Reviews of Hape Wonder Walker

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List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $75.93
Today's Bonus: 24% Off

We got this for our 9 month old for Christmas, and she loves it. It's surprisingly sturdy, she can pull herself up to standing without it tipping over, and she even managed to climb inside of it and stand on it like it was a segway without it tipping or rolling (obviously not the recommended use!). It's also designed so that it doesn't squish her when she occasionally tips backwards. My older nieces and nephew were using it as a doll stroller, so I have no doubt that our daughter will use it for years to come.

It was incredibly easy to assemble, the 15 minute estimated time for assembly is a huge overestimation, it couldn't have taken me more than 5 minutes.

Our only complaint is that the gears are made of plastic instead of wood. The models we've seen in stores had wooden gears, and the product description mentions wood construction, so we were expecting that the gears on our model would be wooden too. Otherwise it's an awesome product!

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...it does have a couple of small issues that I feel warrant a one star reduction. It is so stinkin' adorable, though, and we really do love it!

(1) It is a bit difficult for my 11-month-old to steer. When he tries to make it turn, it sometimes tips over along with him. However, it is MUCH sturdier than the VTech Sit-to-Stand walker he initially had, and the Hape wheels are so much better on wood floors AND carpet. He started walking with it the first day we gave it to him. I was initially disappointed because it tipped over backwards the first time he fell backwards while pushing it. Now he tends to sit back and let go instead of falling backwards, so we've had no other backwards tipovers.

(2) Some reviewers noted this being "all wood" while at least one other reviewer noted that the gears on the side of the walker are plastic. I was hoping for wooden gears, but as of July 2013, they are plastic. Everything else is wood, though, which makes it a nice and sturdy walker.

(3) We have had this walker for almost one month and it is used often throughout the day. To date, the activities on the walker have not sparked any interest from my son. The thing he likes best is the orange circle on the back panel that can be turned to make beads tumble and make noise. The only problem is that you must turn the knob on the back of the walker and the beads are only visible from the front. At this point, he cannot turn the knob from behind while leaning in front to see the beads tumbling in the little clear drum. If the drum was clear on the back as well, he could see the beads tumbling as he sits behind the walker spinning the knob. Take a look at the front and back images provided by Hape to see what I mean.

Overall, I am quite happy with this walker, even for the 71 dollar price tag. My son likes to put toys in and out of the wagon part and gets the biggest smile on his face when I ask him if he wants to "go-go-go", which means walker time! Despite frequent run-ins with the walls and baseboards, no red marks have been left behind! A very happy mom and 11-month-old :-)

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For my son's one-year birthday, we knew we wanted to get him a walker. He had been borrowing his playmate's Melissa and Doug walker and loved it. We researched and tested a bunch of walkers, including the Melissa and Doug one. We chose the Hape because it seemed well-made, really stable and doesn't tip over like many of the others do. We found that the Melissa and Doug walker also shared these characteristics and was a great value (approximately $40). However, the Hape walker seemed to be much more interactive and seemed to be one that our son could use even after he mastered walking. Our son loves the extra activities and likes to sit in the wagon part of the walker and be pushed around the house! I don't know how much longer he will be able to do that, since it is a relatively small wagon, but it is fun for now! As he gets older, I think he will continue to enjoy using it as a wagon and less as a walker. My only complaints are that the wheels squeak, which is really annoying, and I wish the front of the walker was either not painted red or that it would have some sort of a bumper on it so that when my son bumps the wall, I wouldn't have to worry about red scuff marks on the wall (my husband put felt strips on it as a bumper and so far that is working ok).

Honest reviews on Hape Wonder Walker

Love this walker. Well made, beautiful, and LO loves it. Has yet to tip over when he pulls himself up, and has nice control on hard floors. We take tons of pics with him playing with his walker and looks really nice on pics too!

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Well made and sturdy. perfect when they are learning to walk and need something to balance them. We are very satisfied.

Review of Playskool Alphie

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List Price: $44.99
Sale Price: $33.19
Today's Bonus: 26% Off

If you grew up in the 1980's you probably remember Alphie that fun loving robot that taught you all about colors, letters, numbers, math, and more. He is back and better than ever with a new upgrade, this time sporting a much better animated face instead of the plastic face we all remember. My three year old son has been playing with Alphie for the last week and he loves him. He has an electronic voice that is a lot of fun and not at all as annoying as I imagined it might be. My son got mad at me a few times for "taking over".

He seems well built and sturdy, but I will update my review if that changes.Some of the cards in the starter pack include:

-Quick Start Guide

-Matching

-ABC Song

-Music Composition (neat card! Keep adding instruments for new sound combinations!)

