DiscoverSounds Stackin’ Pans is LOADS of Fun!
Written: Sep 19 '05 (Updated Aug 08 '06)
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Pros: ● DURABLE
● Amusing
● Developmental
● Dishwasher safe
Cons: ● Requires batteries
The Bottom Line: The Little Tikes DiscoverSounds Stackin’ Pans is a fun, developmental plaything for infants and toddlers.
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| marybatson's Full Review: Little Tikes DiscoverSounds Stackin' Pans |
Okay, what you first need to know is that I’m a dork. That’s should be spelled with capital letters D-O-R-K. So far, William is an only child, and despite our familial gift exchange rules, the child is inundated with gifts at Christmas. Consequently, for the first couple of years, I bought, and gave him his gifts early. This was of course before he knew about Santa Claus. This way, I wasn’t strapped for cash during the month of December, and the deluge wasn’t as overwhelming. The Little Tikes DiscoverSound Kitchen and the corresponding Stackin’ Pans were two such early gifts.
The Little Tikes DiscoverSounds Stackin’ Pans is a nesting, and stacking toy for infants and toddlers. It is completely made of plastic, and is extremely durable. The toy consists of 7 pieces: a base or hotplate, 2 pans, 1 pot, 2 lids, and a colander. The pieces are very chunky and are perfect for little hands. They range in size from 2½” x 1½”, which is about the size of a hacky sack to 5” x 3¾” think of a large measuring cup. The set can be stacked to measure almost 11” high, or they can be nested to half that height. The entire set weights less than a pound, so it’s easy for little tykes to lift, and carry. All the items, except the hotplate include a molded number from 1 to 6, which indicates the stacking order. The toy is brightly colored in red, yellow, green, purple, blue, and orange.
In addition to all the stacking, and nesting fun, the hotplate offers COOL interactive features as well. First off, it looks like a miniature burner. It has a red surface that lights up, and it looks like the coils of a HOT burner. There are 4 different grooves on the hotplate, which correspond to the cookware, and activate a different sound:
● The frying pan makes a frying sound
● The large pan makes a boiling sound
● The pot makes a clanking sound (like a loose lid), and
● The colander sounds like an egg timer
On the front on the hotplate is a purple button. When pressed it activate all the sounds, in addition to a BOING, and a DRIP sound. The toy does not include an On/Off button, or a volume control. The hotplate measures 5½ wide x 4½ deep x 2” high, and it includes three AA batteries. The battery compartment is found on the bottom of the unit, and requires a Phillips screwdriver to open.
Our Experience:
The DiscoverSounds Stackin’ Pans was an awesome purchase. My only regret was that I didn’t buy it for my son’s 1st Christmas. William was already 17-months old when he received this toy, so he thoroughly understood stacking, and quickly learned about nesting. The toy is recommended for children 6-months to 3-years, which I think is an accurate recommendation. I can easily imagine a sitting infant enjoying this toy.
The hotplate was an instant favorite! William pressed the buttons over, and over again. He loved the BOING sound best. We traveled out of town that Christmas, and it was great to know that I didn’t need to pack tub toys for bath time. The Stackin’ Pans (without the burner) doubles as tub toys! They are top-drawer dishwasher safe too, which I took advantage of frequently. As a companion toy, it’s difficult for me to separate the Stackin’ Pans from the kitchen. I know my son adored both, and certainly would not have enjoyed the kitchen as much, had this set not been available. William played with this set for 2-years, and was I sad to put this cookware up to make room for his big boy kitchen.
In 2-years time, I never observed any safety hazards when playing with this toy. The batteries were replaced twice, which I think is long-lasting. Due to the fact that there isn't an On/Off switch, the hotplate will "go off" without notice if stored in a toy box, but this was never a problem for us. We stored all the items in DiscoverSounds Kitchen, which was quite convenient. In addition, the lack of volume control was never an issue . The sounds are fun for little one, but not annoyingly loud like a lot of toys today.
As a consumer who purchased both the kitchen and the Stackin’ Pans, I was pleased to see that Little Tikes was clever enough to vary the sizes, and the colors of the cookware in both sets. They all stack, and nest together neatly. The DiscoverSounds Stackin’ Pans is an amusing toy that I highly recommend.
The Little Tikes Company
PO Box 2277, 2180 Barlow Road, Hudson, Ohio 44236-0877
1-800-987-0183
www.littletikes.com
Additional Kitchen-Type Toy Reviews:
Cook ‘N Clean Kitchen by Little Tikes
DiscoverSounds Kitchen by Little Tikes
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $12.99
Type of Toy: Playscene
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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marybatson
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Member: Mary
Location: Phoenix
Reviews written: 169
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