As a parent, I would rather get those toys at Christmas time that have use to them and that will be played with, but the most important thing to me is it's ability to help my kids learn and its durability. there are some gifts that are given to my kids that I dread seeing when I notice that they have noise. I think there are more people out there like me. Some toys out there are just too loud for my taste. I am very impressed with VTech's line of learning toys and games! I love that the sounds are fun, catchy and tend to keep my kids more in tune with the toy and with learning. With the Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train(tm), the music and songs that it sings to your child, I often find myself singing along. Yes. I sing along to it. LOL! It almost has a circus theme to the tunes that it plays. Very fun!
Here is a video that I shot of both of my kids (12 months and 3 years) with the Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train(tm). As you can see, both age groups love it!
The Sit to Stand Alphabet Train was very easy to put together and holds up very nice. I have a 3 year old and he has been caught playing `run away train' from his sister, so the train itself holds up very nicely. He loves to sit there with his sister and put in alphabet blocks that the train recognizes the colors, letters and images that are on each block. When you put in a red letter "Y" block, it will tell you that it is a letter "Y" and asks you to find the "yo-yo", in which you turn the block around. I think this is a fantastic learning tool for infants, as well as toddlers. Kambry is in her first stages of walking, so this is perfect for letting her get a grip on her balance and learn to move those toes with a push toy.
I look forward to many more fun leaning adventures with my kids, and with VTech Kids' Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train(tm).
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Not sure what toy the other reviewers were playing with, but we returned an activity table and bought this instead for our 8-month-old learning-to-pull-herself-up girl. We like that it will evolve as she grows:
1.She can sit and play with it (she likes to turn the book's pages which tell her the different letters on them) or chew on the 26 blocks that come with
2.She trys to pull up and press the musical buttons or elephant which plays songs.
3.We can tell she will learn to take some steps with it, and later she can ride on it.
The blocks can be used in different ways, as blocks with letters and pictures to indentify, you can place them in the slot on top which counts them and they land into the 2nd car, or you put them in the holes which then say the name of the letter and a word that starts with that letter. Sometimes it asks you to find a specific letter block which she won't learn until later, but it should be fun then.
We were looking for a toy for pulling up and cruising, so cool to have found one that does more. As far as the price goes it cost less than the Chicco Talking Garden Table we bought and returned.
I will say this, though, the songs get stuck in your head and you find yourself humming some silly song as you go about your day but this certainly isn't the first muscial toy to do that.
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****NEWEST UPDATE 10/6/2011****This is in reply to the few ladies who feel the need to leave negative comments for my post. The MAIN reason for my post was so that parents could hear what happened to my daughter and either not buy this toy or if they did that they can take precautions and unhook the train from the caboose if they aren't going to be right beside them. My daughter DID get her neck stuck between the 2 parts...the train gets attached by a rubber connector so when my daughter fell the way that she did the train seperated further apart and she fell perfectly so that her neck was against the front of the train and when her weight went down as she fell the gap in the train tightened ON her neck...so reguardless of what any of the negative comments say, she COULD have gotten strangled. Just because a product is still on the market doesn't mean that it is safe and just because a lot of people havn't ran into a problem doesn't mean there won't be one. Look how long it took drop side cribs to get outlawed, most babies didn't have a problem in them but lots of them did. There is nothing wrong with being cautious when it comes to the safety of a baby/child and if my post can help keep even 1 kid from getting injured then that was a success. And also, if someone is being strangled, they can't breathe so they won't be crying or whining for someone to come help them...in reply to the latest comment.
****OLDER UPDATE IS AT THE BOTTOM********
My daughters received this for their 1st Birthday and have liked it since they first layed eyes on it. I'll explain the FUN features after I explain the DANGER.
My daughter Madison, who is the smaller of my twins(3-6 months clothes though she is 1) was playing with the train. There was a block on the other side so she leaned over to get the block but she slipped and her neck went between the front and back of the train(where they connect)!! Thankfully I was sitting right there and immediatly pulled her out but she would NOT have been able to get her self out. This is the same flaw that the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Chair had, there was a gap that a child could get their neck stuck between the chair & table..if you have the older style with that flaw they will send you a new piece to cover the gap, taking away the entrapment/strangulation hazard.
