What a disappointment! So much potential...
Written: Jan 25 '06
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Pros: All-in-one pieces fit toddlers hands. No breakable or chokeable parts.
Cons: Box, stethoscope & blood pressure kit fall apart. Parts are too small for adult interaction.
The Bottom Line: Do some online research for a better deal! This is a frustrated mother waiting to happen (not to mention a frustrated toddler!)
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| lisandrea's Full Review: International Playthings Little Doctor Kit G02021 |
My son was clearly ready for a doctor's kit as this Christmas approached. He had been stealing away his daddy's real stethoscope too many times (his dad is an EMT), and Tom was worried about it being broken (these things are delicate, I hear). So, we got him the Little Doctor Kit, based on the "Best Toy Award" gold seal on its cover, and my belief in the quality of other products we have purchased from Sensational Beginnings in the past (a catalog/online store).
Well, at first it seemed great! All the pieces are there--otoscope, stethoscope with the sound of coughing and a heartbeat, a squeaky syringe, reflex hammer, thermometer, blood pressure cuff, pretend bandage and...the mirror used by dentists to see inside one's mouth. Not sure how a dentist's tool got into the mix, but...OK!
Then we started playing with it--clearly a mistake! The two top plastic hinged handle pieces of the case refuse to stay in place--they pop off on every use & do not pop back on very easily (parental assistance necessary). And who in God's creation formed this doctor's case anyway? It is EXACTLY the right size for all the pieces, when they are put away by a careful adult who has time to play out the delicate arranging necessary to get all elements in & the faulty top closed. I mean, it is a TIGHT fit! Would another 1/4" have been so horrible?
But what frustrates me the most is this kit's number one safety features. Every daggone thing is too short! The stethoscope fits on a child's head & ears, but when my toddler wants to play doctor with grown-ups (as most toddlers will want to do), I cannot put this stethoscope on MY head to fit into MY ears or around MY neck. Yes, yes, I understand, this is the age of mass strangulations of children--everything must be shorter than a yard stick so no one DIES, but for crying out loud! Let's actually put a toy through a reality check in the hands of a family in which children ask parents to interact!
The same is true of the blood pressure cuff. My son has been to many doctor's appointments of his own, and as an observer at Mommy's appointments. He's seen a blood pressure cuff used and knows they go on the upper arm--but the cuff of this toy only fits around an adult's wrist (if even!). In fact, it is also very flimsy because the tube that extends from the cuff to the pump falls out with the slightest tug. Hello? Can you see a toddler putting this small cuff on his/her mommy's wrist, then staying within 3" of Mommy so as not to tug the tube out? I can't! It's D-U-M-B and frustrates those trying to use it.
Positives...um. I think the negatives overshadow them, but I will mention a couple. The all-in-one pieces are wonderful! They fit a toddler's hands well and have no parts to break-off for fear of choking. The syringe is my son's favorite--a dull rounded tip makes it an easy toy to trust in his hands--even if he happened to pop himself in the eye with it we wouldn't have to plan a trip to the ER. "You need a shot, Mommy," he says, "just a little one. It won't hurt at all!"
The thermometer is cute with a rotating internal dial that shows several degree temperatures--click at the end to turn the temp up. Red means a fever. Fun.
But the plastic stiff bandage will only fit an adult's wrist (again, I say, if even...I have thin wrists, so it fits me, but how about most of America? I don't know...), but it is a creative way to put a bandage in the kit, and Logan loves it. "You need a bang-baid" he says, chasing down his favorite parent--Dad. Your boo-boo can only be on your wrist, though...no knee scraping or busted noses...
I just think you should keep shopping if you're looking for a doctor's kit for your little one. This one has so much potential, but the fall-apart issues will frustrate every mom who is trying to teach her child to put away his own toys. How can he when the case where all the pieces go is too small to fit, and where the handles fall off when he tries to close it up around the protruding stethoscope!?!?
Forget it. Life is too complicated with kids to force things to work that should be returned to the manufacturer with this kind of rant. Boo hoo to international playthings. Boo!!
I'm calling Sensational Beginnings to ask for our money back.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 19.95
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
lisandrea
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Location: Virginia
Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
AP, NFP, WAHM/SAHM but NO SPAM (thank you, Ma'am)! :O)
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