Chicco Baby and Toddler Toy feedback thread

I put some 'first impressions' feedback on the original thread and will put the next feedback on in a few days. Where do you want photos?

I have put the Bubble Gym Play Mat in with the Christmas gifts as my granddaughter is not visiting until then. I must say I was impressed though when I set it up to see what it did!

We have not had a toddler in the family for such a long while so we where not up to date with all the new toys available but we where very happy to test Jimmy Thunder remote control car.
He arrived very securely packed to stop any damage in transet and on opening him up was very impressed with his bright green body work and black trim very sporty looking.I was also impressed that a supply of batteries was enclosed so full marks for that Chicco.
My foster DGSs eyes lit up when he saw the bright up to the minute colours of Jimmy and an instant friendship was made.He has played with it everyday and Jimmy has fast become a family favourite,he can follow the sounds around the room and is trying to copy the engine sounds.
DD has already recommended to some of the mums at the special needs playgroup that she takes her foster son too once a week so she can show off his newly learned skills,he finds the chunky steering wheel easy to use and now waits for the hoot-hoot sound when he presses the big button in the middle of the wheel.
Very good value for money,good long living construction which can take bumps and bangs with no damage at all,I would personally invest in a battery charger and rechargable batteries as I would not like to run out of petrol.Thanks for the chance to try this product from one very grateful little boy.

I had the Talking Kitchen. I have a grandson who is 2yrs and 3mths and a granddaughter who's 15 mths. When the toy arrived my grandson was there, the excitement was great,he played with the kitchen as I spent ages trying to undo the wire from the back holding it into the box.It was bright and colourful and not aimed at male or female. He loved it immediatly and although not interested in the musical element he enjoyed the sounds. He put his dinosaur in the oven and proceeded to pretend to eat it. He is just beginning to play at pretend so I thought this was rather good for him.
My granddaughter played with it later, again not bothered about music but loved switching things on and opening and closing oven door. I think this is a toy she will grow into.
My friend's son who is nearly four played well with it too and even repeated some of the French words.
Values of the toy are imaginative play which can be extended,I have already bought a teaset and those small boxes and tins of groceries. I gave my grandson raisons to cook with and serve on plates and he loved it.
The next step up from this would be the full size kitchen but this is good for younger ones as a starter. Good range of kitchen sounds and songs.
What I thought could be improved was the shape shorter. Being at the bottom it's not really used and could do with a door on the back as everything falls out when kitchen is picked up. The plastic egg is pathetic and whoever designed it should be shot. Why show kids a blue egg? Doesn't even look like an egg. I would like to have had another pot as well as the frying pan. Both children loved the pop up toaster and my granddaughter's face was a picture when she learnt how to work it. The oven would benefit from being a bit deeper so the child can put more things inside.
The French function is a good add on and I've seen this in lots of toys, as I said the four year old liked it better.
A good toy for under threes but I thought the price a bit high, on saying that the children have had lots of fun and I would recommend it to friends but would like the few changes I mentioned done.

The Talking Bus came just in time to be taken to a family wedding as a distraction ploy. it was well packed but east to 'get at'.

At the wedding, there were young children whose ages range from 9 months to almost 6. The 6 year old was totally uninterested but the others (aged 9 months, 18 months and 4 years) all enjoyed playing with the toy. I think the child who got the most out of it was the 4 year old who particularly enjoyed the French 'option'. The other two children seemed to enjoy the colour and noise but it were too young for the interactivity of placing the shapes in the correct place and the instructions were not really on their level, even that of the 18 month old who has very good shape sorting skill usually. The shapes did not obviously match the holes. None of the children knew what a hexagonal was!

I would say that it is possible to get much cheaper and more age appropriate shape sorters but that the colours and noise were good.

I tried out the Rainbow Cube Projector with my 3 month old GC.

I'm not sure how effective it is as a musical aid to relaxation and sleep as it is a little loud and has no volume control, but the main reason is that the music switches quite abruptly to farmyard sounds which isn't conducive to sleep.

The cube can also be used in silent mode, projecting a static pattern on the ceiling or wall. There is a choice of three patterns: hearts, stars or a kite and the colour of the light can be changed. As a nightlight it is quite pretty and the baby seems to enjoy looking at the patterns.

If animal noises were removed and the volume lowered I would be happy to recommend this toy.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to try it out.