I did email Vtech about this but have not gotten any response. If you already have this toy I recommend ALWAYS keeping the train seperated from the seat unless an adult is right there with them. If you are thinking about buying this train, I'd skip it and buy something else until the gap is fixed...IF they fix it. Hopefully they will address the problem before a child is injured or killed.
As far as fun, my girls really enjoy this. They love turning the pages of the book, love pulling the blocks out once I put them in and just playing with the blocks by themselves. Their favorite thing is for me to pull/push them around while they sit on the train.
I do think this toy is probably more educational for children over 1 year. At one year they can't put the blocks into the side(at least my girls cant). There are little games that tell you to flip the block over to find what is on the other side or he tells you to find the letter 'P' and put it in the side. So 1 year olds have no idea what he is saying.
If you are looking for a toy for a 1 year old, I would recommend getting something else. My girls do like this but they'll gladly skip this & go for their Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Home or Leapfrog Learning Table, they spend way more time playing with those. If you are looking for a Sit to Stand toy, I don't think this is sturdy enough, my girls can go from sitting to standing w/out a problem but if they hold onto this it will normally tip right over. They do like the walker part of the train and are almost walking but when the train is used as a walker it is NOT very stable/sturdy and this will tip/fall either left or right & so will my girls...they fall more with it than if they were trying to walk w/out anything.
***************UPDATE**************
My girls are now 14 months old, both of them can walk, one of them slowly/cautiously & the other is a pro. Both of them still enjoy walkers but if they use the train part of this like a walker both of them will fall down since it is so unstable. They can walk across the room just fine without falling on their own but with this they fall. Right now the only things my girls like about this are the blocks-they like all blocks and sometimes they like turning the pages in the book. This is something they just do not play with much at all. I am putting this away(except the blocks) and will get it out again when my girls turn 2 and I'll see if they like it better then. I definately think there are better options for toys if you are buying for a 1 year old, I wouldnt recommend this unless the child is at least 2, maybe more but I still think there are better options than this. If you are set of getting a train type of toy then get the leapfrog alphabet train, that is much better for a 1 year old. The walker part is sturdy, it rolls easier when riding, has more age appropriate toys on it for 1 year olds & it has more toys on it. It also doesn't have a strangulation hazard. Both my girls love it, my 2 year old niece loved it & my 5 year old niece loved it.
The Vtech is hard to roll-if you are wanting an easy to ride/roll toy then I recommend the Fisher Price Ride Ons-my girls have the Fisher Price Lil'Princess Ride On and I also recommend the Little Tikes Ride On. These are ride on toys only-not learning toys. The Leapfrog is easier to roll than the Vtech but still not as easy as the Fisher Price Ride On or Little Tikes. My girls love riding things or being pushed around so it is better to have a basic ride on toy for that.
Honest reviews on VTech Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train
This toy is marketed as being a "sit-to-stand" product for kids as young as 12 months. It is supposed to be usable as a walker with just the locomotive portion of the train, with an attachable "car" that functions as a seat to be ridden by an older child.
The locomotive is extremely tall and narrow, making it dangerously unstable for little ones. When my toddler attempts to pull himself up on this train, it has caused injuries. From the side, the narrow wheel base coupled with the height make this too tippy (think tall SUVs). Either it tips over toward him, causing him to fall backward and landing the train on top of him, or it tips to the other side with him falling over it.
If he approaches it from the handle side (and it is supposed to be usable as a walker), pretty much 100% of the time he grabs the handles and begins to apply weight, the front of the train flies up off the ground while the back wheels fly forward, and the train smacks him in the face.
We'd have taken it back if it weren't such an expensive gift from the grandparents. As it is, our son has to be supervised with it at all times to ensure that he doesn't get hurt. Adding the second "car" with the seat helps with stability (though not entirely), but that renders this useless as a walker for young toddlers.
As far as the annoyance factor, there's no volume control and this thing will not shut up. Just this annoying, circus-like music that plays constantly.
My young toddler has zero interest in putting the alphabet tiles onto the sides of the train (incidentally, it tends to tip over when a toddler is trying to push hard enough to get these tiles into place, kids this age aren't very coordinated and can be very forceful). So, really all he does is push the tiles into the top of the train and watch them shoot out the back.
Definitely not a safe or educational toy for kids as young as 12 months. I personally wouldn't think of using this before 2 years.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for VTech Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train
It is not a stable toy for a baby/toddler learning to stand and walk, it is too narrow and tall as most reviewers said.