-Counting Song

-Color Exploration

-Letters

-Numbers

-Shapes

There is also a "Hide and Seek" mode. Just push the button on top of Alphie's head and he asks you to find a card with a description. For instance, find a card that has pink on it.

New booster packs are available on amazon with at least 2 more slatted for release according to in the information in the box.

The cards are stored on his back when not in use. My only complaint and recommendation is for some type of clear plastic that the card could slide into on the front instead of just sitting loose in the small slot on the bottom. The plastic card tends to 'lean forward' and I am afraid could become badly damaged with regular use by small children.

Highly recommended!!!

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program My wife and I got this for our four-year old daughter. She's been using a computer since she was three and we needed something that was electronic that would hold her attention off the computer (preferably non-video game related). Alphie ended up fitting in perfectly. Despite the fact that she's a bit advanced for games and activities it has, it keeps her interested for quite some time. She's now showing our 6-month old how to use it, so it's likely to become a good starter for her, as well as an excellent bonding tool for the both of them.

Each card has two sides, each with a game/activity. They they range from simple shape matching to letters and math, which I'm quite interested is seeing how my youngest takes to it as we'll use this as an introduction to math and letters. We also find it quite amusing that Alphie seems to have a bit of a personality... it'll come up with all sort of comments between games and steps, such as 'hold on while I drink a glass of water' or 'could you scratch an itch' (complete with button blinking that you must push to sooth Alphie). Alphie will also provide hints at the right answer if the wrong one is selected.

We've had only two minor complaints about Alphie... first, one of the cards isn't recognized. No matter what we do or how it's inserted, there's one card that can't be read by Alphie. The second complaint is durability... the cards are thin laminated cardboard, very similar to a good set of playing cards, so they will bend and wear easily. After a month of use, they've seemed to have stayed in better shape then I expected, but they are beginning to show a bit of wearing. I think once my younger one gets hold of it, the cards won't last much longer. Kids can be a bit rough with toys and laminated cardboard isn't quite forgiving. The cards also limit how young a child can be before they use this toy unsupervised. If my daughter had this when she was two and I walked out of the room for three seconds, I would come back to a pile of bent up and mangled cards. So, overall two is a bit too young for the cards and four is a bit too old for the lessons... that leaves a small age window where Alphie would be best suited. Alphie himself is quite sturdy and rugged. Luckily, you can at least replace the cards.

Overall, this is a highly recommended toy for parents looking to get their kid an electronic device without getting them hooked on video games just yet. As I said, my 4-year old is a bit advanced for the lesson part of the games, but it holds her attention just the same, and for a younger child that's learning, this would be even more valuable.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program When I was a kid something like this would be exotic and high tech. Today, this toy is a great first introduction to electronics for a sub 3 year old kid who will soon move onto tablet computers, kid laptops, and other high tech toys and tools with full touch screen support. I like the Alphie for the nostalgia value as well as for the drool, hard abuse, and torture proof design. This thing is built to take a small child using it as a hammer and as a drool pad, while offering limited educational enhancement. There is never going to be a replacement for mom and dad spending time with their child performing the duties of a parent, but this toy is a nice enhancement.

My Nephew is now 5 and is well beyond this toy. This toys value is really at the 2-3 year old range with the button presses, basic color/letters/numbers, etc., type teaching and anything beyond 4 years old will be quickly bored.

Still, this toy is exactly what is advertised for the age range and is a very cute and well designed device.

Honest reviews on Playskool Alphie

my son is developmentally 3-4 yrs old, even though he is 26, n alfie is teaching him colors, numbers, shapes, the alphabet n he even plays music. my son is learning so much with alfie. i love it, because alfie is using game play to learn. its a wonderful learning tool!

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My daughter received an Alphie for Christmas and it completely quit working within a week! It would not ready any booster cards, even an pack extra that we had bought. I called Hasbro and was told they were getting this complaint a lot and were working to improve it. The nice gentleman I spoke to on the phone emailed me a return address lable so I could return Alphie. It has been a month since I sent Alphie back, and we are still waiting. I called last week and was told to call back this week. After talking to a customer service rep today, I requested to talk to a manager. I was informed by the manager that it is going to take at least another 1-3 weeks, on top of the 4 that we've already waited, before we receive a new Alphie. I told the manager this was the worst customer service I had ever received from any company, and that I am extremely unhappy with their company. I do not plan on buying any more toys from Hasbro and I plan on spreading the word to everyone else. HASBRO CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE!!!!

