time to play with it more.
This is a great activity for you toddler as they get to poke their fingers into their various shapes. You can just see this item in their hand and they try to figure out how to get the ball on the inside (rattle) edit of the square holes. You just know they are going to try and chew these and you have no need to worry because it is very safe as there are no problems with any part coming away.
What Do We Like
Here’s the thing, during the research of this particular product I came across lots of reviews that went into great detail about how their infant was enjoying this. Generally, most people that bought are extremely happy with this, which is always a good thing. Many people felt that it is healthy for their child to explore actual things around, shake it to bits, chew on it and generally just how form. It’s always helpful when you read positive reviews from customers who have already purchased this.
- It’s extremely easy for your child to hold onto
- You can easily bend while holding and they can put their fingers inside
One other thing, we know babies go to a stage where they want to chew everything when they are teething. The great thing about this particular toy is it’s just the wrong shape and although they will try it’s really impossible for them to try and get turned around.
Conclusion
We found many positive reviews and lots of positive feedback from customers that have already purchased this. One or two people suggested that the holes were too big for a baby but the general consensus and information that they came across as very positive. Reviewers were happy and gave it a good ratings. Many people liked the bright vibrant colors.
This definitely makes a really good gift and is also a great purchase if you are looking for something that is educational and offers value and great playtime for kids.
WHERE CAN I GET THE BEST PRICE?
We found the best price at Amazon
Posted on December 14, 2009 by Elaine
I just came across this Safari Toy Chest
and just thought I would share it with some of my readers here. As you can see from the photograph it comes with a Safari theme that is absolutely beautiful looking and I think something that could have pride of place in many homes. The imagery is very vivid and is definitely an outstanding design. I’m sure whoever came up with the idea for this is definitely on to a winner because I showed this photograph to a number of my friends and they all thought it was adorable.
I have had the pleasure a number of years ago to see another friend of mine making a toy chest. He was a specialist in carving and is still in business today making Irish Celtic toy chest only to special orders and they are extremely expensive because of the craftsmanship and hours it takes to get them done.
What I particularly like about this Safari toy chest is that it has been handcrafted and hand painted and only costs a fraction compared to what I have seen in the past. To make it easy to move around it is on casters. I’m sure many parents will see the need for this as more and more tires are fitted into the chest over time making it extremely heavy and hard to move. It has eight dimensions of 20″ H x 33.5″ W x 20″ D so as you can imagine what weight in this it could be quite difficult to move so I think it’s an extremely good idea to have casters for easy mobility.
Many products that you boys like this also come with accessories that are available and you can find a full range of playroom equipment that matches. I must say I think if you had a playroom with this decor it would look absolutely amazing.
So What Do We Like
- The colors and design are outstanding
- It has been handcrafted and hand painted
- Easy to move as it is mounted on casters
- It comes with removable dividers to help organize storage if needed
What About Safety
There is one major safety issue that you need to consider when buying any type of toy chest with a top that opens. I remember buying a cheap toy chest a few years ago and the lid would simply slammed down. This was just so dangerous especially for little fingers. The Safari Toy Chest actually stays open and doesn’t slammed down so the chance of pitching little fingers will not happen.
I read a number of different reviews on this and was unable to see how they done this. I’m sure it comes with a mechanism that allows the lid to close slowly.
What About Assembly
if you purchase this toy chest you will have to assemble it. It comes with full instructions, but you need to have a little understanding or have previously done this type of work before. It can of course be put together by one person but as I’ve said many times on this website if you can get help is always much better to assemble a project with two people. Sometimes it can be quite awkward trying to hold two pieces of wood together and a screwdriver it just doesn’t make sense if you can call the help of somebody else to give you a hand.
During our research of this article we read many reviews from people who had previously purchased this. The majority of them found assembling quite easy. But, there were one or two people that had difficulty. One particular customer was not satisfied with the front of the toy box, for some reason it did not match properly. A simple call to customer service and they should come out immediately as a replacement. Now, when you purchase an item it is always good to hear positive feedback on the after sales. Many stores that you do with whether in your local mall or online do not give good after sales service is always nice to report a positive story.
Just so you know the size is : 22 1/2″H x 30″W x 17.5″L
What Are Our Conclusions
overall there seems to be many satisfied customers that have purchased this. We did read a couple of reviews from customers who were not 100% happy. But, a simple call to customer service and they were able to get their problems resolved quickly. It’s always nice to hear positive feedback and negative feedback but it’s always nice to hear that these negative feedback problems have also been resolved by making a simple phone call.
Overall I think this toy chest is something that would last many people for years to come. It’s definitely something that could be passed on to other members of the family and for the price if selling that you will definitely get your money’s worth from it.
If you are looking for a toy chest that has been hand painted, handcrafted, and has quality workmanship I really don’t think you can go wrong with this. I suggest that you read some of the reviews here.
WHERE CAN I GET THE BEST PRICE?
We found the best price at Amazon
Posted on January 27, 2009 by Elaine
I must say that the Fisher-Price Sesame Street Giggle N Go Driver – Elmo
is something that will help keep your child entertained while you either get that 20 minutes extra sleep or just need to get something finish before they need all your attention.
Turn the Ernie key, Honk the horn with Bert even Shift gears with Grover what more could you ask for. The arrows light up and the toy says ” cookie cookie ” when the light blinks. It requires 3 “AA” and 3 “AAA” batteries to work but on the cute scale this is a 7.
Main website : 1st-babies.com
Posted on December 30, 2008 by Elaine
I really like this Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Learning Piggy Bank as it looks like lots of fun also. It’s not just about teaching your baby about saving it’s give her access to counting, colors, animals and sizes through the friendly role play.
A press on the nose and the pig will play a song about colors, counting and also big and small. It will keep your baby entertained for hours, but the best thing about this piggy bank is your baby will keep come back to it over and over again which is great as they get older and learn more.
I’m not sure if your baby when they get older work in a bank or the financial sector but rest assured they get great fun of this.
Posted on December 18, 2008 by Elaine
Early childhood development is key to the education of our children. But, it can be fun and the “Round the Farm” toy has been designed just so.
The toy has been voted one of the Toys of the Year 2008 over at parenting.com and is aimed for 6 months and up. Each animal makes a sound “Woof!” “Meow!” “Oink!” or “Ribbit!” the toy embodies everything that’s great for early-childhood development.
Via : fatbraintoys
Posted on December 18, 2008 by Elaine
A tradition wooden rocking horse can never be beaten by all this fancy new technology. Years ago I worked in a Store that sold Children’s shoes the thing that every child loved was the rocking horse when they came to visit I think the rocker was the main attraction not the shoes.
Children have always loved animal and I guess that’s the reason why. A funny think also was that most of the parents used the same rockinhorse when they where kids.
The Baltic Rocking Horse pictured above is imported from Europe and is a great choice for young toddlers.
Via : pommenyc
