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Monday, June 20

NOISE ON TOYS REVIEW: Baby Alive 1st For Me - Luv’N Snuggle Doll

The Noise on Toys (FACEBOOK) (WEB)
'An independant consumer's guide to "bestest" kid tested toys'

Remember how I mentioned that I had found an amazing toy testers circle? (See here if you've already forgotten about that post...). I'm finally allowed to talk about it! I first heard about The Noise on Toys through Vicky from Ottawa Cloth Diapers. She suggested I try it out since she had such a positive experience testing toys for them. So here's the low-down on them... they offer a slew of feedback on some of today's most popular toys - feedback offered by volunteers (you could be one too!) who take their time to fill out on-line journals, that really are not at all time consuming, to keep featured companies informed on what works and what doesn't whether it's toy safety (which they DO take seriously), fun factor, price range, age appropriateness and more! I really enjoy the fact that after the testing period is over, toys are generously donated to local organizations.

Testing periods generally last about 3 months and can vary from babies to adults! You get to peruse through an extensive list of available toys arranged by age, and request the most appealing to you! I'm hoping to get my hands on some board games since between the bf and I... we're all little bit of game night fanatics. My first toy testing review was the Baby Alive 1st For Me Love 'n' Snuggle Doll by Hasbro.

Baby Alive 1st For Me: Love'n'Snuggle
by Hasbro
(WEB)
Retail: $11.99 CAD
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

I recently decided to jump into toy testing since my days of testing diapers is virtually come to an end (I found what works and thought why spend more money?) I decided to start off with the Baby Alive 1st For Me Collection, specifically the Luv'N Snuggle Doll by Hasbro (picture pulled from Hasbro). My testing period was about 3 months for this toy.

Likes:

  • The doll is small and can easily be carried in a diaper bag when on the go. Perfect size for little hands!
  • The bright colors and fun and vibrant. It caught my baby's attention immediately.
  • The use of COMPLETELY recyclable packaging - even down to the paper twist ties! Thumbs up on that one!
  • My baby quickly took to the toy.
  • She was really interested in the ponytails, but lost interest once she found the tags.
  • Easy to clean, baby got applesauce all over doll, easy wipe clean design. Have not machine washed yet.
  • The puppet action is neat - it makes for great interaction with baby.


Dislikes:
  • Only 1 of the 2 feet crinkles
  • Ponytails could be slightly bigger to make it easier to chew on.
  • Polyester fibres poked through the fabric within 10 mintues of play, need to keep a close eye on baby since she was chewing on fibres that came through the body of the doll.
  • Baby lost interest in the toy only several days after initial introduction. A few days after the initial introduction of the toy, she wouldn't pick the doll out by herself from the toy box. When the doll is given to her, she doesn't give it much attention and quickly moves on to something else.

Review - 2.5 out of 5 (that's cause my daughter didn't care much for it...)

This doll was an adorable addition to my daughter's already boyish toy box. Baby got really excited when we first introduced her to the toy. The initial play session was for a good 10 minutes with no interruptions. She carried the doll around and gave it kisses and hugs. Then again, we were off to a very uneventful family affair and this kept her mind busy. After having the doll for two months, my daughter completely lost interest in it. She will only play with it, if I take it out of the toy box and play with it first - and even then, it's momentarily. However, we have a walker/stroller that came with a similar doll and she does prefer the Baby Alive version.

Final opinion? I think it really depends on your child - mine seems to prefer bells and tambourines - basically any loud music. We have something that we call the "Kate Smash!" cause she loves to be as loud as she possibly can - this toy was not in her mind set, but would probably be an excellent toy for someone a little more "nurturing" than my little tom-boy. The price point is excellent - as about $12 Canadian... you couldn't get a cuter doll!

NOTE: I did not receive any compensation for this review. These opinions are my own. Toys are donated to shelters after the completion of this review.

Friday, June 3

You're 8. Why are you drinking an energy drink?

I saw something disturbing tonight. As I was waiting in the car with baby while dad ran in for some much needed Pepto, I saw 2 boys walk out of the store giddy like they had stolen a beer from Dad. Boy in blue pulled out a really big can of Rockstar Energy Drink. I was in a bit of a shock, I mean... I'll be honest. I've drank the stuff... when I was nodding off in the car driving for 8 hours! - I've never been able to get passed half of it because of the rapid heart beat I suffer from drinking that stuff. Shocker number 2? Boy in red proceeded to chug the drink - when boy in blue snatched it and drank the rest... in under a minute!!!! Can you say Jolt and CRASH!? Didn't realize heart palpitations were cool. I guess Tang is lame now. Oh well. See you in 5 years when the next best thing to you is a cigarette.