Cheap AMZ Replogle Trafalgar 16" Blue Globe - 26807

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This is surprisingly sturdy and very modern looking, nice clean lines for the minimalist. Very happy for the price and shipping was prompt, packaging great. I highly recommend this for the modern styled room!

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Reviews of Fisher-Price Song and Story Learning Chair

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List Price: $41.29
Sale Price: $34.40
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

I got this for my sons 1st birthday and okay I gave it to him before his actual birthday and so glad I did. This is the "new" improved song & story chair and so happy with it. My son just loves it. He sits in it and hits the light to hear songs or the story, he stands behind it and rocks to the tunes. This has to be the best chair ever.

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A few years ago, I purchased this chair for a friend's one year old after seeing how much my own granddaughter loved it. I paid approximately $40 for the chair. Today, I went online to see where I could purchase another as a gift for an upcoming first birthday and almost fell off my chair when I saw what this company is charging for that same chair $160.00. It is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and you have to be crazy to spend that much for it. It's plastic, not gold!! What a rip. Obviously, I won't be purchasing this as a gift anytime soon.

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There's no doubt at all that this Song & Story Learning Chair is cute, educational, fun for toddlers, and worth buying; however, the chair has serious -no, egregious -stability issues that come from a design flaw. The chair is not properly weighted or designed: it flips up and over when my toddler gets up from the chair as he touches anywhere on the storybook or table area. The chair tips over far too easily for its targeted age range, and this *is* a serious design flaw and problem for parents. Toy designers know that safety is the number issue, and I cannot believe that Fisher-Price did not follow through and correct this second iteration of its musical chair.

Honest reviews on Fisher-Price Song and Story Learning Chair

We were gifted this adorable little chair about four years ago for my son. He absolutely LOVED it! It's very cute, doesn't take up a lot of room. I think he was probably too young to actually use all of its educational features, and by the time he was old enough, wasn't interested in it anymore. However, he did adore it. I just checked it out to purchase for a friend, and while the chair was about $40 a few years ago, for some inane reason it is over a $100 now! Insanity! Cute toy, definately NOT worth a $100!!!!

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AS SOON AS IT WAS OPENED AND PUT TOGETHER, BOTH GRANDCHILDREN, GIRL 3, BOY 1, RAN TO IT AND STARTED TO PLAY WITH IT WITH GREAT PLEASURE. KEPT THEIR INTEREST.

Buy LeapFrog My First Book: Good Night Scout

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We decided on this book over the other versions (Fisher Price & VTech) because of it's simplisty & it didn't come with "number & letters" lessons. We have all those toys we could ever need! We love that this book! It reads a story or sings a song about a night time routine. It also goes with the Tag Jr. Buddy Pal reader when they are ready! Makes me so happy!

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There were so many great reviews about this book that I was sure I was going to like it. So I bought 2, one for my 18 month old niece for Christmas (the farm book) and the other (Good Night Scout) for my 8 month old daughter. I excitedly tried each, but was disappointed right away. There are only 3 pages! I was shocked. As soon as the story began, it ended. I understand that this is meant for young babies and toddlers, but even my 8 month old has a longer attention span than that. She loves helping mommy turn pages and while the book is very durable, at just 3 pages long, it doesn't give her much opportunity.

Now the book does tell you that you can push a button to hear more of the Scout story, but without the words in front of you, it fails to ultimately provide one of the important aspects of a storybook, which is sight word recognition.

I also noticed that with other distractions or sounds nearby, the voice from the machine did not capture my little ones attention nearly as much as when mommy and daddy read her a story. I found myself reading the pages after the book to redirect her. You can turn off the sound and just read the book yourself, but then why buy the book except for its durability? It also plays songs and lullabys, but there are many toys out there that do that.

All in all, if you are looking for a book with sound that teaches a story of regular length and captures your little ones attention, maybe you would be more interested in one of the Hallmark recordable storybooks. They are longer and you can record mommy and daddy's voice to them as well as insert your babies name so that they never lose interest and smile with each page turn.

Best Deals for LeapFrog My First Book: Good Night Scout

My husband and I are very interested in introducing our newborn to a love of reading from a very early age. Although this book is recommended for children who are 6 months or older, our 2-month-old loves it. We enjoy flipping through the pages with her, and there are so many different tracks that accompany each page. She particularly likes the tracks with the animal sounds (dog barking) and also the singing tracks. As she gets older, she'll be more interested in following the words on the page. For now, though, she's just learning that books are fun.