Firstly,thank you for the chance to try out the 'Talking Carpenter'. I don't know about DGS - 13months, but I was really chuffed when I found out I'd been selected.
The toy arrived promptly and well packaged - I'm glad I decided to take it out of it's packaging before giving it to DGS as it took me almost 15 minutes to undo all the wires. First impression was that it was smaller than I expected (but a good size for him), but very bright, colourful and attractive - I think a 'Talking Carpenter' is a novel idea particularly for 12 months+. Another first impression was that the voice was very loud - similar toys often have a loud/soft switch.
DGS was interested in it from the start, having a go at the drill, vice etc. He quickly toddled off to play with other toys but returned to play with it frequently
especially if an adult joined in. The phrase "Use the Hammer" can become quite irritating especially as it is so loud. He enjoys trying to turn the screws with the screwdriver and putting the hammer and screwdriver back in their slots. There is a big variety of sounds and music, I also think the French option is a good idea, he has other toys that have this and I think it's never too early to start hearing another language.
My son commented that because it is narrower at the base it does get tipped over and spends a lot of time on it's side, maybe this won't happen so much as DGS gets older. I think it has the potential to be played with in different ways as he gets older and more aware of what the tools are,but meanwhile he does like it and plays with it a lot.
At 19.99 I think it is good value but I did see it on Amazon today for £34 which IMHO is a lot!
I would recommend it particularly with a volume control.

Initial impressions of the Sit'n'Ride Quattro:

Easy to assemble, despite 4 litte twin hands trying to help.
One twin not happy with the safety harness, as it restricted her movements forward when she wanted to investigate. The harness is quite a tight fit for a 12 month old baby, as it will need to be used for three or four months more.
The lift-out activity centre is great. There is a car-skid sound which proved popular (fortunately, you can remove the batteries!)
Sturdy. We had read reviews saying it was unstable, but the centre of gravity is low, and it appears to be stable.
The shallow rocker facility is not impressive, but that's the first stage (9 months) and we took the rockers off again to use the wheels.
Great to have a handle so adults can push it along without stooping.
Wouldn't be able to use it on an uneven surface as parts are only millimetres from the floor.
Twin babies playing with it, and at 12 months old, it is ideal for walking practice, as toddlers can push it along as well as sit and ride..
What a great idea for it to change according to the age of the baby/toddler. It is quite expensive, but as its so adaptable, it should prove to be good value, and will still be in use in another couple of years.

1.I am trying the Bubble Gym, my granddaughter is 7 months old.
2.Nice and bright.
3. Not seen it yet
4. Not seen it yet
5. will encourage reaching out and holding, also rolling over on the mat.
6. N/A
7. n/a
8 n/a
9.Yes, i think this is a great toy to buy for a young grandchild
10. I think value for money is better than other similar types of toy

Here is the follow-up review for the Quattro Sit'n'Ride (see above for the first review of initial impressions):

The Sit'n'Ride is £69.99 RRP, and I have seen it for £60 on Amazon. I would pay that price as it is described as having four functions from ages 9 months to 3 years, and whilst initially relatively expensive, is good value for the length of time it will be in use.

After playing with it for a fortnight, my twin grandaughters, 12 months old, continue to enjoy exploring it and will vie with each other to take over playing with it.

When it is brought into the room for them to play with it, they both become excited and laugh in anticipation of being sat on the toy.

Neither child likes the safety harness. They are both quite tall and the straps restrict them on their shoulders, leading to protests and attempts to take the harness off.

They like to use it as a baby walker, by standing at the back and using the handle to push it along.

The detachable playcentre has fun sounds, and their favourite is a skidding noise.

Both babies have become more confident about balancing when sat on the toy, and walking along with it.

There are no sharp edges, the colours are attractive, and the babies like its smiley face, which resembles cartoon faces they like on Baby TV.

I would recommend the Sit'n'Ride to other mums and grandparents.

I was picked by GNHQ to review this product, which I received for free. The review is writtrn in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

Jimmy Thunder arrived all packed up nice and securely in a strong "boxlike garage" he was easy to set up as the Chicco Company had kindly sent the batteries to accompany it so we had action straight away.
This little remote control car is very sturdy and bright green and black very attractive to the little man who has became very attached to him.
This little chap is my DDs foster son and because he came to us very quickly we where out of the loop as to having toys for his age range but I was very pleased with this car,he found the mechanic's of the car slightly difficult to use at first as he has learning difficulties but after a short while he mastered it to his delight. (and to ours)
We have found also since my first review that this little man likes to take the chunky handset in the family car with him to use as a pretend steering wheel whilst he is in his car seat.
Whilst this is not a large car it is well put together and can withstand bumps and bangs and grandpoppa dodging it whilst it is en-route down the hallway.
This review is my own honest opinion and is made up of true observations whilst trying out this product.
I would certainly recommend this product to other GPs and parents.
glamma