I will tell you right now, my son LOVES this toy. However, a variety of factors have led me to hide it from him and ultimately give it away.
1. As with all Vtech toys, the speaking and singing voice are INCREDIBLY annoying. I have a high tolerance for annoying singing voices (I'm fine with all the Leapfrog toys, for the most part), but for some reason Vtech tends to pay singers who are constantly flat to sing the songs for their toys.
2. The songs are AWFUL. My son spent the first several days with this toy playing the same song over and over again. Here's how the lyrics go, "A says "ah" and B says "buh." C says "kuh" and D says "duh." E says "eh" and F says "ffff." G says "guh-uh-uh-uh-uh."" And so on. It doesn't explain the multiple sounds that certain letters can make and it's ANNOYING.
3. This is the big one for me the battery cover DOES NOT SCREW ON. Which means your child will almost immediately figure out how to take it off and start fiddling with the batteries. Thankfully my son didn't put them in his mouth, but I really thought that it was standard for all toys for young children to have a battery cover that screws on to prevent this sort of thing.
This was a gift, not something we ever would have bought. The sound was still working fine when we got rid of the toy, although we didn't keep it long enough to test the durability of the buttons and electronics. There are three volume settings, which is nice for parents. And I'm sure someone's child would learn from this toy my son was already reading and knew all his letters and sounds when it was given to him, so it wasn't super-useful for us.
As with all electronic toys, most children will probably love this. However, it does absolutely nothing to stimulate creativity, it shows rather than lets children really *experience* learning, and it's dangerous! Do you really want your child taking the batteries out and seeing what happens when he or she starts gnawing on them? AVOID!
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
We received this for our daughter's second bday. It was "over her head". After showing interest in letters we gave it to her in the car. It was intended to keep her occupied pressing all the buttons. We didn't think twice about it until two weeks later she was singing the letter song and could point to any letter and give the sound. Yes, it only provides one sound for a letter that might have multiple but for a now three year old it is perfect. She knows he alphabet and initial sounds. She now has moved on to building three letter words feature. My one year old is catching on too. Great gift idea.
Best Deals for VTech - Letter Sounds Learning Bus
Bought this for a gift.. Very cute and nice gift for young kid. Would buy the same or same brand again.
Honest reviews on VTech - Letter Sounds Learning Bus
Nice compact toy that can be taken in the car or played with at home.
Survived a fall from a highchair onto wood we haven't had it long enough for more durability testing, but that at least shows it's not fragile.
Perfect size for toddler hands although my two year old isn't getting the full benefit definitely a grow-with-me type toy. My two year old is playing with it and enjoying the sounds and pictures, my five year old is figuring out the games.
Several different modes/games and including three letter words for every letter in the alphabet and mix and match animals. I think it's a great little toy that will entertain for years.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for VTech - Letter Sounds Learning Bus
Im a pre k teacher and I purchased this toy to encourage a love of learning to read. The kids are loving it. the only issue with it is the battery cover is easy for the kids to remove. prompting a lesson in safety and not removing the battery cover.