Edited to add: Our baby is now 10 months old, and she still loves this book. There is a button on the book that, when pressed, will play a different track for the page. Sometimes it's a song or a description of the picture on the page. Our daughter has discovered how to use this button, and she presses it over and over to hear all the words, songs, and sounds for each page. This is a fun and interactive toy that has introduced our baby to a love of reading.

Honest reviews on LeapFrog My First Book: Good Night Scout

This book was a gift from Grandma. My son doesn't put this thing down when he gets his hands on it. Since he was 6 months old he's always loved to listen to the story and flip the pages. Its a very durable toy. My son on occasion has used the book handle to thrash it on our hardwood floors and it still works the same as when we took it out of the box. The one drawback that I do not like about the book is that it will play the same story line by flipping the pages and requires the button on the top to be pressed for additional story line. My son is 10 months old and doesn't quite understand this concept yet. But overall the book is very engaging to him and is a welcomed distraction for myself when I need to get some quick cleaning done or cooking!

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I love LeapFrog and almost everything from them! So when I saw this book on sale I grabbed it for my fourth son who was turning one. I thought that it would be a little more durable than the other books and if it was like one that I had gotten for my first son (which has disappeared somewhere so I was looking for a comparable replacement)VTech Rhyme and Discover Book I would have been happy. But, it wasn't.

It is sturdy! He and his brothers have read it and my three year old really likes the music and flipping through it but it doesn't hold their attention long. It is so short! :( And it does make sounds when you're on the page but it's not interactive like the VTech that I loved before.

It does have two volume levels :) and the songs are nice but I wouldn't buy it again. It would be interesting to see it in action with Tag Jr. to see if it is really neat when used with it. Oh well! Save your money or buy the VTech!

Cheap Learning Resources Wood Geometric Solids Set of 19 (LER4298)

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I wish that Learning Resources would have taken the time to take better pictures of this product. They are lovely objects and have a nice finish for the price, but they are MUCH MUCH smaller than the sales text give them out to be. the sphere only has a little more than an half inch radius.

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Too bad the children CAN NOT handle them. I am going to have to sand them and finish them. Otherwise I will be pulling splinters from their little fingers. NOT what I expected. I also have to label the shapes as there is not a list provided. Next time I will spend a little more and get a better set.

Best Deals for Learning Resources Wood Geometric Solids Set of 19 (LER4298)

Another reviewer was complaining about the size of these wooden solids, I was a bit reluctant to buy and then decided to give them a try. I am glad I bought these, some of them are about 3 inches high and they are perfect for my little preschooler. Plus there is a nice variety of shapes giving this set a good learning potential.

Although I really like this set, I didn't give it 5 stars because there is no tetrahedron a very important 3-D shape-, there is a triangular pyramid instead. Also, there are 2 triangular prisms that make a rhomboid prism, I wish there were 2 hemispheres instead making a more basic shape: a sphere!

Honest reviews on Learning Resources Wood Geometric Solids Set of 19 (LER4298)

easy to explained geometric shape with my son!!

my son love it so much!! and fun to play, too!!

:)

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These are good for hands on and visual. I just wish it came with something that names all the figures to help the kids learn them all.

Dunecraft I Love You Bean Science Kit Review

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This is such a simple little thrill. I bought this as a gift and it was such a success. The beans come in the little plastic pot with a dried "germinating" mixture in which to plant the seeds for the first five days. The "I Love You" is stamped on the beans themselves, which is why it grows onto the pods. If you want to give it as a gift and have it be a surprise, you will have to plan ahead a little bit. You might want to take it through the germinating process and then re-plant it into a bigger pot. But, don't worry, it grows VERY fast! Mine had noticeable growth every day. I gave it to my husband and I replanted it on about day 4. On day 6 or 8 he noticed the "I love you" and it was so fun. It has been about 2 weeks now and one stalk is about 12 inches and the other is about 10.

He and I are like kids, so this would be a good gift for a kid. It helps to teach about gardening and nurturing a plant. Also, since it grows so fast, it is very satisfying to watch.

I had a little trouble with the "germinating mixture" (which is like a small pat of compressed soil). The directions say to just add a little bit of water and stir. Mine was perhaps sitting for a long time because I had to forcefully break it apart with my fingers in order to get it to mix up, but it did finally absorb and fill the pot with the sort of soil.

Also, be careful when opening the package--do not throw it away! The directions say to keep it as it acts as a "terrarium" in which to grow the seeds for the first several days.

Hope you enjoy as much as I did! I posted a photo of our plant if you want to see it. It is in a red pot.

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really cute. got it for the kids to give on fathers day. they thought it was really fun and dad enjoyed it as well.